by Lisa Abrams
When fortune favors the bold, perseverance and dedication are key to surviving in a highly competitive environment. Exhibit City News (ECN) sat down with Jose Benitez, the Founder and CEO of Protrade Logistics, to discuss how Protrade is taking a novel approach to the world of tradeshow logistics. As the company celebrates its 4th anniversary, ECN explores the unique approach that has made them stand out in this competitive field.
ECN: Jose, thank you for being here. Can you tell us about Protrade Logistics?
Benitez: It’s right in the name! We do professional tradeshow logistics. I founded Protrade alongside my co-founder, my brother-in-law Jaime Ortiz, in Chicago. We’d worked in the logistics industry for over a decade, and we always talked about what was missing, and how we would improve the industry if we started our own business.
The craziest part was that we decided to start this venture in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic shook everyone, but it gave us a window of opportunity to be part of something bigger. That’s how Protrade Logistics was born.
We wanted to do things a little differently. Instead of trying to do everything, we’ve chosen to focus on what we do best—providing top-notch air and ground transportation for exhibitors, exhibit houses, live marketing events, and conferences all across North America.
Here’s something I’m really proud of: we’re selective about who we work with. We don’t just partner with any carrier—they have to be well-versed in the tradeshow world and what it demands. After all, our job is keeping your show running smoothly, from one venue to the next, whether a couple of crates or a full truckload.
ECN: Protrade is family-owned. Tell us about that. What is the family’s involvement and how does that make Protrade the company that it is?
Benitez: Working with family is an interesting experience. You spend your entire life developing specific relationships with different family members and then you end up working together. So, you have to learn new working dynamics. I’m no longer just someone’s big brother, I am also their mentor.
As their big brother, I want to make sure they’re doing everything right, but as a mentor, I can’t be micromanaging. Being a mentor means caring for the growth of mentees for their own sake and letting them develop their careers and skills without training wheels. It’s a careful balance of being hands-on when needed and learning how to step back so my employees and mentees can come into their own.
In a business like ours, it’s hard to get people to care—but family cares. We work together to cultivate a strong culture of collaboration and communication. My team takes a personal approach to each shipment, every time our customer wins, our family wins. So that means that honesty and transparency are front and center in our work—both within our team and between our company and customers. This makes us excellent problem solvers whenever issues come up. Our work dynamic ensures a smooth customer experience all along—while minimizing delays and errors.
So, we care. Our team is full of high achievers, and we care about the success of the company and our customers, and that’s only possible if your shipment is delivered on time. As I said, when you succeed, we succeed.
ECN: This is Protrade’s 4-year anniversary! How has the company evolved since its inception?
Benitez: From the beginning, we set out to do things differently. Logistics has a reputation for being, well, boring. So, to us that meant approaching things in a fresh and fun way. We’ve paid a lot of attention to our image: how, when, and where we show up. The vision was always there, but the growth has been tremendous—beyond what I imagined.
Jaime and I started as a team of two, working out of his guest bedroom in a Chicago two-flat. Four years later, we’ve had several office moves, and now have a team going 15 members strong. The growth has allowed us to add highly skilled people, and today we have a magnificent team, each with expertise and experiences that complement what we started with. They have talents I simply don’t possess—and this is the best thing because their fresh perspectives allow the company to keep innovating and growing in ways I could have never achieved alone.
Looking ahead, our path is clear. We’re committed to being the premier choice for show freight logistics, and our team is energized about the future. We’ve proven that logistics can be streamlined, straightforward, and dynamic. By partnering with us, you get the efficiency you need to concentrate on your core business. That’s the standard we’ve set, and what we deliver.
This story originally appeared in the Q2 2025 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 62. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/exhibit_city_news_-_apr_may_jun_2025/62.
