When a major American automotive manufacturer found its supply chain paralyzed and trucks idling at the border, it wasn’t one of the global logistics conglomerates that came to the rescue. Instead, the call went to a mid-sized Canadian firm: Jack Rutherford Customs Brokers Limited (part of The Rutherford Group). The company had trucks moving again within two hours on a Friday afternoon. By Monday, the automaker had entrusted them with its entire Canadian business. This is how the firm operates. Not by scale alone, but by agility and a fierce commitment to client service. In a $10-billion Canadian customs brokerage industry dominated by faceless giants, that approach is quietly winning it business. From Brokerage to Full-Service Partner International trade has always been about scale. The largest brokers handle thousands of daily transactions, built on industrial efficiency and digital portals. In the process, clients, especially smaller importers, often find themselves lost in bureaucratic red tape, unable to reach a human voice when shipments stall. Rutherford sees its opening there. “Clients come to us because they want service. They want a person to talk to,” says Bob Tamblyn, President. That deceptively simple value proposition—accessibility—has become a differentiator in a sector known more for opacity than transparency. Founded more than half a century ago, Rutherford built its name serving small and medium importers, defined by Canadian regulators as those with fewer than 2,500 entries a year. Over time, it has attracted multinationals, too, often dissatisfied with the rigid systems of their larger brokers. What began as a brokerage has evolved into something closer to a full-service trade solutions group. Under the Rutherford Group banner, the company now operates bonded and FDA-approved warehouses in Michigan, a network of domestic and cross-border trucks, and a growing freight forwarding arm spanning China, Europe, and Australia. The goal is to offer importers and exporters one point of contact across the complexity of global trade. “Clients don’t have to change their business to accommodate us,” notes May Marlow, Director of Customs Compliance. “We change to accommodate them.” Rutherford builds the account around the client, not the other way around. Some want to review entry documents before submission; others need billing split across multiple entities, or invoicing in different currencies depending on destination. The team will configure workflows, approvals, and billing so the importer’s operations don’t have to conform to a broker’s template. That flexibility extends to compliance and audits: Rutherford frequently manages CBSA reviews, prepares files, and advocates on the client’s behalf.