Livingston International
Livingston International is a North American customs brokerage, trade-services and freight-forwarding company.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Livingston International is a Canadian customs brokerage and trade-services company serving importers, exporters, manufacturers, transportation providers and other organizations involved in cross-border commerce. Headquartered in Toronto, with U.S. headquarters in Chicago, the company operates through a network of border crossings, seaports, airports and other logistics locations across North America, with additional activities and personnel in Europe and Asia. It is recognized as one of Canada's largest customs brokers and has also built a substantial presence in the United States. The company traces its origins to 1945, when Gerry Livingston incorporated Livingston Lumber & Manufacturing Limited in Tillsonburg, Ontario. The original business manufactured wooden shipping crates and automobile components. During its first decades, Livingston expanded into export packing, trucking, warehousing and distribution. Customers included major automobile manufacturers, and the company developed operating experience in the movement and preparation of industrial goods for international shipment. It changed its name to Livingston Industries Limited in 1967 and was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange that year. A decisive strategic shift began in the late 1970s. In 1978, Livingston entered customs brokerage and freight forwarding through acquisitions of International Customs Brokers of Toronto and related operations in the United Kingdom. The brokerage business became increasingly important relative to the company's earlier warehousing, transportation and export-packing activities. In 1981, the corporate name changed to Livingston International Inc. In the mid-1980s, the broader organization was restructured under the Livingston Group name, while the customs brokerage division continued to use the Livingston International brand. Headquarters moved from Tillsonburg to Toronto in 1986. During the 1990s and 2000s, Livingston concentrated increasingly on customs brokerage, regulatory compliance and technology-enabled trade services. It expanded into the United States in 1993, becoming an operator on both sides of the Canada-United States border. Acquisitions such as Mendelssohn-Commercial, Blaiklock, Osowski, Great Lakes Customs Brokerage and PBB Global Logistics broadened its customer base, geographic coverage and freight-forwarding capabilities. Livingston also developed software and outsourced-administration capabilities supporting customs declarations, trade compliance and transportation-related processes. The company became publicly traded as Livingston International Income Fund in 2002, but later returned to private ownership. The company continued to expand through acquisitions after 2010, adding businesses such as Maquilogistics, Hipage, Vastera's customs and trade-compliance operation, Norman G. Jensen, Evans and Wood, MBLX and Advantex. It participated in United States Customs and Border Protection pilot programs involving Simplified Entry and Broker Importer Self-Assessment. These activities reflected Livingston's positioning as a compliance and information-services partner rather than solely as a transaction-processing customs broker. Livingston's service portfolio includes customs brokerage, import and export compliance, trade consulting, international freight forwarding, transportation-related services, business-process outsourcing and technology support. Its customers rely on the company to prepare and transmit customs documentation, interpret trade regulations, manage tariff and classification issues, and coordinate the movement of goods by road, air and sea. Livingston is certified as a member of the Canada Border Services Agency's Partners in Protection program and participates in the United States Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program. Ownership changed again in 2010, when Sterling Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired the business. Platinum Equity acquired Livingston in 2019. On February 4, 2025, Purolator acquired Livingston from Platinum Equity, making Livingston a wholly owned subsidiary. The acquisition places Livingston within a broader Canadian parcel, freight and logistics group while preserving its specialist role in customs brokerage and international trade services.
History
Livingston International began in 1945 in Tillsonburg, Ontario, as Livingston Lumber & Manufacturing Limited, a company founded by Gerry Livingston to produce wooden shipping crates and automobile-related wooden components. The business expanded during the postwar period into export packing, trucking, warehousing and distribution. It changed its name to Livingston Wood Manufacturing Limited in 1950 and to Livingston Industries Limited in 1967, the same year its shares were listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The company diversified substantially during the 1960s and 1970s. It developed export-packing relationships with automobile manufacturers, established a United Kingdom operation, acquired trucking and warehousing businesses, and broadened its industrial logistics capabilities. In 1978, Allpak acquired the outstanding shares and took Livingston private. That year also marked Livingston's entry into customs brokerage and freight forwarding through the acquisition of International Customs Brokers and related businesses. This transaction began the transformation of Livingston from a diversified packaging and distribution company into a trade-services organization. The corporate name became Livingston International Inc. in 1981. Further acquisitions added customs, forwarding, warehousing and specialized vehicle-import services. In 1986, the broader organization was renamed Livingston Group, while customs brokerage continued under the Livingston International name. The head office moved to Toronto, and several brokerage operations were consolidated under the Livingston banner. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, management sold or separated a number of non-core activities, including United Kingdom warehousing and international freight-forwarding operations, while focusing more closely on North American customs brokerage. Livingston expanded across the Canada–United States border during the 1990s. In 1993, it became a customs broker operating coast to coast on both sides of the border. Technology investment became an important part of the strategy, with software and information systems introduced to support brokerage, documentation and compliance services. The company also administered Canada's Registrar of Imported Vehicles program and acquired established brokerage firms, including Blaiklock, a business founded in the nineteenth century. In 1997, private-equity firm CAI acquired Livingston International. The company returned to public markets in 2002 as Livingston International Income Fund, an income trust traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under LIV.UN. Acquisitions in the following years expanded transportation management, U.S. customs brokerage, software, vehicle logistics and international freight forwarding. The 2006 acquisition of PBB Global Logistics was particularly significant because it added a major Canadian customs broker and third-party logistics provider together with related trade and logistics businesses. In 2010, Sterling Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired Livingston. The company sold its domestic warehousing and ground-transportation businesses to DB Schenker and its event-logistics business to ICECORP Logistics, reinforcing its focus on customs and international trade. Subsequent acquisitions included Maquilogistics, Hipage, Vastera's customs and trade-compliance operation, Dell Will Customs Brokers Canada, M.G. Maher, Evans and Wood, Norman G. Jensen, MBLX and Advantex. Livingston also participated in United States Customs and Border Protection pilots for Simplified Entry and Broker Importer Self-Assessment, and selected CGI to support IT infrastructure and software. Platinum Equity acquired Livingston in 2019. The same year, a court approved a $19 million overtime settlement involving non-management employees. In 2024, Livingston acquired customs broker Norman G. Jensen, according to the supplied reference chronology. On February 4, 2025, Purolator acquired Livingston from Platinum Equity. Livingston now operates as a wholly owned Purolator subsidiary, retaining its identity and specialist capabilities in customs brokerage, trade compliance, forwarding and related technology services.
- 2025
Acquired by Purolator
[1]Purolator acquired Livingston from Platinum Equity on February 4, 2025, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.
- 2019
Platinum Equity acquisition
[1]Platinum Equity acquired Livingston International.
- 2012
Trade-compliance expansion
[1]Livingston acquired the customs and trade-compliance operation formerly known as Vastera and transmitted its first U.S. Simplified Entry filing.
- 2010
New ownership and portfolio refocusing
[1]Sterling Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired Livingston, which subsequently sold domestic warehousing, ground transportation and event-logistics businesses.
- 2006
PBB Global Logistics acquired
[1]The acquisition of PBB Global Logistics expanded Livingston's customs, third-party logistics and integrated trade-services operations.
- 2002
Income-trust public offering
[1]Livingston International Income Fund began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under LIV.UN.
- 1997
Private-equity acquisition by CAI
[1]CAI acquired Livingston International.
- 1993
Coast-to-coast Canada–United States brokerage
[1]Livingston expanded its customs brokerage network across both sides of the Canada–United States border.
- 1981
Livingston International name adopted
[1]The company changed its name to Livingston International Inc.
- 1978
Entry into customs brokerage
[1]Livingston entered customs brokerage and freight forwarding through acquisitions of International Customs Brokers and related operations.
Products and positioning
A compliance-led customs brokerage and trade-services partner for North American and international importers and exporters, combining border expertise, freight-forwarding capability and technology-supported regulatory administration.
Trade services · 1978
Customs brokerage
Livingston's core offering supports importers and exporters with customs declarations, entry processing, tariff and classification work, documentation, duty and tax administration, and communication with border authorities. The service spans Canada, the United States and Mexico, with particular strength in North American road transportation and cross-border trade.
Professional trade services · 1995
Trade consulting and compliance
Trade consultants help companies interpret customs rules, manage regulatory obligations, improve classification and valuation processes, and prepare for changing border requirements. Livingston also supports importer self-assessment and other compliance-oriented programs, positioning the service as a continuing governance capability rather than a one-time customs transaction.
Freight forwarding · 1978
International freight forwarding
The freight-forwarding business coordinates international movement by air, ocean and related modes, connecting customs processing with transportation planning and shipment documentation. Livingston developed this capability through acquisitions in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, and later concentrated the offering on international trade flows connected to North American customers.
Logistics technology and outsourcing · 1995
Technology and business-process outsourcing
Livingston provides technology-supported trade administration and outsourced processes for customs, compliance and related logistics activities. Its technology history includes software introduced to support brokerage services and the acquisition of the SouthRanch application business and Vastera's customs and trade-compliance operation.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2025
Acquisition by PurolatorM&ABackground
Livingston was owned by Platinum Equity and operated as a specialist customs and trade-services provider.
Action taken
Purolator acquired Livingston from Platinum Equity on February 4, 2025.
Aftermath
Livingston became a wholly owned Purolator subsidiary, combining customs brokerage capabilities with Purolator's broader transportation and logistics platform.
1978
Enter customs brokerage and freight forwardingStrategyBackground
Livingston had grown from export packing, trucking and warehousing but sought a larger role in cross-border trade services.
Action taken
The company acquired International Customs Brokers of Toronto and related freight-forwarding operations.
Aftermath
Customs brokerage grew to become the central business and ultimately overshadowed much of the earlier warehousing and distribution portfolio.
Recent events
- 2025
Purolator acquires Livingston International[1]
M&A
Purolator acquired Livingston International from Platinum Equity on February 4, 2025, making the customs brokerage company a wholly owned subsidiary.
- 2019
Platinum Equity acquires Livingston International[1]
M&A
Private-equity firm Platinum Equity acquired Livingston International for an undisclosed amount.
Sources1 sources
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