On the Rise

By Sandy Young-Brandy • Photos by Jessica McCafferty

Driving north toward the open farmland of Ellenburg Depot, the landscape stretches into long, quiet expanses of fields and rural roads. Near the end of Bombard Road, Bee Line Trucking Warehousing and Logistics comes into view. Rising above the surrounding farmland is the company’s newest addition—a 12,000-square-foot, four-bay garage that serves as both a working hub and a symbol of its steady growth. At the peak of the building, the company’s familiar bee logo is displayed prominently.

From a distance, the structure looks more like a modern industrial facility than a simple vehicle garage. Designed to wash, repair and store tractor trailers, the building is central to the daily operations of a company that has spent the last quarter century building a diversified logistics operation across the North Country and beyond.

Calling it a garage almost undersells the scale of the project. The structure is expansive and purpose-built, designed to support a growing fleet and the people who keep it running. Beside the building sits Bee Line’s administrative offices, where the day-to-day coordination of the company’s trucking and repair operations takes place. Inside, Director of Operations for Trucking and Repair, Evan Sample, helps manage the moving pieces of a business that remains deeply rooted in family tradition.

Sample grew up around Bee Line. His father, Todd, co-founded the company roughly 25 years ago along-side his cousin Greg. For Evan, and other members of the extended family, working in the business began early. “I started here long before I was old enough to actually be on the books, as did Greg’s kids, Jack and Maggie,” Sample recalled with a laugh. “Maggie is now heading up our Dallas-Fort Worth trucking operation and Jack works with my father in warehousing.”

That work ethic helped shape a company that didn’t start with trucks or warehouses. Bee Line began as a logistics company, brokering freight to outside carriers. Trucking came later, followed by warehousing as the business evolved to meet the needs of customers.

Today Bee Line employs approximately 77 and operates multiple facilities across the region. Warehouse operations began in Champlain and Rouses Point, with another location added in Alburgh, Vermont. The warehouses are all AIB audited to meet food-grade standards, a requirement that reflects the company’s long-standing relationships with food manufacturers and cross-border clients.

Those partnerships trace back to the company’s early days. Todd Sample previously worked for Nelson Nutraceutical, a Canadian food manufacturer, and that connection helped establish some of Bee Line’s first warehousing opportunities. Over time, the company expanded by purchasing and renovating warehouse space and adding services to support its growing customer base.

Diversification became a key part of Bee Line’s long-term strategy. By offering logistics, trucking and warehousing together, the company built a business model that could weather economic shifts.

Warehousing provides a physical connection with customers who rely on Bee Line for storage, pick-and-pack services and distribution. At the same time, the trucking division supports transportation needs while logistics operations coordinate freight movement across borders and throughout regional supply chains.

The approach has helped the company navigate everything from shifting trade policies to economic downturns. “Being diversified is important,” Sample explained. “Warehousing gives us a physical attachment to customers because they’re using our space. Often, they’ll utilize both our warehouse and transportation services.”

As Bee Line continued to expand, so did its operational needs. For years, the company relied on a small rented garage facility nearby in Ellenburg Depot. That building had just two service bays and was originally designed to accommodate a smaller fleet — around 15 power units at the time. As Bee Line grew, the limitations of the space became increasingly clear.

Eventually, the decision was made to invest in a new facility designed specifically for the company’s long-term needs. The Samples worked with AEDA (Architecture Engineering Design Associates) and, in 2023, broke ground on the new garage. Supernaw Construction of Mooers, New York handled the project utilizing steel manufactured in Canada. By July 2024, the company was operating out of the new facility.

Unlike a typical warehouse, the garage was designed with a hybrid steel-and-wood construction approach. The building features heavy insulation and high-efficiency boilers, creating an energy-efficient environment that allows maintenance crews to work comfortably through North Country winters.

The design also includes in-floor radiant heat, a service pit, draining floors and in-house storage for inventory. The new space provides flexibility for servicing trucks, washing equipment and housing trailers indoors — something that was not possible in the previous facility.

Standing just outside the garage bays, it’s easy to see how the structure now anchors Bee Line’s Ellenburg Depot operations. Tractor trailers move in and out, while maintenance crews service equipment inside the spacious bays. The building sits on a slight rise, making it visible from the surrounding roadways – an unmistakable marker of the company’s investment in its future.

For Sample, the garage represents more than just added space. It reflects the constant need to adapt in an industry that is closely tied to the broader economy. “Business is always changing,” he said. “You have to adapt and grow with your customers in different markets. If you sit still, that’s when you become a statistic.”

That philosophy has guided Bee Line through both prosperous and challenging times. The trucking industry is often one of the first to feel economic shifts. When consumer demand slows, ship-ping volumes follow quickly behind.

Over the past two decades, Bee Line has navigated those cycles by focusing on long-term relationships with customers and maintaining a diverse set of services. Its new garage represents the latest step in that evolution.

A quote displayed prominently on the Bee Line website reads, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” In Ellenburg Depot, the Sample family has done just that.

Bee Line Logistics

4566 State Route 11

Ellenburg Depot, NY 12935

(800) 594-7043

www.beelinelogistics.com