The Southwest Michigan man who turned two trucks and a personal determination to become the best freight expediter in the nation into a veritable juggernaut of global logistics, lost his personal battle with gioblastoma — brain cancer — last week, and tomorrow a grateful community will say goodbye.
Michael R. Welch of Stevensville was only 56 years old when he passed away last Friday, September 27, 2019, at the Hanson Hospice Center. What he packed into those 56 years will be remembered forever by those who knew and loved him.
Welch was the President & Founder of Express-1 of Niles and St. Joseph, a logistics firm that started in 1989 with just those two trucks and his determination to become the best. His leadership at the helm of the North American start-up ground expediter led to unparalleled 15-to-20-percent growth year over year as he grew the business into a $25-million powerhouse in the logistics industry.
In 2004 Welch successfully orchestrated the sale of the company to Segmentz and stayed on as company President for another year before changing the name to Express-1 Expedited Solutions or simply XPO. Between 2005 and 2011 as CEO at XPO, Mike led the firm to multiple key acquisitions of a number of smaller logistics firms, and started a new one called Bounce Logistics. During that span the company grew from $40-million in revenues to in excess of $177-million, greatly enhancing the shareholder value of the publicly owned company. In 2011 he successfully negotiated the sale of XPO to a private equity firm, Jacobs Private Equity.
Mike later became a partner in the Chicago-based investment firm of Magnate Capital Partners. Eventually, he returned a component of the premium asset-light logistics company Magnate Worldwide (MWW), where he was tabbed as President, to a base of operations in the Saranac Building on Main Street in Benton Harbor, in a homecoming of sorts just under three years ago.
In the middle of all of that, Mike and his wife Lisa with partner Keith Avery opened the HoneyBaked Ham Company in the Southtown neighborhood of St. Joseph and moved it several years later to Red Arrow Highway. Their Southtown site became home to Dino’s Restaurant and they sold the Red Arrow site to a Subway franchisee who relocated from further north on Red Arrow at Glenlord.
Despite being in the grinding and constantly moving world of logistics, Mike Welch maintained a demeanor that was above reproach. He was admired by virtually everyone who met him, and his philanthropic legacy will live on for decades across the region.
Mike was born on October 8, 1962, to Eugene & Christine (Mildon) Welch in St. Joseph. He graduated from Lakeshore High School in 1981 and continued his education at Michigan State University, Lake Michigan College and received his Bachelors in Industrial Marketing from Western Michigan University. On November 25, 1995, Mike married the love of his life Lisa Coles at St. Paul’s Memorial United Methodist Church in South Bend.
Mike had a passion for his community. He served on numerous community boards, including those of the Lakeshore Public Schools, Lake Michigan College Foundation, where he served as President, the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, and Lakeland Hospital. He served as Board President of the Southwest Michigan Economic Growth Alliance in Niles, Chair of the Campaign for the United Way of Southwest Michigan, President of the Chemical Bank-SW Michigan Board of Directors, and a marketing instructor at Southwestern Michigan College. He was named the South Bend Transportation Club Person of the Year. He also had a love for sports and was always found cheering on Michigan State University, University of Michigan, the Detroit Lions and his beloved Lakeshore Lancers. Most of all, Mike’s number one love in life was his family, and his dog, Cabi.
Mike is survived by his wife of 23 years, Lisa Welch of Stevensville; children, Kara and Carter Welch both of Stevensville; father, Eugene Welch of Stevensville; brothers, James (Cindy) Welch of FL, William Welch of St. Joseph, and John (Joy) Welch of Stevensville; and his mother-in-law, Deanna Coles of Niles.
Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Christine Welch.
The Lake Michigan College community shared their love for and appreciation of the Welch family late this summer as the ribbon was cut on the new Welch Center for Wine & Viticulture, where Lisa serves on the Board of Lake Michigan Vintners, licensee for the winery. Just yards away from that sparkling new center is where the community will bid its farewell to this remarkable man who has left us far too soon.
A Memorial Service will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, October 1, 2019, at 2pm, in the Grand Upton Hall at Lake Michigan College with Mike Gathright officiating. Friends may visit with the family beforehand from 12-noon until the time of the service at the hall. Memorial contributions may be made to Hanson Hospice Center or American Brain Tumor Association.
Mike Welch has been fondly remembered by the CEO of FreightWaves, the largest publisher of freight, logistics, cargo and transportation news and data in the world. Click the link below for a brief video from FreightWavesTV on YouTube as Craig Fuller, the CEO, sits down with Anchor Emily Szink to remember Mike:
