Redwood Mexico Welcomes Mauricio Alcocer to Fuel Continued Growth

It’s no secret that Redwood is investing heavily in U.S.-Mexico cross-border capabilities. With seven strategically located facilities on both sides of the border, over 200 bilingual experts, and 30,000 annual shipments, Redwood Mexico has established itself as an industry leader.  

And the business world is taking notice. Redwood Mexico was featured in a recent CNBC story called “How China Is Using Mexico as a Backdoor to Avoid U.S. Tariffs,” with Redwood Mexico CEO Jordan Dewart providing expert commentary. A new Gartner report, “Refine Your North American Cross-Border Logistics Execution,” cited Redwood’s Cross-Border Index as an expert data source.  

U.S.-Mexico trade continues to grow, creating big opportunities for Redwood customers. In fact, Mexico's trade with the U.S. totaled USD $415.4 billion from January through June 2024 — the highest total ever recorded for this six-month timeframe. At Redwood, we're dedicated to expanding our capabilities for cross-border shippers, so they can capitalize on this large and growing opportunity.  

That’s why we’re excited to welcome Mauricio Alcocer, a cross-border expert with a long tenure in the Mexican logistics industry, to our Redwood Mexico team as our new Director of Commercial Services, Mexico. Recently Arlyn Knox, Redwood’s Chief Marketing Officer, sat down with Mauricio to talk about why he joined Redwood, as well as his vision for the future. 

Arlyn Knox (AK): First of all, welcome to the Redwood family! Can you tell me a little about the career path that brought you here?

Mauricio Alcocer (MA): Thanks, Arlyn! I started my career as a customs broker with Corporacion Castaneda, headquartered in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. I spent 13 years there in various roles, providing both strategic consulting and hands-on execution for clients in customs clearance. More recently, I spent four years as a business development manager at Transplace, based in Guadalajara, which became part of Uber Freight during my time there. I think my hands-on experience in customs, combined with my expertise in high-level business growth, enables me to add a lot of value for our customers.  

AK: With the cross-border logistics marketplace exploding, why did you choose Redwood for your next career step? 

MA: Redwood is investing aggressively in building its cross-border transportation and distribution opportunities, and that makes it an exciting time to be here. It’s amazing to think that Redwood Mexico is only six years old, because it’s already an established industry leader that’s featured regularly in mainstream media and recognized by top analysts. I want to be a part of continuing that growth, as we add more customers, more carriers, more partners, more team members and more facilities. I’m impressed by Redwood Mexico’s success to date, and I look forward to building on that. 

AK: What value can a 4PL like Redwood deliver for logistics teams in Mexico? 

MA: Nearshoring is bringing many big companies to Mexico. They’re not trying to just ship products across the border. They’re establishing multinational operations, and they have a diverse range of transportation, warehouse, distribution and integration needs. As a modern 4PL, Redwood is uniquely qualified to meet those needs. Gartner's recent blog Close Encounters of the 4PL Kind stated, “The global logistics landscape has fundamentally changed, entering a new era that requires a different type of logistics partner to support future-growth ambitions and enhance overall productivity.” Gartner included Redwood as a representative vendor in the 2023 Market Guide for 4PLs, and I’m excited to join a team that offers customers so much flexibility, scalability and extensibility as their needs evolve over time. Because our capabilities, resources and network are not rigid, we can help them with any challenge, from contracts and customs clearance to physical assets and infrastructure. We can help them optimize routes and loads to keep costs and emissions down.  We can help them choose the best border crossing and have the right documentation. We can help them maximize speed, accuracy and real-time visibility in their end-to-end processes via advanced tools.  And we can help ensure the safety of cargo and personnel, given Mexico’s theft rates. As a full-service 4PL, Redwood uniquely understands all those issues — and more. Redwood Mexico has achieved millions of dollars in cost avoidance for its customers, but that’s just a small part of the value we deliver. We truly help orchestrate logistics execution across the border, as well as solve complex supply chain and technology integration challenges. 

AK: How would you describe the culture at Redwood?  

MA: I’m glad you brought that up, because it’s a very special culture. In the logistics world, it’s easy to focus on the trucks, or the math, or the deadlines. But Redwood uniquely focuses on people. Succeeding in cross-border logistics is really about building relationships, creating connections and establishing trust. Redwood Mexico values its customers, its team members and its partners — and that shows. This year, Redwood Mexico hosted its first annual Cross-Border Logistics Council Summit. We also regularly host Redwood Mexico Nights and other events that bring our community together. It’s easy to buy trucks, but it’s very hard to build the incredibly close-knit culture of Redwood Mexico. That’s a real strength of our value proposition.  

AK: What excites you most about the future?  

MA: The most exciting thing is that this is a “right time, right place, right opportunity” situation for both Redwood Mexico and our customers. This is a great time to be building or expanding your business in Mexico. And Redwood has the right plan, the right talent and the right resources. We’re working to expand our presence in not only Monterrey, but also Queretaro near Mexico City — and we plan to add an additional 50-plus new hires in Mexico in the next six months. And we’re just getting started! There’s so much positive energy on our team. I look forward to coming to work every day, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings!  

Redwood Mexico doesn’t just help you navigate borders, it optimizes your end-to-end cross-border logistics operations. Whatever challenge you face, we’ll help you master it. Contact Redwood today to learn more.