Prestigious distinction symbolizes the best innovative IT practices to enable company growth
Tampa, FL (August 3, 2022) – BlueGrace Logistics’ Chief Technology Officer, Azad Ratzki, has been named a 2022 CIO of the Year Honoree awarded to outstanding information technology executives and leaders in Tampa Bay who have excelled at enabling business optimization processes and spearheading tech applications. Ratzki’s team of more than 50 domestic and international IT professionals use big data strategy, product innovation, and cyber-security protocols to scale the organization’s footprint in the trillion-dollar supply chain and logistics space.
“Azad is a visionary with boundless ideas about interconnectivity, data analysis and systems management. He is a strategic thinker, always looking for ways to improve BlueGrace’s competitive position in the marketplace,” said Bobby Harris, CEO of BlueGrace Logistics. “However, what is most intriguing about Azad is his empathetic nature for those around him. He is generous with his time and knowledge with colleagues, and those looking to learn more about technology.”
The tech leaders were selected based on innovation in strategy and implementation of IT system, leadership style and management effectiveness, business value created from IT operations, community involvement and philanthropy and contributions to the Tampa Bay business communities. At BlueGrace, Ratzki oversees the development of the company’s suite of software products and proprietary tech platform BlueShip®. BlueGrace and its technology platform supports some of the country’s largest supply chains and contributes to the highest levels of logistics tech and integrations, partnering and deploying modern technologies with companies like Uber Freight.
BlueGrace is one of the industry’s leading Third-Party Logistics operations in North America developing highly scalable cloud-based SaaS products to meet the transportation needs for today’s supply chain. Data science, capacity, availability, and customer experience are at the forefront of every decision made. This approach has allowed teams to work cross-functionally as a collective to introduce unique methods for customer success.
Ratzki is a technology industry veteran and entrepreneur well-known in both the Tampa and Silicon Valley tech scene. He has over 20 years’ experience in creating and building software products, defining technology strategy, managing IT infrastructure and compliance, and working with Fortune 500 companies to solve problems with creative technology solutions. With this depth of knowledge, Ratzki is working with a team of BlueGrace software engineers and IT professionals to redefine best practices and establish industry standards and protocols for a changing tech landscape in the logistics industry at large.
Since bursting on the national tech stage in 2021, Tampa has been the number one city for the tech elite eager to position themselves for new opportunities in a fresh market, beating New York City, San Francisco, Miami, and Austin. Tampa is responsible for over 25 percent of Florida’s tech jobs. As the growing metropolis continues to attract the best in tech, BlueGrace hopes to become an incubator of talent in Tampa and at its 11 other office locations around the U.S.
“I am truly honored to receive this recognition on behalf of BlueGrace and the incredible team of professionals that made it possible. As a two-decade industry veteran, I encourage those in tech not to become complacent, but instead always be willing to explore new territory, technologies, and solutions; understand the importance of being a student at heart, a teacher to those who are willing, and an innovator in your discipline,” said Ratzki.
About BlueGrace Logistics
BlueGrace Logistics offers customizable transportation management solutions as a full-service Third-Party Logistics (3PL) provider that helps businesses manage their freight spend through industry leading technology with a large network of established carriers to customers across the country. BlueGrace is based in Tampa where CEO Bobby Harris was named one of Florida’s most influential executives in transportation for 2020. With 12 offices strategically located in major transportation hubs across the U.S., BlueGrace serves over 10,000 customers annually through its proprietary technology platform, BlueShip®, that has connectivity with more than 250,000 carrier suppliers. BlueGrace is part of the technology portfolio of Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm. For more information on BlueGrace, visit www.mybluegrace.com.
