Dan Gardner is President of Trade Facilitators, Inc. (TFI), the Los Angeles based consulting firm dedicated to the fields of global supply chain management, logistics and U.S. trade compliance. Prior to co-founding TFI, Dan worked in the 3PL space where he held senior roles that include President of Ocean World Lines, President of Latin America for Exel Logistics and SVP USA for DHL Global Forwarding. 

Mr. Gardner’s activities at TFI focus on consulting with Beneficial Cargo Owners, as well as providing strategic, operational and commercial advice to technology firms in the logistics, supply chain and fintech space. A prolific author and sought after speaker, Dan has also provided Expert Opinion Reports and served as an Expert Witness in numerous court cases related to logistics and trade compliance. 

 During his career in 3rd Party Logistics Dan was directly involved in twelve acquisitions, the largest of which was the $7b sale of Exel Global Logistics to the parent company of DHL, Deutsche Post. Dan was also part of the management team that sold ATC Logistics & Electronics to Genco (subsequently acquired by FedEx) and served as Chairman of the Advisory Board for STG Logistics, the largest bonded Container Freight Station Operator in the U.S. (later merged with XPO Logistics).

In addition to his professional experience, Dan has been an adjunct professor of supply chain management his entire career. In 2002, Mr. Gardner was selected as the Professor of the Year in the Master of International Business Program at Florida International University and in 2014 he earned the “Top Instructor” distinction at the California State University Long Beach Center for International Trade & Transportation. Dan remains on the faculties of CSULB, Georgia Tech and Long Beach City College. 

 A native of Lynn, Massachusetts, Mr. Gardner holds an MBA from the University of Miami and is a licensed U.S. Customs Broker. Dan has also been certified in Production & Inventory Management (CPIM) by The American Production & Inventory Control Society (APICS), holds a Black Belt in Six Sigma and earned a certification by the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) as a Physical Security Professional. 

Over the course of his career, Dan has travelled hundreds of times to over sixty countries, having lived in Colombia and Mexico for a total of five years. He can be reached at dgardner@tradefacil.com.