Transportation deal activity may be poised to rebound as freight markets stabilize after a prolonged downturn. Littlejohn &amp; Co. Senior Operating Partner Farrukh Bezar joins Bloomberg Intelligence senior transportation and logistics analyst Lee Klaskow on this episode of the Talking Transports podcast to discuss how improving market conditions could reignite mergers and acquisitions across logistics. Drawing on his experience as former CSX chief strategy officer, Bezar explains why freight brokerage, forwarding, intermodal and AI-related logistics businesses are attracting investor interest, while emphasizing that exceptional management teams remain the foundation of successful investments. He also shares his outlook for the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger, North American rail growth opportunities and how AI infrastructure is creating new demand across transportation and supply chains.<br>See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Private Equity Eyes Freight-Market Recovery

Talking Transports

The Big Take podcast from Bloomberg News keeps you on top of the biggest stories of the day. My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day. Stories that move markets. Chair Powell opened the door to this first interest rate cut. Impact politics. Change businesses. This is a really stunning development for the AI world and how you think about your bottom line. Listen to The Big Take from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, everyone. This is Lee Clasgow and we're Talking Transports. Welcome to Bloomberg's Intelligence Talking Transports podcast. I'm your host, Lee Clasgow, Senior Freight Transportation Logistics Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, Bloomberg's in-house research arm. Before we get started, a quick favor. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, share it, and leave a review and tell your friends.

Your support helps us continue to bring great guests for you, our listeners. And if you'd like to connect, you can find me on the Bloomberg terminal on LinkedIn or on X at Logistics Lee. Today, we're happy to be joined by Farouk Bezar, a senior operating partner at Little John & Company. He supports its portfolio of companies in the industrial and commercial services area, including transportation and logistics. Farouk previously served as the chief strategy officer at CSX,

with responsibilities for leading the company's strategic growth initiatives. Previously, he was senior vice president of marketing, overseeing all of the company's marketing groups, as well as having corporate strategy responsibilities. At CSX, he supported the acquisition of Pan Am Railways and quality carriers. He currently serves on the board of Rail Pros, Imperative Logistics Group, Liquid Tech Solutions, Busky Logistics, and Northwestern Transportation Advisory Council.

Private Equity Eyes Freight-Market Recovery

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

Private Equity Eyes Freight-Market Recovery

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.