Adelbert Hardinger founded Hardinger & Sons on North Perry Square in 1921, followed by a transfer and storage company the following year. This was the start of what would eventually become Hardinger Integrated Logistics.

A. Hardinger sold the company to Charles Chas. Smith (1885–1969) and Willard “Dow” Foulke (1890–1961). Charles and Dow changed the name to Hardinger Transfer Co. and focused on general trucking with local and long distance hauling capabilities.

Hardinger Transfer Co. moved to 1307 Peach St.

Hazel M. Foulke became part owner with Chas Smith in 1937 and took over full ownership in 1942.

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Richard W. Foulke (1915–1991) began managing the company in the early 1950s and took over ownership from his mother in the 1960s. At that point, the company was headquartered at 1902 State St. and had terminals in Erie, Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

William “Bill” Schaal, Sr., and Sam Varo purchased Hardinger Transfer Co. from Richard Foulke.

During this time, Midwest and Eastern regional transportation routes expanded into a nation-wide scope.

Hardinger Transfer began doing business as Team Hardinger in the 1990s.

Warehousing facilities expanded in northwestern Pennsylvania in the 2000s, including:

• 80,000-sq.ft. food grade facility built adjacent to W. 18th St. in Erie in 2000

• 150,000-sq.ft. site opened at 3106 McCain Ave. in Erie in 2002

• 120,000-sq.ft. warehouse with value-added services built near Grove City in 2007

Bill Schaal assumes controlling interest in the company after the death of Sam Varo and places a renewed focus on excellence in customer service.

Value-added services expanded to include export packaging and crating, as well as a 3,000-sq.ft. industrial paint booth. Purchased NNN Crating and added decanting and transloading services. These services continue to expand over the years, with updated equipment leading to vastly improved quality, efficiency and capacity.

Team Hardinger welcomes Harold “H.” Bender to the team.

Harold “H.” Bender joins Bill Schaal as co-owner.

Best-in-class technology upgrades began, including industry-leading transportation dispatch software, in-cab GPS units and company commitment to E-logs as part of a safety initiative in 2012 and warehouse management system implementation at two sites in 2013, followed by full integration at all sites in 2015.

Region’s public Foreign Trade Zone launched with 150,000 square feet in East Erie and 120,000 square feet near Grove City, PA.

Brokerage services solidified with launch of truckload brokerage subsidiary, Hardinger Logistics, LLC in 2013. Hardinger became an agent of TForce Worldwide in 2016, allowing us to bring value to customers through the multi-carrier platform.

“H.” Bender assumes full ownership.

Acquired local less than truckload (LTL) business.

South warehouse expanded.

The organization redefines its brand and business structure by introducing a family of Hardinger affiliates — Hardinger Integrated Logistics, Hardinger Trucking, Hardinger Brokerage and Hardinger Warehousing.