Growing Carmel logistics firm looks to add 200 employees
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A Carmel-based trucking logistics company is planning to add more than 200 employees over the next few years as it expands in Hamilton County.
Koola Logistics LLC, owned by husband and wife Steve and Nancy Paliska, is a freight brokerage that works as an intermediary between trucking providers and people who ship goods.
The company is housed at Lakeside Corporate Centre, 630 W. Carmel Dr., Suite 255.
Steve Paliska established Koola in 2019 after he moved from California to Indiana with Nancy and their children. The company has grown from a small startup with three employees in a 200-square-foot office to a business with 48 employees and more than 16,000 square feet of space.
“I think our dream would be to build a headquarters here in Hamilton County somewhere,” Steve Paliska said. “We don’t really have any goals to be the largest logistics company in the nation or in Indiana. Now, could that happen? It could. But what we’re really focused on is the people we have in the room right now.”
Koola received approval from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. in March to receive $4.25 million in conditional EDGE tax credits to aid in its expansion plans. The contract calls for Koola to boost employment to 250 by the end of 2026. The company will only qualify for the incentives if it reaches hiring goals.
According to the contract, Koola plans to spend about $8.1 million on it expansion plans.
Paliska said entry-level salaries at Koola begin at $45,000 to $65,000, plus commissions.
Since 1994, Indiana has used the Economic Development for a Growing Economy, or EDGE credit, to spur private-sector job growth. The program allows budding companies to abate state payroll taxes for new employees.
Koola was named to IBJ’s Fast 25 list last year after its revenue grew 234% from 2020 to 2022. The company reported $24.5 million in revenue in 2022.
Paliska started Koola based on four core values: faith, family, fitness and freight. All decision-making is based on those pillars, he said.
“I don’t want to run this like your traditional corporate America where you just forget that the people that work at your company are real people,” he said.