Hoover-based McLeod Software tops 500 employees

When the city of Hoover gave McLeod Software nearly $1 million in tax breaks to purchase and renovate a 140,000-square-foot building in Meadow Brook Corporate Park as a new corporate headquarters in December 2017, the company employed about 380 people.

In the past two years, McLeod Software has added more than 120 associates, bringing total employment to more than 500, CEO Tom McLeod said. More than 100 of those new employees are based in the new Hoover headquarters, putting its total Hoover workforce at more than 400, he said.

The company also operates regional offices with training facilities in Salt Lake City and Chicago.

With business going strong, McLeod expects growth to continue. He predicts the company will have closer to 700 employees within three years, with 600 of those in Hoover.

The key to adding jobs is producing a product that companies want, and “market demand is very strong for what we’re doing,” he said.

To meet that demand, they have to add more people.

McLeod Software provides software for the trucking industry and has grown its customer base to more than 950 companies throughout North America, including about 20 who are in the Top 100 trucking companies in the United States.

“I think we’ve doubled our customer base in the last 10 years,” McLeod said. “Some customers are lost due to consolidation of trucking companies, but we’re adding about 100 new customers a year.”

While McLeod has customers all over North America, its recent growth has allowed it to expand more in Canada.

The company doesn’t release actual revenue numbers, but revenues are about four times what they were 10 years ago.

McLeod’s software helps trucking companies and freight brokers with everything from dispatch operations to accounting, billing, settlements, driver and trip management, business process automation, visual workflow management and document management systems, all developed specifically for the trucking industry.

Trucking companies these days can’t operate with just a white board and legal pad, McLeod said.

“That’s just not cutting it anymore,” he said. “Their customers are asking them for more information, more statistics and reporting on a timely basis. They want to see more sophistication from the people handling their freight supply chain.”

This requires better capabilities from the information systems, he said. McLeod’s software helps companies do a better job of tracking data, planning and predicting rates.

Buck Moore, president and chief operating officer for Buddy Moore Trucking, said his company has been in business for 20 years and has used McLeod Software from Day 1.

McLeod’s software has allowed them to operate efficiently and grow from 15 trucks and 25 trailers to 450 trucks and 800 trailers, Moore said. “They’ve grown with us and supported us through all our growth.”

From order entry to general ledgers, payroll and accounting, “every part of our business is run and measured through McLeod Software systems,” he said.

McLeod held its grand opening at the 100 Building in Meadow Brook Corporate Park in April. Acquisition and renovation of the building cost more than $21 million, but McLeod said it’s a good investment that will allow the company to continue to grow.

McLeod Software occupies about 102,000 square feet of the 140,000-square-foot building but is taking over about 7,000 more square feet, which should hold another 30 employees, officials said.

There are five other tenants in the building, including the Alabama Department of Transportation and U.S. Postal Service. As some tenants leave when their leases expire, McLeod will have more room to grow there, but if they add 200 more people, they likely will need to look for space in another building in the office park, he said.

Consolidating all their employees in one building has enhanced their ability to communicate more efficiently, he said. “It’s been a good move.”