Meet Project 44 - the platform that’ll keep an eye on your shipment for you!

Living in the dynamic world of today, many of us simply don’t have the time to go out and browse for the products we need; instead, we prefer to have a designated item shipped to our homes, hassle-free.

Jett McCandless is a man who was quick to come up with a much-needed solution to a dull logistics problem - creating an all-seeing eye in logistics. His idea, supported by Wally Ibrahim, led to resolving a pesky issue with shipment logistics.

What started as a project eventually led to a new perspective on logistics, thanks to the invention of a platform called Project 44. Jet’s project provides real-time monitoring of shipments in the freight industry.

Stick around and learn all about what led Jett and Wally to create an insightful shipment-monitoring platform, which many people are thankful for.

Adversity Teaches the Best Lessons

Jett McCandless was a child that grew up in the 1980s in Chicago. Jett had a childhood that was less than typical, but rather a little bit harsh on young Jett.

Having the misfortune to grow up in a poor family, Jett was different, and that could be seen from afar. 1980’s Chicago was not an easy-going place to live; there were no middle-class families, either rich kids spoiled rotten by their parents, or those unlucky enough to struggle to make ends meet, day by day.

As writer Harry Golden once said “The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work”, Jett did nothing short of working hard. Young Jett felt empowered and motivated to do more and achieve more, he didn’t want to become a statistic.

He was a wild child that was always on the go, enjoying the outside on his bike - a passion Jett nourishes even to this day. Being physically active is what kept Jett away from trouble, away from the ruthless streets of Chicago.

As a kid, Jett dreamed about becoming a firefighter and saving lives. When he was 12 years old, Jett started his own makeshift lawn mowing business. But, being a feisty kid, Jett couldn’t withstand his job, it was not challenging enough for him. However, because of his goal-oriented mind, Jett was motivated to start his own business, utilizing his motto ‘’Failure is just a stepping stone on the path of winning’’.

Like Jett, Wally Ibrahim was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Since his early childhood, technology was what caught young Wally’s interest. Wally was always quite eager to help people via digitalization, which eventually led him to the career he excelled at.

With hard work and dedication, Wally earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at DePaul in record time.

The Grind for Professionalism

Jett’s motivation and determination played a significant role in determining who he is today. Yet, like many masterminds of today, Jeff accomplished all of his success without a diploma. He did, however, hitchhike to Montana and started going to college there, but only for a while, since he decided to drop out and take matters into his own hands.

Unlike many successful influencers, Jett is not big on sharing his personal life too much. Even though he has been transparent enough, he prefers to keep his private and professional life separate. While other successful and prominent CEOs of Jett’s rang are always present on social media, sharing all the bits and pieces, Jett believes that living in the moment is a way better option.

Before becoming his own boss, Jett started small in the freight business; it was a humble start as a dispatcher in his first company YRC Freight for 7 years. As young Jett learned all the scoops about freight, he was getting yearly promotions like no one else in that field of expertise. Working night and day, Jett managed to reel in Walmart as a client.

After leaving YRC, Jett continued his professional development in GlobalTranz, acting as the Executive Vise President and Principal, from 2006 to 2011. After boosting the company’s finances and securing numerous transportation and logistics partners, Jett went on to found two more companies - Carrier Direct and Blue Water Companies, both in 2011. This accomplishment of his did not just reflect on the logistics and transportation business, but on philanthropy, as well, being active to this day.

Moving on to 2014 and the founding of Project 44, Jett seemed to have finally settled down, business-wise.

Wally Ibrahim, on the other hand, chose a different path driven by his desire to be the best in the fast-paced world of computer science. He earned himself a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 2002.

Before teaming up with Jet, Wally has had 3 main jobs - as an IT analyst and senior developer at Harper College, a solutions engineer at ATG, and a principal sales consultant at Oracle.

All of the previous experiences had made Wally grow into what he is today, sharpening and enhancing his skills, preparing him to co-found Project 44 alongside Jett.

From a Small Project to an All-seeing eye

Let’s rewind the hands of time a little bit and see how Jett McCandless turned adversity and failure into a fueling power, skyrocketing him to new business heights.

Jett McCandless is one among the few that found motivation in failure and accepted his mistakes wholeheartedly, emerging as a victor.

He had experienced multiple unfortunate events before becoming a millionaire and founding one of the world’s biggest companies in the world of logistics.

One of the greatest setbacks that have happened to Jett was getting fired from a high-paying job just as he thought he had started to become financially stable like he always wanted.

But the unfortunate events didn’t stop there - shortly after, in 2010 Jett broke his back in a motocross accident. Jett being Jett, he never gave up on his dream and he continued what he started - and just four years from the accident, he became CEO and founder of Carrier Direct.

Not only did Jett just garner all the insights into how logistics work, but he also gained an immense amount of experience that ignited the idea to pursue something greater. Jett’s eye for detail noticed the huge gap in the logistics MO, lacking digitalization and visibility has always been a problem for both the customers and the companies.

Starting up a new company is always a tall order, as there are many things to consider; however, finances are key to a successful startup. Project 44 managed to reel in 18 investors, 6 of which as lead investors.

The funding for Project44 was raised across 7 rounds of different types of funding. The estimated total funding amount reached $397.5 million. The most common funding was a Series E type.

Swimming with the Big Fish

Today, seven years after its founding, Project 44 is the leading platform for customers and logistic companies worldwide. Jett McCandless is the proud CEO, operating his business in more than 48 countries, utilizing all kinds of transport.

Yet, to be able to play with the big boys in the industry, like FourKites, Shippeo Visibility Platform, FarEye, and Overhaul Sentinel, Project 44 had to really make a run for its money, and luckily, so it did.

The headquarters of Project 44 is located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. And up to this date, there are from 1000 - 5000 employees worldwide. Throughout the years of successfully doing business, Project 44 has become the new standard, closing deals with leading brands such as Starbucks, Amazon, Bosch, FedEx, Nestle, Lenovo, and many more.

The Suez Canal incident that happened recently was successfully managed thanks to Project 44’s real-time visibility, foreseeing any major breakdowns, making sure the supplies reached the designated destinations.

Plans For Brighter Future

Imagine being able to track your package with just a click. Well, no need to imagine anymore, as Project 44 has brought us one step closer to the future. Jett McCandless stated that in the near future, Project 44 will go completely global, offering its services to a wider audience.

Also, the company plans to hold webinars and provide answers to the toughest questions relating to transport logistics and visibility chains. Spotlight series with Project 44’s partners is also a frequent online occurrence, bringing all the aspects of the platform before its audience.

With Jett blueprinting Project 44’s future, the world can rest assured that transportation logistics are on the right track, reaching destinations on time!