Brad Jacobs (businessman)

Brad Jacobs
Born	(1956-08-03) August 3, 1956 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, business executive
Known for	Chairman and CEO of QXO, Inc.; executive chairman of XPO, Inc.; non-executive chairman of GXO Logistics, Inc.
Notable work	How to Make a Few Billion Dollars (2024)

Brad Jacobs (born August 3, 1956) is an American entrepreneur currently holding the positions of chairman and CEO at QXO, Inc. Additionally, he serves as executive chairman of XPO, Inc. and non-executive chairman of GXO Logistics, Inc., which was spun off from XPO. Jacobs has established a strong reputation through his strategic leadership within the logistics and supply chain industries.

In 2024, he published How to Make a Few Billion Dollars, offering his perspectives on business expansion and negotiation tactics.

Career

Throughout his career, Jacobs has launched eight companies, with six becoming publicly traded entities: QXO (2024); XPO (2011) along with its spin-offs GXO Logistics (2021) and RXO (2022); United Rentals (1997); and United Waste Systems, now known as Waste Management (1989). He has been involved in nearly 500 mergers and acquisitions.

Jacobs co-established Amerex Oil Associates, an oil brokerage firm, in 1979 and led it as CEO until its sale in 1983. The following year, he relocated to London to create Hamilton Resources, specializing in oil trading. He acknowledges Ludwig Jesselson as a significant mentor during this period.

In 1989, Jacobs founded United Waste Systems in Greenwich, Connecticut, focusing on consolidating small waste collection businesses in rural markets. Serving as chairman and CEO, he took the company public in 1992 before selling it to USA Waste Services for $2.5 billion in 1997.

That same year, he launched United Rentals and assumed the roles of chairman and CEO. He implemented a strategy to consolidate equipment rental operators across North America and successfully listed the company on the New York Stock Exchange in December 1997.

In 2011, Jacobs invested approximately $150 million into XPO (formerly Express-1 Expedited Solutions), a provider of transportation and third-party logistics services. He became chairman and CEO while acquiring around 71% ownership. XPO later debuted on the NYSE under the ticker XPO. In August 2021, XPO separated GXO Logistics as a spin-off, with Jacobs taking on the role of non-executive chairman at GXO. He stepped down as XPO CEO in August 2022 but retained his position as executive chairman. In 2024, he authored How to Make a Few Billion Dollars.

In June 2024, Jacobs established QXO with the goal of unifying the $800 billion building products distribution market. He successfully raised over $5 billion in equity capital, an amount Bloomberg noted as the largest equity issuance ever in the building products industry and the biggest private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction for an industrial firm.

Jacobs is also a member of The Business Council based in Washington, D.C.

Bibliography

• How to Make a Few Billion Dollars. Austin: Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2024.

Personal life

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Jacobs is the son of Charlotte Sybil (née Bander) and Albert Jordan Jacobs, who was involved in importing fashion jewelry. He completed his education at Northfield Mount Hermon School and attended both Bennington College and Brown University, where he studied mathematics and music before leaving school in 1976.

Jacobs lives with his wife in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they have four children together. An avid art collector, his collection includes pieces by artists such as Picasso, de Kooning, Calder, and Lichtenstein.