After 35 years at Shaker Logistics, including the last nine as the chief financial officer and co-owner of the company, Karl Mabeus will retire at the end of April 2024.

“Karl has been with Shaker since the very beginning,” said CEO Jason Smith. “He’s seen the business evolve from a small freight forwarder to a nationwide logistics partner that serves major global manufacturers.”

Mabeus and Smith, together with COO Zach Pappas, purchased the business from founder Geoff Pappas in 2015. Since then, the company rebranded from The Shaker Group to Shaker Logistics, tripled in size, and in 2020 relocated its headquarters to Waterford, N.Y.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have Karl as a partner throughout Shaker’s history and especially as our CFO during this last decade of growth,” said Zach Pappas. “The freight and logistics world is very volatile, and Karl has always been a loyal, steady presence for our business.”

When Mabeus joined Geoff Pappas in 1989, the fledgling business was a video rental store operating out of the Shaker Pine Mall in Colonie. The company quickly pivoted and launched a freight forwarding business near the Albany airport, which became The Shaker Group. Mabeus held various roles in the business throughout his tenure, including operations and accounting.

“I’m so grateful for the wonderful opportunity to be part of Shaker over these last decades,” said Mabeus. The team here knows logistics like nobody else, and I know that they will continue to excel.”