In the latest episode of "The FreightCaviar Podcast", we sit down with Roberto Icaza, Co-Founder, President & COO at Rapido Solutions Group. He talks about doing cross-border business in Mexico, and shares advice for young people looking to find their path in life.
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In the latest episode of "The FreightCaviar Podcast", we sit down with Roberto Icaza, Co-Founder, President & COO at Rapido Solutions Group. He talks about doing cross-border business in Mexico, and shares advice for young people looking to find their path in life.
In this week’s episode of the FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Roberto Icaza, Co-Founder, President & COO at Rapido Solutions Group. He talks about tariffs, shares tips on cultivating relationships with carriers and brokers in Mexico, and shares advice with young people wanting to find their path in logistics.
We caught up with Roberto who has been living in Guadalajara, Mexico, for almost seven years, first running Coyote’s outsource division team, and now Rapido, a near-shore logistics staffing solutions company.
As the son of Nicaraguan parents, Roberto has always felt a strong connection to his Latin American roots.
“At an early age I had this passion of wanting to do something at the intersection of the U.S. and Latin America. There’s just something that always really intrigued me and I’ve always been proud of it. Little did I know that staffing and logistics would be the perfect outlet for that. The culture, the passion that people live their lives here in Latin America is part of my DNA.”
While studying at the University of Michigan, he became friends with Andrew Silver, who suggested he apply for an internship at his father’s company.
“I’d heard about it, he’d talked about Coyote a little bit. At the time I knew nothing about transportation or trucking but I said, “What the hell’, and decided to take a chance.”
He got placed as an intern under the Heineken account, which later helped double the company in size.
“It was almost like this collective mindset that everyone was just rolling in the same direction. Everyone was on a mission to dominate C.H. Robinson and take as much market share. It was an adrenaline rush.”
By the time he completed his internships in 2012, Roberto knew he wanted to work in the industry full-time and officially began his career at Coyote later that year. Over the next few years, he naturally transitioned from Supply Chain Operations to working on the Mexico Business Strategy team.
What began as a small group of bilingual individuals from diverse backgrounds grew into a team managing 100 cross-border loads per day.
Six years later, Roberto moved his belongings into a storage unit, ended his lease in Chicago, and relocated to Guadalajara in December 2018. His goals were to reorganize the sales structure, find an experienced sales leader from Mexico, and eventually open an office in Monterrey. What was meant to be a year-long stay turned into seven years.
Initially, the team arrived intending to apply the same strategies and “no-excuses” mentality they had used back in the U.S. They quickly realized that this was not the way to go. This mindset led to losses– burning through money, customers, and employees.
“We learned early on that the inter-Mexico market is much different than the inter-U.S. market. It’s not as standardized or efficient. I learned that you have to take best practices that work well in the U.S. but also adopt them to the local culture.”
Roberto spoke about the differences in work culture. While the U.S. emphasizes a fast-paced work style, Latin America prioritizes building relationships with clients.
“Business here is done over a three-hour lunch and some tequilas. That’s just how things are done.”
In 2020, Roberto opened Rapido with Danny Frisco, a friend and former Coyote employee. What began as an hour-long lunch turned into a night-long brainstorming session.
“As we started talking more and more we realized we were aligned on that North Star. It also helped that we both came from that Coyote background.”
Recognizing the unique combination of experience and insight they shared, they decided to take a leap of faith and open their own near-shore logistics staffing solutions company.
For those seeking guidance on doing business across the border, Roberto offers advice on how to cultivate that relationship with a carrier or shipper in Mexico.
“The first thing I’d tell anyone is: you need to get down to Laredo, meet with the people, and understand the process.”
He explains that failing to understand how business works abroad only frustrates your customers who hire you to be a problem solver and expect smooth operations. Also, taking the time to develop relationships is a crucial step in ensuring a strong, long-term connection.
He also talked about the nearshoring boom.
“There’s been over 70 U.S. companies alone that have opened between the years 2023 and 2024 in Mexico.”
The reason? They want to invest closer to home. The geographic advantage and de-risking supply chains alone add 1% GDP annually for foreign direct investments.
Coupled with a fast-growing class of working people, especially across the technical and engineering markets, Mexico is the ideal place to nearshore.
Roberto also talked about the current tariff situation and noted that U.S. trade accounts for 73% of GDP in Mexico.
“When the U.S. has a cold, Mexico has a fever,” is an old saying that is quite relevant to today’s situation, showing how much the two countries are interconnected.
With the two countries being so intertwined and the tensions escalating, we can see a multiyear economic shift that could have a significant impact on Mexico. Roberto suggests that the country should focus on the economic agenda for development, prioritizing production, and taking advantage of the window that could help unlock another level of nearshoring.
To take advantage of the nearshore boom, it’s essential to find a trusted partner who knows how to navigate the waters.
“If you can understand how to handle business and bureaucracy, this can have an impact on your company and permeate throughout your organization.”
For young people looking to find their path, in logistics or otherwise, Roberto has words of wisdom.
“Embrace the power of perseverance, the idea of failing fast, early, and often. That’s when you learn the most.”
Companies like Rapido are the cornerstone of outsourcing during this time– they not only provide opportunities for those seeking international work experience but also give back to the community.
Listen to the entire interview on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or watch it on our YouTube Channel.
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