Item 1. BUSINESS

Overview

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (“C.H. Robinson,” “the company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is one of the largest global logistics companies in the world with consolidated total revenues of $23.1 billion in 2021. We transform the way the world moves, improving the global supply chain through our people, processes, and technology. We are driven to provide exceptional experience to our customers and suppliers by providing freight transportation services and logistics solutions to companies of all sizes in a wide variety of industries. In 2021, we handled approximately 20 million shipments and worked with approximately 100,000 customers. Operating throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and South America we offer a global suite of services using tailored, market-leading differentiated technology built by and for our global network of supply chain experts working with our customers to drive better outcomes by leveraging our experience, data, technology, and scale. Our EDGE values are the core of our strategy and drive us to Evolve constantly, Deliver excellence, Grow together, and Embrace integrity.

As a global logistics platform, we connect across continents by partnering with a wide variety of transportation companies and utilizing those relationships to efficiently and cost-effectively arrange the transport of our customers’ freight. In 2021, our customers turned to us to find solutions to problems they had never experienced before in the supply chain industry. We utilized approximately 85,000 contracted transportation companies around the world, including contracted motor carriers, railroads (primarily intermodal service providers), and ocean and air carriers in 2021. Our employees, technology, and product portfolio enable us to provide a differentiated experience, remaining flexible and providing solutions that optimize service for our customers. As an integral part of our transportation services, we also provide a wide range of value-added logistics services, such as freight consolidation, customs brokerage, supply chain consulting and analysis, emission analytics, optimization, and reporting.

In addition to transportation and logistics services, we also provide sourcing services under the trade name Robinson Fresh® (“Robinson Fresh”). Our sourcing services consist primarily of the buying, selling, and/or marketing of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other value-added perishable items. The foundation for much of our logistics expertise can be traced to this original business, founded in 1905, which gives us significant experience in handling produce and temperature controlled commodities. We supply fresh produce through a network of independent produce growers and suppliers. Our customers include grocery retailers, restaurants, foodservice distributors, and produce wholesalers. In many cases, we also arrange the logistics and transportation of the products we sell and provide related supply chain services, such as replenishment, category management, and managed procurement services. We have developed proprietary brands of produce and have exclusive licensing agreements to distribute fresh and value-added produce under recognized consumer brand names. The produce for these brands is sourced through a preferred grower network and packed to order through contract packing agreements. We have instituted quality assurance and monitoring procedures with each of these preferred growers.

Segment information. We have two reportable segments: North American Surface Transportation (“NAST”) and Global Forwarding with our remaining operating segments reported as All Other and Corporate. The All Other and Corporate segment includes Robinson Fresh, Managed Services, Other Surface Transportation outside of North America, and other miscellaneous revenues and unallocated corporate expenses. See additional disclosure in Note 9, Segment Reporting, to our consolidated financial statements.

NAST provides transportation and logistics services across North America through a network of offices in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The primary services provided by NAST are truckload and less than truckload (“LTL”) transportation brokerage services.

Global Forwarding provides transportation and logistics services through an international network of offices in North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and South America; and also contracts with independent agents worldwide. The primary services provided by Global Forwarding include ocean freight services, air freight services, and customs brokerage.

Robinson Fresh provides sourcing services that primarily include the buying, selling, and/or marketing of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other value-added perishable items. Robinson Fresh sources products from around the world.

Managed Services is primarily comprised of our TMC division, which offers Managed TMS® (“Managed TMS”). Managed TMS combines the use of our global technology platform Navisphere® (“Navisphere”), logistics process expertise, and consulting services in relation to the use of motor carriers and other transportation providers chosen by our customers. Customers can access Navisphere, logistics experts, and supply chain engineers to manage their day-to-day operations and optimize supply chain performance.

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Other Surface Transportation revenues are primarily earned by our Europe Surface Transportation operating segment. Europe Surface Transportation provides transportation and logistics services including truckload and groupage services across Europe.

Sales

Transportation and Logistics Services

C.H. Robinson provides freight transportation and related logistics and supply chain services. Our services range from commitments on a specific shipment to much more comprehensive and integrated relationships. We execute these service commitments by investing in and retaining talented employees, developing innovative proprietary systems and processes, and utilizing a network of contracted transportation providers, including, but not limited to, contracted motor carriers, railroads, and ocean and air carriers. We make a profit driven by the value we provide our customers and the resulting difference between what we charge to our customers for the totality of services provided to them and what we pay to the transportation providers to handle or transport the freight.

We provide the following transportation and logistics services:

• Truckload: Through our contracts with motor carriers, we have access to dry vans, temperature controlled vans, flatbeds, and bulk capacity. Through the use of Navisphere, we connect our customers with contracted motor carriers that specialize in their transportation lanes and product types, and we help contracted motor carriers optimize the usage of their equipment.

• LTL: LTL transportation involves the shipment of single or multiple pallets of freight. We primarily focus on shipments of a single pallet or larger, although we handle any size shipment. Through our contracts with motor carriers and use of Navisphere, we consolidate freight and freight information to provide our customers with a single source of information on their freight. In many instances, we consolidate partial shipments for several customers into full truckloads.

• Ocean: As a licensed Non-Vessel Ocean Common Carrier (“NVOCC”) and freight forwarder, we consolidate shipments, determine routing, select ocean carriers, contract for ocean shipments, and/or provide for local pickup and delivery of shipments.

• Air: As a certified Indirect Air Carrier (“IAC”) and freight forwarder, we organize air shipments and provide door-to-door service.

• Customs: Our customs brokers are licensed and regulated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other authoritative governmental agencies to assist importers and exporters in meeting regulatory and operational requirements governing imports and exports.

• Other Logistics Services: We provide intermodal transportation service, which is the shipment of freight in containers or trailers by a combination of truck and rail. In addition, we provide fee-based Managed Services, warehousing services, small parcel, and other services.

Customers communicate their freight needs, typically on an order-by-order basis, to the C.H. Robinson team responsible for their account, either directly or through highly automated connections established between Navisphere and the customers' transportation management system. The C.H. Robinson team then ensures that all necessary information regarding each shipment is available in Navisphere. We utilize the information from Navisphere and other available sources to select the best contracted carrier based upon factors such as their service score, equipment availability, freight rates, and other relevant factors.

Once the contracted carrier is selected, we receive the contracted carrier’s commitment to provide the transportation. During the time when a shipment is executed, we connect frequently, either electronically or manually, with the contracted carrier to track the status of the shipment to meet the unique needs of our customers.

For most of our transportation and logistics services, we are a service provider. By accepting the customer’s order, we accept certain responsibilities for transportation of the shipment from origin to destination. The carrier’s contract is with us, not the customer, and we are responsible for prompt payment of freight charges. In the cases where we have agreed to pay for claims for damage to freight while in transit, we pursue reimbursement from the contracted carrier for the claims. In our Managed Services business, we are acting as the shipper’s agent. In those cases, the carrier’s contract is typically with the customer, and we collect a fee for our services.

As a result of our logistics capabilities, our technology, our global suite of services, and available modes of transportation, some of our customers have us handle all, or a substantial portion, of their freight transportation requirements. Our employees price

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our services to provide a profit to us for the totality of services performed for the customer. Our services to the customer may be priced on a spot market, or transactional basis, or prearranged contractual rates. Most of our contractual rate commitments are for one year or less and allow for renegotiation. As is typical in the transportation industry, most of these contracts do not include specific volume commitments. When we enter into prearranged rate agreements for truckload services with our customers, we usually have fuel surcharge agreements that allow for fuel to primarily act as a pass-through cost, in addition to the underlying line-haul portion of the rate.

We purchase most of our truckload services from our contracted truckload carriers on a spot market, or transactional basis, even when we are working with the customer on a contractual basis. In some cases, we may get advance commitments from one or more contracted motor carriers to transport contracted shipments for the length of our customer contract or to provide transportation services within dense transportation lanes. In those cases, where we have prearranged rates with contracted motor carriers, there is typically a calculated fuel surcharge based on a mutually agreed-upon formula.

While providing day-to-day transportation services, our employees often identify opportunities for additional logistics services as they become more familiar with our customers’ daily operations and the nuances of our customers’ supply chains. We offer a wide range of logistics services on a global basis that reduce or eliminate supply chain inefficiencies. We analyze customers’ current transportation rate structures, modes of shipping, and carrier selection. We identify opportunities to consolidate shipments for cost savings. We suggest ways to improve operating and shipping procedures and manage claims. We help customers minimize storage through crossdocking and other flow-through operations. Many of these services are provided in connection with providing the transportation services based on the nature of the customer relationship. In addition to these transportation services, we may also provide a wide range of value-added logistics services, such as freight consolidation, customs brokerage, supply chain consulting and analysis, emission analytics, optimization, and reporting, for which we are usually paid separately.

We have broadened our relationship with many of our customers through an emphasis on integrated logistics solutions resulting in us managing a greater portion of their supply chains. We often serve our customers through specially created teams and through multiple locations. Our transportation and logistics services are provided to numerous international customers through our worldwide network.

Transportation services accounted for approximately 97 percent of adjusted gross profit in 2021 and 96 percent of adjusted gross profit in 2020 and 2019. Adjusted gross profit is a non-GAAP financial measure calculated as total revenues less the total of purchased transportation and related services and the cost of purchased products sourced for resale. For additional information, see Item 7 of Part II, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The table below shows our adjusted gross profit by transportation mode, for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):

			2021						2020						2019						2018						2017
Truckload			$	1,280,629					$	1,071,873					$	1,348,878					$	1,445,916					$	1,229,999
LTL			523,365						457,290						477,348						471,275						407,012
Ocean			711,223						350,094						308,367						312,952						290,630
Air			225,286						151,443						106,777						120,540						100,761
Customs			100,539						87,095						91,828						88,515						70,952
Other Logistics Services			210,958						195,159						149,664						154,546						146,262
Total			$	3,052,000					$	2,312,954					$	2,482,862					$	2,593,744					$	2,245,616

Sourcing

Since we were founded in 1905, we have been in the business of sourcing fresh produce. Much of our logistics expertise can be traced to our significant experience in handling produce and other perishable commodities. Because of its perishable nature, produce must be rapidly packaged; carefully transported within tight timetables, usually in temperature controlled equipment; and quickly distributed to replenish high-turnover inventories maintained by our customers. In many instances, we consolidate an individual customer’s produce orders into truckload quantities at the point of origin and arrange for transportation of the truckloads, often to multiple destinations. Our sourcing customer base includes grocery retailers, restaurants, foodservice distributors, and produce wholesalers.

Our sourcing services include inventory forecasting and replenishment, brand management, and category development services. We have various national and regional branded produce programs, including both proprietary brands and nationally licensed brands. These programs contain a wide variety of high quality, fresh bulk, and value-added fruits and vegetables. These brands have expanded our market presence and relationships with many of our retail customers. We have also instituted quality

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assurance and monitoring programs as part of our branded and preferred grower programs. Sourcing accounted for approximately three percent of our adjusted gross profit in 2021 and four percent of our adjusted gross profit in 2020 and 2019.

Customer Relationships

We work to establish long-term relationships with our customers and to increase the amount of business done with each customer by providing them with a full range of logistics services and people they can rely on. During 2021, we served approximately 100,000 customers worldwide, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses in a wide variety of industries. During 2021, our largest customer accounted for approximately two percent of total revenues. In recent years, we have grown by adding new customers and by increasing our volumes with, and providing more services to, our existing customers.

We seek additional business from existing customers and pursue new customers based on our knowledge of the marketplace, our unique information advantage, and the range of logistics services that we can provide. We believe that our account management disciplines, expertise, and technology built by and for supply chain experts, enable our employees to better serve our customers by combining a broad knowledge of logistics and market conditions with a deep, data-driven, understanding of the specific supply chain issues facing individual customers and certain vertical industries.

Markets and Resources

Competition

The transportation services industry is highly competitive and fragmented. We compete against many logistics companies, including technology-based service companies, trucking companies, property freight brokers, carriers offering logistics services, NVOCCs, IACs, and freight forwarders. We also buy from and sell transportation services to companies that compete with us.

In our sourcing business, we compete with produce brokers, produce growers, produce marketing companies, produce wholesalers, and foodservice buying groups. We also buy from and sell produce to companies that compete with us.

We often compete with respect to price, scope of services, or a combination thereof, but believe that our most significant competitive advantages are:

*•*People: Our knowledgeable, dedicated, and empowered people act as an extension of our customers’ teams—logistics experts they can rely on—to innovate and execute their supply chain strategies;

• Technology: Navisphere, our proprietary technology, provides flexibility, global visibility, customized solutions, easy integration, broad connectivity, and advanced security;

• Process: Proven processes and solutions combine strategy with practical experience for customized action plans that succeed in the real world;

• Network: Our combination of global capability, regional and local expertise, and scale gives our customers a strategic advantage in supply chain execution;

• Relationships: A large number of unique, strong relationships provide global connections and valuable market knowledge;

• Global Suite of Services: A wide selection of services and products help provide our customers with consistent capacity and service levels;

• Scale: Our customers leverage our industry-leading capacity, broad procurement options, global data insights, and substantial shipment volumes for better efficiency, service, and marketplace advantages;

• Information: Our global suite of services, unparalleled quantity of relationships, and scale combine to provide us with an industry leading data estate. We have one of the largest datasets of shipments, routings, and carriers in the world. We use our industry-leading data and data analysts to drive smarter solutions for our customers; and

• Stability: Our customers and our contract carriers rely on us to support critical elements of their business. Our financial strength, discipline, and consistent track record of success are a key foundation of our ability to sustainably meet their needs.

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Proprietary Information Technology and Intellectual Property

Most of our global network operates on a single global technology platform called Navisphere that is used to match customer needs with supplier capabilities, to collaborate with other offices, and to utilize centralized support resources to complete all facets of the transaction. Our technology and software platform is essential to serve our customers and contracted carriers, and to manage our business. In 2021, we executed approximately 20 million shipments for approximately 100,000 customers with approximately 85,000 contracted carriers.

Navisphere and our other operational systems help our employees service customer orders, select the optimal mode of transportation, build and consolidate shipments, identify appropriate carriers, and manage exceptions, all based on customer-specific service parameters. Our data estate and scale provides our organization with the necessary business intelligence to allow for the necessary decision support in all areas of our business.

We have committed to investing in our technology to bring the value of technology, data, and analytics to our customers, help solve their most complex logistics challenges and drive the industry forward. With approximately 1,300 data scientists, engineers, and developers, we are continuing to invest in global talent in this critical area, building the next generation of tools and processes that will change how supply chains function.

C.H. Robinson® Labs™ (“Robinson Labs”) is part of this commitment. It is an innovation incubator where the next big ideas in logistics and supply chain are created, tested, and scaled to drive smarter solutions for our customers and contracted carriers. The Robinson Labs team collaborates with customers to solve their logistics challenges with technology built by and for supply chain experts. Industry-first tools launched by Robinson Labs in 2021 include:

• Procure IQ**®, which uses an algorithm built by our data scientists and the largest freight shipment dataset in the industry to show shippers the optimal way to purchase transportation in each of their shipping lanes;

• Emissions IQ**™, which gives shippers instant visibility into their carbon emissions and surfaces opportunities for reduction; and

• Market Rate IQ**™, which reveals the patterns in a shipper’s spot freight that they could change to save money

Our operations primarily use Navisphere, our global, multimodal transportation management system that allows customers to communicate worldwide with parties in their supply chain across languages, currencies, and continents. Navisphere offers sophisticated business analytics, artificial intelligence, and data-driven tools to improve supply chain performance and meet increasing customer demands including the following tools:

• Navisphere Vision allows our customers to see their freight across all modes and services globally in a single view. Details of shipment contents, shipment status, disruptions to shipments, and resulting adjustment to estimated time of arrival using artificial intelligence are provided for the customer to manage their supply chain exceptions. Collaboration, intelligent notifications, and performance scorecards allow customers to manage their supply chain and identify inefficiencies.

• Navisphere Insight takes a customer’s raw data about their freight and uses data science to turn it into valuable insights, surfacing trends in transportation performance, and spend that can be used for decision-making in real time or over time. Analysis is provided down to the shipment and order level.

• Navisphere Optimizer helps customers minimize the travel time, distance, and total miles of their freight, while maximizing their trailer utilization and savings. It is used during the transportation planning process and dynamically selects the right route with the right mode and right carrier on the right day.

Navisphere is also integrated into an industry-leading 23 third-party transportation management systems and/or enterprise resource planning systems, allowing our dynamic pricing engine to directly deliver real-time quotes to customers when they have freight to be picked up or delivered. This eliminates the need for our customers to shop around and provides an automated solution.

The Navisphere Carrier (“Navisphere Carrier”) platform provides contracted motor carriers access to the functionality necessary to efficiently manage their relationship with C.H. Robinson. Contracted motor carriers can search and book available freight, provide online status updates, keep track of receivables, and upload scanned documentation. Many of our contracted motor carriers’ favorite features from Navisphere Carrier are also available through our Navisphere Carrier mobile application for Android® and iOS® mobile operating systems.

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The Navisphere Driver mobile application provides contracted motor carriers’ drivers with load status automation capabilities. Drivers can elect to allow the application to automate location services and updates while in transit. Drivers can also capture and upload bill of lading documentation to initiate payment processes. The track and trace capabilities give our systems and customers frequent load status information.

Freightquote® by C.H. Robinson is a web-based, mobile-responsive offering designed to streamline the shipping process for small business customers, allowing the booking of freight without any shipping knowledge or expertise. Freightquote's small business customers can go online with their smart phone, tablet, or computer to book their LTL or truckload freight, track shipments, get proactive notifications, and pay for transportation services with a credit card.

We rely on a combination of cyber-security, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and nondisclosure and non-competition agreements to establish and protect our intellectual property and proprietary technology. Additionally, we have numerous registered trademarks, trade names, and logos in the United States and internationally.

Relationships with Transportation Providers

We continually work on establishing contractual relationships with qualified transportation providers that also meet both ours and our customers’ service requirements to provide dependable services, favorable pricing, and available capacity during periods when demand for transportation equipment is greater than the supply. We own very little transportation equipment and do not employ the people directly involved with the delivery of our customers’ freight, so these relationships are critical to our success.

In 2021, we worked with approximately 85,000 transportation providers worldwide, of which the vast majority are contracted motor carriers. To strengthen and maintain our relationships with contracted motor carriers, our employees regularly communicate with them and try to assist them by increasing their equipment utilization, reducing their empty miles, and repositioning their equipment. To make it easier for contracted motor carriers to work with us, we have a policy of contracted motor carrier invoice payment upon receipt of proof of delivery in accordance with our standard payment terms. For those contracted motor carriers that would like a faster payment, we also offer expedited payment upon receipt of proof of delivery in exchange for a discount, along with offering in-trip cash advances.

Contracted motor carriers provide access to dry vans, temperature controlled vans, flatbeds, and bulk capacity. These contracted motor carriers are of all sizes, including owner-operators of a single truck, small and mid-size fleets, private fleets, and the largest national trucking companies. Consequently, we are not dependent on any one contracted motor carrier. Our largest truck transportation provider was less than two percent of our total cost of transportation in 2021. Contracted motor carriers that had fewer than 100 trucks transported approximately 82 percent of our truckload shipments in 2021. Every United States and Canadian motor carrier we do business with is required to execute a contract that establishes the motor carrier is acting as an independent contractor. At the time the contract is executed, and thereafter, through subscriptions with a third-party service, we confirm that each United States contracted motor carrier is properly licensed and insured, has the necessary federally-issued authority to provide transportation services, and can provide the necessary level of service on a dependable basis. Our motor carrier contracts require that the contracted motor carrier issue invoices only to and accept payment solely from us for the shipments that they transport under their contract with us and allow us to withhold payment to satisfy previous claims or shortages. Our standard contracts do not include volume commitments, and typically the initial contract rate is modified each time we confirm an individual shipment with a contracted motor carrier.

In our NVOCC ocean transportation business, we have contracts with most of the major ocean carriers, which support a variety of service and rate needs for our customers. We negotiate annual contracts that establish the predetermined rates we agree to pay the ocean carriers. The rates are negotiated based on expected volumes from our customers in specific trade lanes. These contracts are often amended throughout the year to reflect changes in market conditions for our business, such as additional trade lanes.

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We operate both as a consolidator and as a transactional IAC in the United States and internationally. We select air carriers and provide for local pickup and delivery of shipments. We execute our air freight services through our relationships with air carriers, through charter services, block space agreements, capacity space agreements, and transactional spot market negotiations. Through charter services, we contract part or all of an airplane to meet customer requirements. Our block space agreements and capacity space agreements are contracts for a defined time period. The contracts include fixed allocations for predetermined flights at agreed upon rates that are reviewed periodically throughout the year. The transactional negotiations afford us the ability to capture excess capacity at prevailing market rates for a specific shipment.

Seasonality

Our operating results have been subject to seasonal trends as a result of, or influenced by, numerous factors, including national holidays, weather patterns, consumer demand, economic conditions, and other similar and subtle forces. Although seasonal changes in the transportation industry have not had a significant impact on our cash flow or results of operations, we expect this trend to continue and we cannot guarantee that it will not adversely impact us in the future.

Government Regulation

Our operations may be regulated and licensed by various federal, state, and local transportation agencies in the United States and similar governmental agencies in foreign countries in which we operate.

We are subject to licensing and regulation as a property freight broker and are licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) to arrange for the transportation of property by motor vehicle. The DOT prescribes qualifications for acting in this capacity, including certain surety bonding requirements. We are also subject to regulation by the Federal Maritime Commission (“FMC”) as an ocean freight forwarder and NVOCC; we maintain separate bonds and licenses for each. We operate as a Department of Homeland Security certified IAC, providing air freight services, subject to commercial standards set forth by the International Air Transport Association (“IATA”) and federal regulations issued by the Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”). We provide customs brokerage services as a customs broker under a license issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other authoritative governmental agencies. We also have and maintain other licenses as required by law.

Although Congress enacted legislation in 1994 that substantially preempts the authority of states to exercise economic regulation of motor carriers and brokers of freight, some intrastate shipments for which we arrange transportation may be subject to additional licensing, registration, or permit requirements. We contractually require and rely on the motor carrier transporting the shipment to ensure compliance with these types of requirements. We, along with the contracted motor carriers that we rely on in arranging transportation services for our customers, are also subject to a variety of federal and state safety and environmental regulations. Although compliance with the regulations governing licensees in these areas has not had a materially adverse effect on our operations or financial condition in the past, there can be no assurance that such regulations or changes thereto will not adversely impact our operations in the future. Violation of these regulations could also subject us to fines, as well as increased claims liability.

We buy and sell fresh produce under licenses issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) as required by the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (“PACA”). Other sourcing and distribution activities may be subject to various federal and state food and drug statutes and regulations.

We are subject to a variety of other U.S. and foreign laws and regulations including, but not limited to, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other similar anti-bribery and anti-corruption statutes.

We are subject to laws and regulations in the U.S. and other countries concerning the handling of personal information, including laws that require us to notify governmental authorities and/or affected individuals of data breaches involving certain personal information. These laws and regulations include, for example, the European General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act. Regulatory actions or litigation seeking to impose significant penalties could be brought against us in the event of a data breach or alleged non-compliance with such laws and regulations.

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Human Capital

At C.H. Robinson, our employees literally connect the world. They are logistics experts and problem solvers, and they act as an extension of our customers' teams. In fact, our customers and contract carriers consistently cite our people as one of the top reasons they work with C.H. Robinson. Our talent strategy is built on our EDGE values: Evolve constantly, Deliver excellence, Grow together, and Embrace integrity. We attract and retain the right talent by creating an inclusive, high-performing culture and engage employees with meaningful work at a place where they belong, can grow, and are proud to work. We leverage the diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences of our global network of supply chain experts to create innovative solutions and better meet the needs of our customers, contract carriers, and growers.

Oversight and Governance

Our Board of Directors and Talent and Compensation Committee have oversight of our human capital management and diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) efforts. They receive regular updates from our Chief Human Resources and Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) Officer on our key strategic initiatives, success measurements, and other relevant matters pertaining to human resources and DEI including, but not limited to, hiring and retention, culture, employee engagement, succession planning, compensation and benefits, and human resources or DEI-related risks.

Our People

As of December 31, 2021, we had a total of 16,877 employees, 14,554 of whom are network employees, as presented below. Our remaining employees support our network teams in areas such as finance, product, information technology, software engineering, data science and analysis, legal, marketing, and human resources. The following table illustrates our employees by global region:

						North America						Europe						Asia						Oceania						South America						Total
Network employees						10,133						1,799						1,950						409						263						14,554
Shared services employees						1,856						186						214						33						34						2,323
Total Employees						11,989						1,985						2,164						442						297						16,877
Contractors						1,689						38						343						54						58						2,182

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

We believe that fostering an inclusive, equitable, and diverse workforce is core to our EDGE values as well as a business imperative. The unique experiences and backgrounds of our people create a stronger, more innovative, and successful team. We bring our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion to life by integrating our DEI strategic pillars (workplace diversity, workforce inclusivity, partnerships, and accountability) across our talent strategies and into our business.

As a global company, we think broadly about DEI and value all dimensions of diversity. To help us evaluate progress against our strategy, we track a number of DEI metrics that are reviewed regularly and reported to our senior leadership teams on a quarterly basis. Additionally, we have identified aspirational goals to be met by 2025 that focus on hiring, retention, engagement, and leadership representation for women (globally) and people of color (U.S. only). Some of these metrics are summarized below as of December 31, 2021. Additional information can be found in our annual ESG report.

Women on Board of Directors			30		%
U.S. Racial and Ethnic Minorities on Board of Directors			10		%
Women in Workforce			48		%
Management Positions Held by Women			45		%
Leadership Positions Held by Women			26		%
U.S. Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Workforce			28		%
Management Positions Held by U.S. Racial and Ethnic Minorities			22		%
Leadership Positions Held by U.S. Racial and Ethnic Minorities			10		%
External Hires - Women			49		%
External Hires - U.S. Racial and Ethnic Minorities			40		%

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We have active and engaged Employee Resource Groups (“ERGs”) that foster employee connections across the world, provide learning, engagement, and development opportunities, and partner with human resources and DEI teams to help advance our work. Currently, each of our six ERGs has an average of 800 employee members. Additionally, in 2021, we rolled out inclusivity training to all employees around the world, hosted our first Global Inclusion Week, created targeted resources for managers to support inclusive leadership behaviors, and donated to support nonprofit organizations aligned with our DEI goals.

Talent Acquisition, Engagement, and Retention

Our continued success depends on our ability to hire and retain talented team members who can bring their unique backgrounds to work. To support our hiring processes, we develop a robust, diverse pipeline of qualified candidates, then collaborate across the organization to best understand our talent needs and place the right person in each role. We recognize that 2021 brought an increasingly tight talent market and a shift toward a more flexible workplace. To adapt to these changes, we are investing more in recruitment marketing, added recruiter headcount, broadened our talent searches geographically, and increased passive candidate sourcing. We also enhanced our recruiting and hiring processes to create an even more inclusive candidate experience and address any potential unconscious biases.

Our employee turnover ratio, which is calculated as the number of employees who departed the Company in the 12 months ended December 31, 2021, divided by the average number of employees in the 12 months ended December 31, 2021, was 19 percent. Our employee turnover ratio is up from a historically low level in 2020 fueled by the pandemic, but is in line with pre-pandemic employee turnover rates. Current labor market conditions compound the impact of turnover so to improve our retention rate, we are addressing the top reasons that employees stay, including compensation, work-life balance, flexibility, DEI, and career growth opportunities.

We regularly survey our employees and engage in focus groups to better understand what our people value and where we can intentionally improve their experience. Over the past year, we’ve continued to hear that our employees value our flexible work options, the stability that comes with a 116 year-old company, and our support for their overall well-being. In our 2021 employee engagement survey, 81 percent of our employees scored favorable to feeling optimistic about the future of C.H. Robinson, exceeding the benchmark score by 6 percent. Our focus on DEI continues to build a greater sense of belonging in our workplace, which is seen through an increase in favorability in our 2021 survey responses. In addition, our focus on creating more transparency into career opportunities at C.H. Robinson is enabling more visibility to what’s possible for our employees. The 2021 survey indicated a positive engagement score of 80 percent, which was consistent with benchmark companies.

Onboarding and Development

C.H. Robinson is a place where employees can develop their best selves while achieving their goals. New employees go through an onboarding process that emphasizes the skills necessary to become productive employees, including technology training on our proprietary systems and our customer service philosophy, as well as understanding our company culture and values. We continue to adapt our onboarding, training, and development programs to meet the needs of the business and adjust to the new hybrid workplace. We believe that continuous talent development and succession planning are critical to our success. Onboarding is followed by ongoing, on-the-job training and regular performance and career development conversations between employees and their managers. In 2021, approximately 98 percent of our workforce received regular performance and career development reviews.

We have established targeted development programs including the Leadership Networking Circle, a program designed to develop female leaders, a sponsorship program to champion growth of our employees of color and female employees, and a Key Account Sales program to grow our strategic selling capabilities.

We believe that an employee's relationship with their leader is a key driver of retention and employee engagement. It has also long been a signature strength at C.H. Robinson. In our 2021 employee engagement survey, employee favorability of manager effectiveness increased 2 percent to 82 percent, surpassing our benchmark score by 9 percent. We continued to build on the strength of our managers as we introduced new leadership principles in 2021 as our shared understanding of what it means to lead at C.H. Robinson and how we drive exceptional results and develop our people for the future. The principles are unique to us and aligned with our company strategy, mission, vision, and EDGE values. They are embedded in who we are and how we lead. To demonstrate this, we have integrated them into our development tools, leadership programs, performance plans, and how we hold each other accountable every day.

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Wellness, Compensation, and Benefits

At C.H. Robinson, we care about all areas of our employees’ lives. Our total rewards strategies help employees improve their health, wealth, and self. We also established communication channels for employees to connect and stay informed on wellness topics, and we offer employee assistance programs and mental health resources. As we continue to navigate these unprecedented times through the COVID-19 pandemic, we have followed guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, World Health Organization, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure the safety of our people. Where the work allows, employees have the flexibility to work where they can be the most productive and safe.

A highly competitive benefits package rounds out our efforts to fully support employees’ health, wealth, and self. We review our benefits on an annual basis to ensure they stay competitive in the marketplace, as well as incorporate the voice of our employees to ensure we evolve to meet the diverse needs of our people.

Our market-competitive compensation programs help drive performance and reward success. We work to ensure equitable compensation and in 2021, completed a pay equity analysis. Compensation plans include performance-based metrics and short-term incentive (“STI”) plans directly tied to productivity, the achievement of performance goals, and the financial performance of the team or the organization. Senior managers are paid a performance-based bonus, which is measured based on balanced growth in the adjusted gross profit and operating income performance of the team they represent. In order to strengthen our commitment to DEI, senior leadership have a portion of their STI tied to advancing DEI strategy.

Our equity compensation program is an important part of how we stay competitive, as it incentivizes and rewards leadership for enterprise performance. We believe the program further contributes to our success as it helps to create long-term ownership and alignment between employees and our shareholders. Some employees who have significant responsibilities are eligible to receive equity awards through our equity compensation program. Our equity compensation philosophy is to pay for performance and reward profitable long-term growth. The program is designed to support our business transformation and company culture, help attract top talent, and create alignment with our shareholders. Refer to Note 6, Capital Stock and Stock Award Plans, for further discussion related to our equity award plan design.

Community Engagement

Giving back to our communities and supporting non-profit organizations, inspires and engages our employees and are core to our culture. We proudly support our people, our industry, and our communities around the world. Through our company and the C.H. Robinson Foundation, we contributed nearly $3 million to more than 900 charities in 2021. In 2021, approximately $1.3 million was donated through our employee match program, and our employees volunteered approximately 4,500 hours to help the causes they care about most.

In addition to our employee-driven philanthropy, we support disaster relief efforts, grantmaking, employee hardship funds, and scholarship programs for our employees and our contract carriers. We focus on supporting basic needs including preventing hunger and providing housing and education, as well as organizations working to remove barriers and diversify the talent pipeline within our industry.

Environmental Sustainability

C.H. Robinson is committed to reducing our own environmental footprint, while helping to support sustainability efforts in our industry and for our customers. On a regular basis, we engage with our internal and external stakeholders to identify our priority ESG topics, including environmental sustainability. Our Chief Human Resources and ESG Officer and VP of ESG provide annual updates to the Board of Directors and Governance Committee on our most critical ESG topics. The full results of these engagements and more information is available in our annual ESG report, which includes indices for the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.

In addition to tracking and managing our own environmental footprint, we leverage our scope, size, and scale to help customers optimize their supply chain and eliminate empty miles on the road in order to meet their sustainability goals. Our ESG goals and accomplishments include:

• Reducing our emissions intensity** - We are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and have set a science-aligned below 2°C goal to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 carbon intensity. By the end of 2021, we were more than halfway to our goal. To achieve this goal, we seek energy efficiencies within our operations and potentially other alternatives such as purchasing energy credits.

• Launching Emissions IQ** - Emissions IQ helps shippers measure their Scope 3 transportation emissions, giving them critical visibility into their value chain necessary to meet their sustainability goals. Emissions IQ applies the Global Logistics Emissions Framework and is accredited by the Smart Freight Centre.

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• Actively supporting SmartWay**® - We have been an active member of SmartWay®, a transportation program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, since 2005.

• Operating with integrity** - Our transportation and emissions operations are subject to environmental law and regulations in the jurisdictions where we operate.

Additional information about our human capital management and environmental sustainability initiatives, goals, and achievements is available in the ESG report available on our website; however, the ESG report is not incorporated by reference in, and are not a part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Information about our Executive Officers

The Board of Directors designates the executive officers annually. Below are the names, ages, and positions of the executive officers as of February 23, 2022:

Name						Age						Position
Robert C. Biesterfeld, Jr.						46						President and Chief Executive Officer
Ben G. Campbell						56						Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Michael Castagnetto						45						President of Robinson Fresh
Jeroen Eijsink						49						President of C.H. Robinson Europe
Angela K. Freeman						54						Chief Human Resources and ESG Officer
Jordan T. Kass						49						President of Managed Services
Michael W. Neill						51						Chief Technology Officer
Christopher J. O’Brien						53						Chief Commercial Officer
Mac Pinkerton						48						President of NAST
Arun Rajan						53						Chief Product Officer
Michael J. Short						51						President of Global Freight Forwarding
Michael P. Zechmeister						55						Chief Financial Officer

Robert C. Biesterfeld, Jr. was named Chief Executive Officer in May 2019. Prior to becoming CEO, he held the positions of Chief Operating Officer from February 2018 to May 2019, President of NAST from January 2016 to December 2018, Vice President of Truckload from January 2014 to December 2015, Vice President of Sourcing and Temperature Controlled Transportation from January 2013 to December 2014, and General Manager for the U.S. West Sourcing Region for the company’s Robinson Fresh division from 2003 to 2011. He began his career with C.H. Robinson in 1999 in the Corporate Procurement and Distribution Services office. Bob serves on the Board of Directors for the Transportation Intermediaries Association and is trustee of the Winona State University Foundation. Bob graduated from Winona State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Ben G. Campbell was named Chief Legal Officer and Secretary in January 2015. Previous positions with the company include Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary from January 2009 to December 2014 and Assistant General Counsel from February 2004 to December 2008. Ben joined C.H. Robinson in 2004. Before coming to C.H. Robinson, Ben was a partner at Rider Bennett, LLP, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ben holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. John’s University and a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law.

Michael Castagnetto was named President of Robinson Fresh in January 2020. Prior executive and management positions with the company include Vice President, General Manager, and Director of Sourcing from 2013 to 2019. Prior to these roles, Michael held various customer facing roles within the company. He began his career with C.H. Robinson through the acquisition of FoodSource, Inc., in 2005. He is a board member of the International Fresh Produce Association and the Pinky Swear Foundation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Jeroen Eijsink was named President of C.H. Robinson Europe in September 2015. Jeroen previously served as Chief Executive Officer of DHL Freight Germany, where he was responsible for the road and rail transport activities for DHL in Germany from March 2013 to August 2015. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of DHL Freight Belgium, Netherlands, and United Kingdom from January 2011 to February 2013 and managing director of DHL Freight United Kingdom and Ireland from May 2006 to December 2010. Prior to joining Deutsche Post DHL, Jeroen held various management positions at Siemens in Germany.

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Angela K. Freeman was named Chief Human Resources Officer in January 2015, and in October 2019 also became ESG Officer. Prior to her current role, she served as Vice President of Human Resources from August 2012 to December 2014. Previous positions with C.H. Robinson include Vice President of Investor Relations and Public Affairs from January 2009 to August 2012, and Director of Investor Relations, and Director of Marketing Communications. She also serves as the president of the C.H. Robinson Worldwide Foundation. In addition to her responsibilities at C.H. Robinson, Angie currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Shyft Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SHYF) and on the Board of the University of North Dakota Alumni Association & Foundation. Prior to joining C.H. Robinson in 1998, Angie was with McDermott/O’Neill & Associates, a Boston-based public affairs firm. Angie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Dakota, and a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics.

Jordan T. Kass was named President of Managed Services in January 2015. He previously served as Vice President of Management Services from January 2013 to January 2015. Previous positions with C.H. Robinson include Director of the TMC division. Jordan began his career in 1994 at American Backhaulers and subsequently joined C.H. Robinson in 2000 following our acquisition of American Backhaulers. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University.

Michael W. Neill was named Chief Technology Officer in June 2018. Previous positions with the company include IT Director, Application Development from 2010 to 2018; IT Director, Infrastructure and Security from 2005 to 2010; and Software Development Manager from 2002 to 2004. Prior to joining C.H. Robinson in 2002, Mike held IT management positions at ADC Telecommunications and Trans Consolidated Incorporated. Mike also serves as an industry advisory board member to the University of Minnesota, Duluth, Computer Science Department and on the Board of Advisors of AbeTech. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and a Master of Science from the University of Minnesota.

Christopher J. O’Brien was named Chief Commercial Officer in January 2015. Prior to that, he served as a Senior Vice President from May 2012 to December 2014. He has served as a Vice President since May 2003. Additional previous positions with C.H. Robinson include President of the company’s European division and manager of the Raleigh, North Carolina, office. Christopher joined the company in 1993. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Alma College in Michigan.

Mac Pinkerton was named President of NAST in January 2019. Prior executive positions with the company include Vice President, Service Lines from July 2017 to December 2018 and Vice President, Transportation from October 2010 to June 2017. Prior to his executive roles, Mac was General Manager in the Mobile, Alabama, and Dallas, Texas, offices. Mac began his career with C.H. Robinson in 1997 as a transportation representative. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University.

Arun Rajan was named Chief Product Officer in July 2021. Before coming to C.H. Robinson, Arun was the Chief Technology Officer of Whole Foods Market, part of Amazon from 2019 to 2021. Arun also held leadership positions at Zappos, an online retail company, through its acquisition by Amazon, serving as Chief Operating Officer from 2014 to 2019 and Chief Technology Officer from 2009 to 2013. Prior to Zappos, Arun's leadership roles included serving as the Chief Technology Officer of One Kings Lane in San Francisco, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of New York City’s Intent Media, Chief Technology Officer of Travelocity Europe and LastMinute.com in London, and Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of ITRadar.com in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Arun holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Pittsburgh State University and a Master of Science degree in Information Systems Management from the University of Arizona.

Michael J. Short was named President of Global Freight Forwarding in May 2015. He joined C.H. Robinson through the acquisition of Phoenix International (“Phoenix”) in 2012. Prior to being named President, Mike served as Vice President, Global Forwarding - North America. Prior to joining C.H. Robinson, he held a number of roles at Phoenix, including Regional Manager, Sales Manager, and General Manager of the St. Louis office. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from the University of Missouri.

Michael P. Zechmeister was named Chief Financial Officer in August 2019. Before coming to C.H. Robinson, Mike served as Chief Financial Officer of United Natural Foods, Inc., a food wholesaler, from 2015 to August 2019. Prior to joining United Natural Foods, Inc., Mike spent 25 years at General Mills, Inc., holding a variety of leadership roles, including Vice President of Finance for the Pillsbury Division, Vice President of Finance for U.S. Retail Sales, and Treasurer. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Business degree from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and earned a Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

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Investor Information

We were reincorporated in Delaware in 1997 as the successor to a business existing, in various legal forms, since 1905. Our corporate office is located at 14701 Charlson Road, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, 55347-5088, and our telephone number is (952) 937-8500. Copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Proxy Statement, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge through our website (www.chrobinson.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the material with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Information contained on our website is not part of this report.

Cautionary Statement Relevant to Forward-Looking Information

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7 of Part II of this report, and other documents incorporated by reference, contain certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. When used in this Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in our press releases, presentations to securities analysts or investors, in oral statements made by or with the approval of any of our executive officers, the words or phrases “believes,” “may,” “could,” “will,” “expects,” “should,” “continue,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “will likely result,” “estimates,” “projects,” or similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

Except for the historical information contained in this Form 10-K, the matters set forth in this document may be deemed to be forward-looking statements that represent our expectations, beliefs, intentions, or strategies concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience or our present expectations, including, but not limited to, factors such as changes in economic conditions, including uncertain consumer demand; changes in market demand and pressures on the pricing for our services; fuel price increases or decreases, or fuel shortages; competition and growth rates within the global logistics industry; freight levels and increasing costs and availability of truck capacity or alternative means of transporting freight; risks associated with significant disruptions in the transportation industry; changes in relationships with existing contracted truck, rail, ocean, and air carriers; changes in our customer base due to possible consolidation among our customers; risks with reliance on technology to operate our business; cyber-security related risks; risks associated with operations outside of the United States; our ability to successfully integrate the operations of acquired companies with our historic operations; risks associated with litigation, including contingent auto liability and insurance coverage; risks associated with the potential impact of changes in government regulations; risks associated with the changes to income tax regulations; risks associated with the produce industry, including food safety and contamination issues; the impact of war on the economy; changes to our capital structure; changes due to catastrophic events including pandemics such as COVID-19, and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Item 1A, Risk Factors. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update these statements in light of subsequent events or developments.

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