James A. Green - 2026 IWLA Hall of Fame Inductee
Our first historic inductee into the IWLA Hall of Fame is our founder, James A. Green. His vision of an association of members coming together for the greater good of warehousing and distribution has lasted for 135 years. Central to his belief was helping one another. It was Green who said, “I wish I had words to impress upon every Member of this Association the importance of helping the other fellow, through the knowledge that when we are helping him, we are helping ourselves.”
Green, the eldest of eight children, was born Jan. 8, 1838. His life was both tragic and triumphant. Against the natural order, Green and his wife, Susan, lost their daughter Edith in 1864. Ten years later, they welcomed their second child, Vincent.
Green and his family moved to Jackson, Michigan, in 1877, where he began selling agricultural tools and machinery. While serving territories throughout the Great Lakes region, Green realized the need for specialized warehouses. In the midst of growing his business, March 31, 1881, was an extremely painful day for Green as he lost his wife, Susan, who succumbed to a long and painful illness, and his son, Vincent, severely injured his hand in the gear of a power cutter.
Green persevered and opened up his first Warehouse in May 1882. His success multiplied as he added warehouse space in Indiana and Tennessee. He quickly gained prominence throughout the Midwest and the rest of the country for material handling innovation and was recognized as a contributor to the “Greatness of Detroit” by the Detroit Free Press. A testament to his standing is his appointment as superintendent of the department of agricultural implements and machinery of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
His innovative logistics model became widely embraced throughout the United States, and his company, the Associated Transfer and Storage Companies, focused mainly on agricultural products. Green believed it could be so much more. And in 1891, Green established the American Warehousemen’s Association (AWA), serving as its inaugural president. After nearly 100 years as the AWA, the association merged with the Canadian Association of Warehousing and Distribution Services to become IWLA in 1997.
James A. Green passed away Oct. 13, 1918. He was buried in Rush, New York.
Green’s legacy reminds us that our association’s greatest power is our willingness to lift each other up. So we carry forward that belief to elevate the industry, proving year after year IWLA lives on, honoring Green through member involvement and his words, “Our organization will be just what we members make it, no more, no less.”