Services Group of America's roots go back more than 40 years – with its origins inside of Stevedoring Services of America.

From 1967 to 1989, the late Thomas J. Stewart built Stevedoring Services of America into the largest stevedoring company on the U.S. west coast, increasing the company's market share from 2.7% to 42%. Stretching from Anchorage to San Diego, Stevedoring Services of America grew to become the leader along the major ports on the West Coast in all measures including total tonnage loaded and unloaded.

During this time, he acquired Miller Produce in 1972 and then acquired United Cascade Foods in 1974, forming Miller Cascade Foods. Sales topped $140 million by 1985. In 1972, the Hanseatic Eastern Insurance Co. was formed to protect Stewart's dock workers with health care protection in response to Congress' Longshore and Harbor Workers Act of 1972.

In 1982, he merged it with Eagle Pacific Insurance and eventually grew the business to the largest longshore workers’ compensation company in the west with 8 offices in 12 states and Guam and $67 million in premiums.

In 1986, Stewart acquired the historic Pacific Gamble Robinson company and merged it with Miller Cascade forming Food Services of America – today one of the nation's largest broadline foodservice distributors.

Two years later, the produce marketing and shipping division was rebuilt and Amerifresh was formed, now one of the nation's leading produce marketers.

In 1989, Services Group of America (SGA) was split off from Stevedoring Services of America. SGA retained Food Services of America, Development Services of America, Eagle Insurance, TSA (a travel agency), and Amerifresh.

Eagle Pacific Insurance was sold for $100 million in 1998.

In 1999, the transportation company from the Pacific Gamble Robinson acquisition was reformed as GAMPAC Express, Inc., a freight brokerage provider.

In 2001, SGA acquired McCabe's Quality Foods. In 2002, three west coast operations of Marriott Distributing were acquired and then merged with McCabe's, creating one of the west's largest systems distributors. Two new distribution centers were opened in 2005 due to contract growth, and the company was rebranded as Systems Services of America in 2006.

In 2002, a strategic move to secure a reliable supply of center of the plate meat products was made through the acquisition of S&P Meats. In 2006, S&P Meats was rebranded as Ameristar Meats and has grown to include four locations providing custom meat cutting and processing for customers throughout the west.

In 2006, Services Group of America moved its entire corporate headquarters from Seattle to Scottsdale. SGA, at the time Washington's largest privately-held company, was prompted to move by the state's passage of the nation's most punitive estate tax. The tax ensured that the company could not continue in business for the long term.

In 2009, GAMPAC began centralizing the transportation management for the SGA Food Group which includes Food Services of America, Systems Services of America, Amerifresh and Ameristar Meats. The company now provides daily transportation management and third party logistics for customers in a variety of industries.

Today, Services Group of America is ranked by Forbes Magazine as one of the largest privately-held corporations in the nation with approximately $2.7 billion in annual revenues. Operations are overseen from the company's headquarters, the SGA Corporate Center at Kierland, located at 16100 N. 71st Street in Scottsdale.