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1. Can you share a specific example of how your involvement with the CLDA board has positively impacted your career or business?
Being on the CLDA board has given me invaluable insight into the logistics industry. It’s helped me refine my strategies for growing Express Errands & Courier by connecting with industry leaders and staying ahead of key trends. Also, being surrounded by peers who have been in the industry for 20+ years has been incredibly valuable. In addition to the professional connections I’ve made through CLDA, I’ve also developed lasting friendships that have enriched my journey.
2. What unique opportunities for networking and education has your role on the CLDA board provided, and how have these opportunities enhanced your professional development?
The networking and educational opportunities have been incredible, by far the best! From attending our annual FMF conference to engaging in deep-dive discussions with industry experts, I’ve gained fresh perspectives that have elevated both my business acumen and leadership skills. As the Membership Chair, I’ve had the privilege of fostering new relationships and promoting growth within the CLDA community, which has been both rewarding and transformative for my own development.
3. How did you hear about CLDA, and what convinced you to join?
I first heard about CLDA through a client who spoke highly of the association’s impact. They couldn’t recall the name right away, but once I found CLDA, I knew it was home for Express Errands & Courier. After attending a few FMF conferences, I realized that joining was the game-changer my business needed. Now, as Membership Chair, I’d love to be of service to others. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and say hello! (can you tag me?)
1. Can you share a specific example of how your involvement with the CLDA board has positively impacted your career or business?
Being on the board of the CLDA has opened so many doors for me over the past 2 years. I’m having discussions with other board members I never would have been able to have without this board position. The closer connections have helped me navigate through some challenging times in our industry, and I’m so glad to have several people at my fingertips to call and ask for advice. I’ve known many of them for years, but not at this level, and they are truly a wonderful group of individuals who lead this association.
2. What unique opportunities for networking and education has your role on the CLDA board provided, and how have these opportunities enhanced your professional development?
Because we have such a diverse board, it’s allowed to learn how different size companies, in different markets navigate this ever-changing landscape of the final-mile world. Before the board, I only knew how my company was run, but now I have a much different perspective and appreciation for how companies much larger, and smaller than me operate. There is so much goodness that comes from gaining different perspectives, and this board has given me that, times 10!
3. How did you hear about CLDA, and what convinced you to join?
Being a second generation-owner, I knew about the CLDA through my father. We’ve been members for over 30 years, but it wasn’t until I started going to the conferences, joining committees, and eventually joining the board, that I truly came to appreciate all that the CLDA has to offer. It’s truly a special group.
1. Can you share a specific example of how your involvement with the CLDA board has positively impacted your career or business?
Being a member of The CLDA Board has been a jolt to my professional development as a business leader. The CLDA board looks at trends in the final mile delivery industry, whether it’s education, advocacy or collaboration. Being a board member has given me first hand insight into what is happening in the final mile industry and how to prepare my business for the future.
2. What unique opportunities for networking and education has your role on the CLDA board provided, and how have these opportunities enhanced your professional development?
Serving as a Co Chair on the Final Mile Focus was a unique opportunity to look at Industry Verticals, Industry Affiliates who support Carriers and Shippers and trends in the final mile. Once called the Executive Leadership Summit or ELS, serving as a board member, I chose the unique opportunity to launch with the ELS Chair an educational opportunity to bring carriers, shippers and affiliates in a virtual education format which was a huge success. This was my first opportunity to plan, organize and execute a virtual webinar and the experience was outstanding.
3. How did you hear about CLDA, and what convinced you to join?
Our firm has been a member of the CLDA for many years and my father, George E. Pillow Jr was a board member when the CLDA was called the MCAA. I would like to thank Jason Burns Sr and Steve Howard for encouraging me to become more active in the association and running for the board. The CLDA is the preeminent association for the final mile industry. Serving on the board is a privilege and has truly allowed me to network with the industry’s finest professionals.
1. Can you share a specific example of how your involvement with the CLDA board has positively impacted your career or business?
Being on the CLDA board has significantly enhanced my leadership skills in areas like governance, strategic planning, and decision-making, which are directly applicable to my business. This role has also offered me the chance to collaborate with other industry leaders, allowing us to work together to advance the industry. These interactions have broadened my professional network and provided valuable insights, which have been instrumental in driving my company’s growth and refining our strategic initiatives.
2. What unique opportunities for networking and education has your role on the CLDA board provided, and how have these opportunities enhanced your professional development?
My role on the CLDA board has provided extensive networking opportunities, allowing me to connect with other members and gain a deeper understanding of their business challenges and concerns. This exposure has enabled me to advocate effectively for the industry’s interests and contribute to its advancement. The professional relationships and exchanges of advice have been invaluable for my personal and professional development, enhancing my industry insights and developing close friendships.
3. How did you hear about CLDA, and what convinced you to join?
I first learned about CLDA through the company I worked for before starting my own business, as they were a member. One of my mentors, Phyllis Apelbaum – a past president – strongly encouraged me to join, emphasizing its value. Her recommendation convinced me to become a member right away, and I’ve since found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience and continue to finding value.
Summer is in full swing and I want to share what’s happening with your association the first half of 2024. There’s a lot to report since we last connected at February’s Final Mile Forum.
As CLDA’s new executive director, thank you for your warm welcome. I’ve enjoyed meeting some of you and look forward to meeting many more of you soon, either online or in person. Enjoy summer!
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, April 4, 2024 — The recent collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge will dramatically impact last-mile carriers and their customers throughout the country. That’s the prediction from the president of the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA), Joel Pinsky. “We’re already hearing from our customers asking us what this will do to their costs and delivery times. I’ve heard from others in the association that the same thing is happening to them,” says Pinsky, who is also the CEO of Global Messenger and Logistics in Baltimore.
While much of the reaction has been focused on the ships that go in and out of the harbor, Pinsky expects the impact to quickly spread to many of the last-mile providers who are part of the CLDA.
“30,000 vehicles go across that bridge every day, including 4,900 trucks. All of them will face diversions, congestion and longer travel distances,” he says. “Many of our members use independent contractors who depend on making a certain number of deliveries daily. If they have to drive farther and spend more time in traffic, it will cut down on the number of deliveries they can make and the money they can earn.”
He points out that there are a limited number of ways to deliver in, around and through Baltimore.
“Those doing deliveries will have to skirt the city on the beltway using I-695, go through either the Fort McHenry Tunnel or Baltimore Harbor Tunnel or drive through the already-jammed streets of the city,” he said. “And for some of those deliveries, the tunnels are not an option because there are restrictions on vehicles that are transporting hazardous materials or have oversized dimensions. These vehicles will have to go all the way around the Baltimore Beltway or go through the city. This will add at least an hour. Not only will that delay them, it will also mean more traffic competing for the city’s streets.”
The impact will affect many of the 2,900 members of the CLDA, not just those in Baltimore, he observes.
“The Baltimore Harbor is one of the busiest in the country, and this will affect the supply chain up and down the East Coast,” he points out. “This is where $23 billion worth of autos and light trucks arrive and $5 billion in construction machinery, agricultural implements, iron and steel, and other material handling equipment lands. That must be diverted to other East Coast Ports like Newport News, New York and New Jersey. The result will be significant competition for last-mile providers to get trucks, chassis and power units. And to find the drivers to make those long-distance deliveries.”
What can last-mile carriers do? Pinsky offers this advice to courier companies:
Pinsky expects the members of the last-mile sector to look for ways to help each other respond to this situation.
“This will affect many of our members, up and down the East Coast and throughout the country,” he points out. “We learned how critical it was to work together during COVID. CLDA members rose to the challenge as essential workers picking up and delivering millions of test kits, vaccines, and PPEs. We know how to pull together in difficult times, and we’ll do it again after what promises to be a tremendous stress test for the entire supply chain.”
About The CLDA
The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) represents the first to final miles of the supply chain in the US and worldwide. This non-profit professional association serves the needs of its 2,900 essential service members: logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers, air cargo logistics providers, 3PLs, and vendors servicing today’s supply chain companies. The CLDA gives its members access to a diverse network of logistics professionals looking to create new business opportunities and share decades of practical insights. They provide an avenue for amplifying members’ voices on critical issues and help them participate in the regulatory discussions shaping the industry. The CLDA keeps members informed and educated on trends, current issues, and best practices. For more information, see clda.org.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston
aobston@aomc.com
(860) 803-1155
Indianapolis, IN, March 27, 2024 — Joel Pinsky was recently elected president of the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA). Pinsky is the CEO and CFO of Global Messenger and Logistics. The election took place in December and newly elected positions took office at the CLDA’s Final Mile Forum.
Three new board members were also elected to the Board of Directors and took office at that meeting:
Pinsky has been involved with the CLDA since 2010, serving on multiple committees, including Member Benefits, Membership, Vendors, Final Mile Forum, Government Affairs, Final Mile Focus, and its predecessor, the Executive Leadership Summit. He has been a member of the association’s Board of Directors since 2017.
“I joined my first committee and then the Board of Directors because I wanted to give back to the logistics industry,” he says. “This association has provided networking and educational opportunities that helped my business and me get to where we are today. As President, I hope to lead the CLDA onward and upward so that the diverse members of our industry can receive the opportunities I have been lucky enough to have.”
The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) represents the first to final miles of the supply chain in the US and worldwide. This non-profit professional association serves the needs of its 2,900 essential service members: logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers, air cargo logistics providers, 3PLs, and vendors servicing today’s supply chain companies. The CLDA gives its members access to a diverse network of logistics professionals looking to create new business opportunities and share decades of practical insights. They provide an avenue for amplifying members’ voices on critical issues and help them participate in the regulatory discussions shaping the industry. The CLDA keeps members informed and educated on trends, current issues, and best practices. For more information, see clda.org.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston
aobston@aomc.com
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, Feb. 26, 2024 — Mary Ann B. Passi, CAE, has been appointed Executive Director of the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA).
She brings her more than 30 years of association management experience to this position. For the past 22 years, she has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA). She has also held leadership positions in the Society of Nutrition Education & Behavior, the Society of Nutrition Education & Behavior Foundation, the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Chicago, the Advocate Healthcare Foundation, the Women’s Council of Realtors©, the Association of Women Surgeons and the Computer Measurement Group.
Passi was recently honored with the Industry Impact Award by the Corporate Housing Providers. She is the only non-member of the association to receive this honor. In 2022 she was recognized as the Executive of the Year by the Indiana Society of Association Executives. Passi has been a Certified Association Executive (CAE) since 1997. She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, the Indiana Society of Association Executives, and the Association Forum.
“Mary Ann’s breadth of experience in guiding international professional member societies, leading fundraising efforts, and managing operations impressed us,” says CLDA’s newly elected president, Joel Pinsky. “Under her leadership, these associations increased membership, revenue, and the impact they had. That made her a perfect fit for CLDA’s ambitious goals. We are pleased to have her aboard.”
Passi is part of the senior leadership team at the association management company Raybourn Group International (RGI). RGI’s Vice President of Association Strategies, Mark McSweeney, CAE, has held the post of Interim Executive Director since the group assumed management of CLDA in 2023. RGI is an accredited full-service Association Management Company. The organization has managed associations with members in 107 countries that serve over 60,000 members. Headquartered in Indianapolis, RGI is one of just 15% of association management companies accredited by the AMC Institute. Since 1988, they have worked with trade and professional associations, individual membership societies, foundations, nonprofits, and other membership-based organizations worldwide.
To see the newly-released rule, go to https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-00067.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, Jan. 16, 2024 — On January 9, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued the final version of the rule to determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor (IC) under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In this version of the rule, the DOL’s definition of an IC has shifted to a more employee-slanted one. Past administrations have defined IC status using two primary factors – opportunity for profit and loss and control – and four secondary factors. In the DOL’s new interpretation, that decision will be based on all six factors, making it more likely that an IC will be deemed to be an employee.
“This interpretation is slanted in favor of finding employee status and particularly unfair to the delivery and trucking industries,” says Mark Cossack, head of Government Affairs at the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association. “We took this issue head-on, mobilizing our 2,900 members, many of whom rely on independent contractors. We vigorously lobbied against the changes in both written and in-person avenues. There was also an outcry from other industries that use ICs. As a result, the January 9 release of the rule has been changed. These came about because of our association’s aggressive in-person and written efforts to actively engage with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the DOL, respectively, to outline the position of our members. It represents a slight softening of the rule that was initially proposed. That original version would have severely restricted the use of ICs under federal minimum wage and overtime laws.”
Cossack pointed out that this rule change does not signal the end of this contentious issue. “This is just another step towards a realistic and complete definition of an IC on the federal level,” says Cossack. “We will continue to advocate for litigation challenging the rule and federal legislation adequately defining an IC.”
The association is currently organizing a trip to Washington, DC, to meet with legislators to explain the need for a formal and realistic definition of an IC. “The fight is not over. We need the help and financial support of every business that depends on ICs to meet customer demands. We can’t do this alone,” says Cossack.
The rule is scheduled to be implemented on March 11, 2024. The changes included as a result of our lobbying efforts include:
“These changes are more positive than the DOL’s originally proposed rules,” says Cossack. “The version the department originally proposed would have severely restricted the use of ICs under federal minimum wage and overtime laws. Nevertheless, it still makes using ICs to respond to customers’ needs more difficult than it was previously. The definition of an IC is still very convoluted. This rule puts a complicated six-pronged economic realities test in place that determines whether an individual is an employee or an independent contractor. The DOL has the full discretion to enforce this test, and its interpretation depends upon the facts and circumstances of each case.”
The new rule change is not the final word on the definition of an independent contractor and sets up another round of challenges from those depending on ICs. “The rule will be challenged in the courts,” predicts Cossack, pointing to others already joining the association’s fight. “The Coalition for Workforce Innovation (CWI) already has a pending case before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the withdrawal of the independent contractor rule issued by the Trump administration. It is also possible the American Trucking Association (ATA) and companies like Uber and Lyft will challenge this rule in the courts. In addition, we will be reaching out to the individuals we formerly met at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), and the DOL. We appreciate that they listened to some of the objections we raised in our past meetings and made changes that moved the rule in the direction CLDA recommended. But we will emphasize that more revisions must be made to make it a workable regulation to keep the wheels of commerce moving.”
To see the newly-released rule, go to https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-00067.
About The CLDA
The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) represents the first to final miles of the supply chain in the US and worldwide. This non-profit professional association serves the needs of its 2,900 essential service members: logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers, air cargo logistics providers, 3PLs, and vendors servicing today’s supply chain companies. The CLDA gives its members access to a diverse network of logistics professionals looking to create new business opportunities and share decades of practical insights. They provide an avenue for amplifying members’ voices on critical issues and help them participate in the regulatory discussions shaping the industry. The CLDA keeps members informed and educated on trends, current issues, and best practices. For more information, see clda.org.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston
aobston@aomc.com
(860) 803-1155
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, Aug. 7, 2023 — Carriers, shippers and vendors involved in the last mile will gather virtually at the CLDA’s first Final Mile Focus meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 4, from 11:00 to 1:30 (EST). The workshop will allow participants to engage with industry-leading carriers, shippers, and vendors to gain invaluable insights into the hottest verticals driving success in the industry.
The event will kick off with a keynote about the importance of strategic planning in 2024. This will be followed by two rounds of Round Tables focusing on one of four verticals expected to grow in 2024. During these sessions, participants will be able to tap into the expertise of seasoned professionals and uncover their best-kept secrets, empowering them to assess opportunities in these high-potential areas. The workshop will end with a chance to discuss what they’ve learned and get a preview of activities planned for them by the CLDA.
Registration and sponsorship opportunities are available now. There are discounts for CLDA members and groups of three or more from the same company.
About The CLDA
The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) represents the first to final miles of the supply chain in the US and worldwide. This non-profit professional association serves the needs of its 2,900 essential service members: logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers, air cargo logistics providers, 3PLs, and vendors servicing today’s supply chain companies. The CLDA gives its members access to a diverse network of logistics professionals looking to create new business opportunities and share decades of practical insights. They provide an avenue for amplifying members’ voices on critical issues and help them participate in the regulatory discussions shaping the industry. The CLDA keeps members informed and educated on trends, current issues, and best practices.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston
(860) 803-1155
