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Hello my CLDA and industry colleagues,
I hope everyone enjoyed learning a little bit about Mardi Gras in our first edition of the CRESCENT CITY CULTURE. Our Final Mile Forum 2023 in New Orleans, which is only about 9 weeks away, will be going on as the city ramps up the Mardi Gras season with major parades beginning to roll that weekend. So, dust off your dance shoes and get ready “second-line” your way to the Mardi Gras Celebration… of course, after a day of engaging content and networking at the FMF 2023.
Today, meet the founder of New Orleans, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville and how New Orleans became New Orleans.
I am sure that most know that one of the nicknames of New Orleans, which is the namesake of these weekly articles, is the Crescent City. This moniker came about because of the bend in the Mississippi River at The French Quarter. Well, it was Bienville who coined this name as he called it his “Beautiful Crescent.” Bienville, along with his older brother, Pierre Le Moyne D’Iberville, explored the Northern Gulf of Mexico in the late 1600s. When D’Iberville departed, Bienville went on to discover the swath of land in the lower Mississippi that would become New Orleans. The first two streets in the French Quarter running parallel to Canal Street are named for the brothers.
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Bienville wrote to the Directors of the Company in 1717 that he had discovered a crescent bend in the Mississippi River which he felt was safe from tidal surges and hurricanes and proposed that the new capital of the colony be built there. Permission was granted, and Bienville founded New Orleans on May 7, 1718. By 1719, a sufficient number of huts and storage houses had been built that Bienville began moving supplies and troops from Mobile. (You might remember in the last CCC, Mobile, AL was once the capital of Louisiana.)
Following disagreements with the chief engineer of the colony, Pierre Le Blond de La Tour, Bienville ordered an assistant engineer, Adrien de Pauger, to draw up plans for the new city in 1720. In 1721, Pauger drew up the eleven-by-seven block rectangle now known as the French Quarter or the Vieux Carré. After moving into his new home on the site of what is now the Custom House, Bienville named the new city “La Nouvelle-Orléans” in honor of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, the Prince Regent of France. New Orleans became the capital of French Louisiana by 1723, during Bienville’s third term.
Take a look at the street names in the French Quarter. You won’t find Main St, or 1st Avenue. The street names have purpose and meaning. Parallel streets to Canal Street start out with brothers, Iberville and Bienville as mentioned above. From there the streets alternate with Catholic Saints and illegitimate sons of King Louis XIV. Beginning with Conti, then St Louis, Toulouse, St Peter, Orleans, St Ann, Dumaine and St Phillip. The crossing streets are named for French Royal Houses. Decatur, Royal, Bourbon, Dauphine, etc.
So, when enjoying the ambience of the French Quarter, you can also enjoy a little history of the street on which you are partaking in your food, fun and libation and know that you are really enjoying our CRESCENT CITY CULTURE.
See you in February!
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 15, 2022 — The Customized Logistics & Delivery Association’s (CLDA) Final Mile Forum & Expo will be held from February 9 to 11, 2023 in New Orleans. Mardi Gras will be in full swing during this, the industry’s largest gathering of last-mile providers and shippers. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency, which is minutes from the historic French Quarter, Arts District and Mississippi Riverfront.
The three-day event will be built around the theme of “Winning the Next Mile.” “The current final-mile environment continues to challenge many of us in this space,” says Event Chair Thomas Jowers. “This conference will be the year’s best opportunity for last-mile providers to expand their knowledge, connect with shippers, build their networks and explore the latest products and solutions to take on these challenges.”
Educational sessions will include:
In addition, there will be intimate round tables with shippers where couriers can discuss how to gain their business and learn more about what they are looking for. The conference will also offer ample opportunities for couriers to network with each other, to expand their footprints and to pick the brains of their peers to solve common problems.
Registration is now open at clda.org with discounts for CLDA members. Members receive more than a 45% discount. The conference also has a special rate for non-members who join when they register. Twelve vendors have already reserved their spots in the CLDA Exchange Hall, but there are still a few booths available on a first-come, first-serve basis. To reserve one of those spots, contact info@clda.org
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
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 who are 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 key issues and helps 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 www.clda.org.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston aobston@aomc.com
(860) 803-1155
Hello my CLDA and industry colleagues,
As you may know by now the CLDA will be holding its Final Mile Forum 2023 in New Orleans. Plan to attend now because that is only a couple of months away. Come join us February 9 through February 11, 2023. This is one FMF that you should not miss. Of course, all attendees will benefit from the great educational content, the networking opportunities and for all the programs the CLDA will be offering at this year’s gathering. It is always a great benefit to mingle amongst your industry peers to learn of their struggles and successes and of course, to share your own. However, this year I am also hoping all will attend for another reason… and that is, to enjoy the hospitality and charm that my hometown has to offer. Come experience the CRESCENT CITY CULTURE… 2023
Welcome to New Orleans!
Over the next 8 weeks be on the lookout for the CRESCENT CITY CULTURE where I will be sharing some interesting facts about New Orleans through articles, pictures, and my own take on what I call the Ambience of New Orleans.
You will get to know a little bit about the history of the city, places to eat and drink, and things to do. You will learn about our culture … like our music and food to name a couple. It is my hope that by the time you get your first whiff of grilled oysters after stepping off the plane, our local vibe will be instilled in you, and you will in fact be an honorary New Orleanian!
If there is ever a time to come to New Orleans, it is this year. WHY? Well, let me jump right into our first edition of the CRESCENT CITY CULTURE
Happy Mardi Gras!
♫ Down in New Orleans where the blues was born, it takes a cool cat to blow a horn ♪ Ah yes, those opening lyrics to the quintessential sound of Mardi Gras, sung by The Hawketts, “The Mardi Gras Mambo,” gets both locals and visitors alike in the mood to dance in the street. You can get your Mambo Grove on here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1fBDVNn1pU
Yes, my friends, it will Mardi Gras time down in New Orleans when you are here for the FMF 2023. Friday February 10th is the first night of the major parades that will lead up to Mardi Gras Day. And three will roll that evening passing about five blocks from the hotel.
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How much do you know about “Fat Tuesday” and the Mardi Gras Season? Tuesday, February 21 is Mardi Gras Day in 2023. That day marks the end of the Mardi Gras season, and the beginning of Lent is the following day.
The Mardi Gras season is actually determined by two Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter. The season varies in length because Christmas is a stationary holiday, whereas Easter is not. Easter is the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Mardi Gras Day will be 47 days prior to Easter Sunday. So, Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 23 and April 25, thus making Mardi Gras Day fall on any Tuesday between February 3 to March 9.
As for the beginning of the Mardi Gras season, well that is the same every year. It is always 12 days after Christmas, which is January 6. This day is celebrated in Christian religions as the Epiphany, and also known as King’s Day. This day has also been referred to as Twelfth Night. In New Orleans we also know it as the day that the King Cakes come out. What’s a King Cake? Check this out to learn more about it.
Here are some other interesting things about Mardi Gras that you may not know:
The Colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. They represent justice, faith, and power, respectively.
Mardi Gras Day is the only day it is legal to walk the streets of New Orleans with a mask on. But you have to remove it at 6PM.
The French Quarter, and particularly Bourbon Street, is known for its partying atmosphere that extends well into the wee hours of the morning. However, the one time of the year that revelry comes to an end early is when the clock strikes Midnight on Fat Tuesday night, thus marking the end of Mardi Gras and the beginning of Lent. The NOPD will clear Bourbon Street on this day with the assistance of their Mounted Division.
The first Mardi Gras Celebration was held in 1699 about 60 miles south of present-day New Orleans on the opposite side of the Mississippi River at a point named by explorer Iberville as Point du Mardi Gras.
Although the first celebration dates back to 1699, the first Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans was in 1837.
Now, as far as the first Mardi Gras Parade celebration in the US, well it is believed that it was held in Mobile, AL in 1703…when Mobile was the capital of LOUISIANA. What? After doing a little research on that, I did find evidence to support that…Hmmm??
No matter where the first Mardi Gras parade was celebrated, who celebrates it today or how it is celebrated around the world, the ONE PLACE that puts on Mardi Gras with the passion, revelry, parades, and festivities like no other place in the world is… NEW ORLEANS BABY!!
Check out more here from Arthur Hardy, THE Mardi Gras Historian.
In closing here is one more fun fact about our culture:
New Orleans is eccentric if nothing else. The first Carnival Krewe was Comus in 1857. The second Krewe didn’t come along until 1870, but today there are more than 50. Don’t worry if your Cajun French is rusty: “laissez les bon temps rouler” is a phrase that you will hear much during Mardi Gras, and many others for that matter. Pronounced “Lay-say le bon tom roll-lay”, it means “let the good times roll.”
I hope to see everyone in February – “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
HAPPY MARDI GRAS!
WASHINGTON, DC, Nov. 8, 2022 – Supply chain disruptions have had a positive impact on expedited final-mile providers. Shipments that used to go LTL are now going to last-mile carriers. “The delays in the supply chain mean that shippers can’t depend on LTL transportation to get things where they need when the customer needs them. In these cases, they are turning more and more to last-mile delivery partners,” points out Tim Cocchia Chief Operating Officer, Xcel Delivery Services, Phoenix, AZ and Board Member of the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA). “Before the disruptions, LTL could get products to their destinations in a timely manner. But with the disruptions that’s no longer the case so they are turning to last-mile providers. We take delivery of the items, store them in our warehouses until they are needed and deliver them when it’s time. We have always done some of these deliveries, but the demand has dramatically increased.”
One industry that’s shifted to this approach is construction. “Builders that need products on specific days have really felt the sting of supply chain disruptions,” points out Cocchia. “Today, they can order kitchen cabinets, and have no idea when they’re coming in. So, they are ordering them ahead of time and having members of our industry store them in our warehouses. That way, they know they are there when they need them. They can contact that last-mile carrier, schedule the delivery and we get it there right when they need it. This is fueled by a lack of trust in the supply chain. We heard that from a builder doing a remodel of an apartment complex here in Arizona. They were waiting to schedule the labor to do the installs until they had all the products. They didn’t want to start the installs and be missing one piece and have to reschedule all the labor to come back later. They worried that if they released those guys, and they started on other jobs they might not be able to get them back. People have been burned and so now they’re being more cautious.”
Impact on Just-in-Time
Supply chain issues have had a dramatic impact on companies that depended heavily on the just-in-time model. “Right now, just-in-time doesn’t work,” says Cocchia. “In the past, just-in-time made economic sense. It worked because those in procurement knew they could wait until the last minute to order what they needed and get it right away. The customer could keep their money in their bank account, order at the last minute possible, and have it show up on the day it was supposed to without redelivery and warehousing fees. Not anymore. Today, companies must order products ahead of time because they’re not sure when they’ll come in. They’ll ship those products to last-mile providers’ warehouses to hold them for as long as needed, and then deliver them exactly when they need them.”
A Change or a Temporary Reaction?
Given that this is an offshoot of what most people think of as a temporary situation, does Cocchia believe it will result in a permanent change in the way companies do business? Will it mean this new business for last-mile providers will disappear in the future? Yes and no. “There may be a small drop in business for these carriers, but it will not go back to pre-COVID, levels, even when the supply chain disruptions settle down,” he says. “I think there’s a trust factor there that will take a long time to return. Many businesses had to make huge changes. Some of them really got burned and they will probably never go back to the way it was. It will certainly get better. I just don’t know that it will be enough for people to trust in the old way of doing things completely ever again.”
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
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 who are 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 key issues and helps 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 www.clda.org.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston
aobston@aomc.com
(860) 803-1155
WASHINGTON, D.C. Aug. 25, 2022 — If you’re not planning for peak season right now, you’re already behind. It may be summer outside, but the chill of winter and the heat of an on-fire holiday season is already upon us.
These are among the observations from Millie Tarallo, Chief Revenue Officer at Dropoff as she looks towards what could become, given recent industry trends, the highest volume holiday season to date. “We have ecommerce and retailers inquiring with Dropoff about adding same-day courier services to their shipping suite as they look for ways to diversify and meet increasing demands,” she says. Bringing over twelve years of field, transportation, and logistics experience to new her role at Dropoff, Tarallo has managed these holiday peaks before. “It’s very telling when companies shift away from traditional carriers to seek new opportunities for capacity.”
Dropoff is a tech-enabled, same-day, last-mile delivery platform based in Austin, TX that has been providing businesses nationwide with 24/7 logistics support since 2014. The company, just recently named one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing private companies for its fourth consecutive year, is an active member of the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA).
It’s more than the anticipation of the growth in ecommerce and the current labor shortage that’s causing these shippers to expect carriers to get an early start on the season, “These shippers are looking at their logistics and wondering if their current network has the capacity and how they can both increase their market share while identifying alternative shipping channels with that capacity,” says Tarallo. “Many expect to bring on new providers. That takes time. There’s a lot of technology integration needed to get out the kinks in a new relationship with a carrier. If you haven’t done that by September, you’re going to be far behind and your service is going to suffer. We advise all new customers we’re speaking with to complete integrations early; test data and delivery service levels way before peak season.”
Shippers looking for capacity, Tarallo suggests, “Should think about differentiating their offerings with same-day service. Speed of shipping is a critical decision point for buyers and you may gain incremental sales while finding new capacity for shipping.”
Capacity challenges are part of the business, but Tarallo says this doesn’t mean carriers have to say no to a customer if their capacity demands are too high for them. “If you know in your heart of hearts that you can’t handle all the deliveries they expect to give you, you don’t have to walk away from the business completely,” Tarallo says.
1. Be Honest About What You Can Manage
“There are several alternatives. One is to candidly share, ‘This is not a volume I can handle on my own, but what I can do is work with my network of other carriers to meet your needs.’ Another alternative is to carve out the part of the business you can handle and meet your service levels and be honest with the shipper upfront so they can diversify their network to cover what you can’t handle.”
2. Partner Up
She points out that COVID showed shippers that it’s critical to partner with several carriers. “Since COVID, it’s been about carrier diversity with shippers. Even for those that previously used major carriers. They now recognize the need to diversify in particular markets if they’re going meet customer demands,” Tarallo says.
3. Be Cautious; Be Smart
And just how high does she expect those demands to be for Holidays 2022? “It’s going to be the most challenging season ever,” she says, “because consumers expect to get their orders faster. Faster shipping is often a key decision-maker when it comes to what they will purchase. We know the expectations of consumers are growing and that they are demanding we meet higher expectations. Before COVID we expected to scale to this level of demand in eight years; it’s happened in three.”
Tarallo shares that regional carriers should be cautious about accepting all of this business. “You have to be able to take what you can handle and make a profit on it. There’s a reason that large carriers are being more selective with their customers. Some of those jobs simply aren’t profitable. I’d suggest regional carriers only take the ones that fit their current capabilities; ones where they have a unique capacity.”
Tarallo also urges carriers to line up their people resources earlier than they have in the past. “The number one challenge carriers are going to face when coping with the upcoming holiday season is the labor shortage,” she says. While this may be starting to trend in a better direction, here are some ways to ensure you’re ready:
1. Prepare Your Current Workforce
Tarallo suggests preparing your current workforce now for what lies ahead during peak: “We’ve already discussed communication with your customer, but communication with your team is as critical at this time of year. Let them know what you’re doing today to get ready for peak. Prepare them for the fact that they’re going to be working long, hard hours. Think about how you can support them.”
2. Support Your Drivers
There are a lot of sacrifices that drivers make. Consider what you can do for them that’s a little bit extra. Can you have breakfast or lunch for them? Those little things go a long way. Tarallo encourages everyone to, “Do what you can to recognize the efforts that these people are making to help you deliver top-notch service to your customers.”
3. Take Action Against Your Postmortem
She also advises that carriers talk to the people who got them through the peak season once things slow down. “By definition, there will be misses during that hectic time,” she says. “It’s your people out front who have the information that can avoid those misses next time. Capture it right after the season with a holiday postmortem. While things are fresh, ask everyone on your team, ‘What did we miss in the last quarter of this year, and how can we prevent it next year?”
Tarallo summarizes her advice for making it through Holiday Season 2022 this way: “It’s all about preparation. Prepare your customers. Prepare your resources, and then have a plan to make sure all that communication is shored up in both directions.”
About Dropoff
Dropoff provides nationwide, same-day custom courier services in the healthcare, retail, and industrial industries. The company’s proprietary logistics platform empowers enterprise businesses to gain full visibility throughout the chain of custody with real-time track and trace and intelligent dispatch. Discover how Dropoff is shaping the future of last-mile delivery by visiting Dropoff.com
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
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 who are 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 key issues and helps 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
WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 15, 2022 – The Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA) recently awarded its third annual CLDA Scholarships to three students who are the children of members of the association. Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship to pursue education beyond high school.
This year’s recipients are
• Brody Bernecker, the son of Jim and Mindy Bernecker. Jim is the president of Relay Express.
• Taryn Bilchik, the daughter of Bryan and Sandy Bilchik. Bryan is the Director of IT at Need It Now.
• Kylie Jowers, the daughter of Thomas and Kimberly Dawn Jowers. Thomas is the Chief Operating Officer at ADL Delivery.
Bernecker graduated from Archbishop Alter High School in Spring Valley, OH with honors. He plans on attending Miami University in Ohio in the fall with an eye towards a career in business, finance, or entrepreneurship. He was Vice President of his high school’s Investment Club and a member of both the Key Club and the National Honor Society. He served as the captain of the schools’ Food For All effort, coordinating transportation and food for the school’s annual food drive. He played on the school’s varsity basketball and soccer teams. He was recognized as the Employee of the Month at his job at the Dayton Country Club.
Bilchik graduated from Sickles High School, Tampa, FL in the top 10% of her class. She plans on attending the University of Florida in the fall with an eye toward veterinary medicine. She got a head start on that career by becoming a Certified Vet Assistant in her Junior year of high school. This enabled her to volunteer at a local nonprofit animal clinic. She also earned the school’s Greenhand award, served as Color Guard Captain and was a member of the National Honor Society. A passionate horseback rider, she also volunteered as a counselor-in-training at Girl Scout camps and was an involved member of the Future Farmers of America.
Jowers graduated Cypress Ranch High School in Cypress, Texas with honors. She will be going to Texas State University in the fall with an eye towards a career in directing or playwriting. She graduated Cum Laude from her high school and earned recognition with membership in the International Thespian Society. In high school she was involved in theater, Color Guard, the school’s Peer Assistant Leadership program, Hero Club, and the Senior Women Club. She was an involved member of the Texas Association of Future Educators.
Those applying for the scholarship had to be associated with a CLDA member and planning on attending college, a trade school or trucking school in the fall. Applications were reviewed by the CLDA Cares Committee, and the decisions were made based on their backgrounds, grades, and their essays. The scholarships were funded by donations from CLDA members, vendors, and affiliates.
The CLDA Scholarships are awarded annually. Submissions for the 2023 awards should be submitted by April 1, 2023. For more information go to the CLDA Cares tab on clda.org.
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
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 who are 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 key 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
WASHINGTON, D.C. Aug. 10, 2022 — Industry executives and the supply chain’s next generation of leaders will gather virtually on Oct 6 to build the skills to take on today’s challenging times. CLDA’s annual Executive Leadership Summit (ELS) will be an interactive, online workshop featuring industry experts, logistics pros and successful CLDA members. The online event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm (Eastern).
This is the fifth year for the CLDA’s Executive Leadership Summit. The conference is designed to offer skill development to c-suite executives, young professionals, and managers in the leadership pipeline. Together they will build skills to take on today’s runaway inflation, to win the war for talent and to prepare for the possibility of a recession.
“This is an annual event that helps build the next generation of leaders in the last-mile industry,” says Conference Chair Brian Surber. “It is the perfect opportunity for up-and-coming executives to learn strategies from experts in the field and from our most successful and seasoned CLDA veterans. Every year we present to strengthen the talent pool in our industry and support the logistics leaders of tomorrow.”
Participants will take active roles in the sessions including participating in individual break-out rooms where they will discuss shared challenges and ways to take them on. In addition, participants will get a chance to network at a virtual happy hour at the end of the day.
Registration is now open to all in the industry with a discount for CLDA members. For more information and registration, go to the events tab at CLDA.org.
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) is a non-profit professional association that connects and leads members of the time-critical logistics and delivery industries. The association serves the needs of its 2,900 essential service members who are 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 key issues and helps 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
WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr. 12, 2022 — Excitement is building for the 2022 CLDA Final Mile Forum & Expo. The live, three-day event from June 29 to July 1 will provide the tools to stay relevant in the final mile. The conference site, the Hyatt Regency Miami, is a landmark hotel overlooking the Miami Bay. It will provide easy access to popular attractions, like Brickell City Center, Wynwood Art District, Coral Gables, and Little Havana.
Two keynote speakers, Gene Marks and Brian Carter, will arm participants with the tools to flex in the face of disruptions.
Kicking off Day #1 will be a keynote presentation “The Great Resignation.” Conference participants will learn how to attract and retain the best personnel in a post-COVID world from columnist and business management author Gene Marks.
A past columnist for both The New York Times and The Washington Post, Marks now writes regularly for The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine and The Guardian. He has written five books on business management, geared towards small and medium sized companies. His most recent is Want More Cash? 100+ Ideas and Strategies for Increasing Your Company’s Cash Flow This Year. He appears regularly on Fox Business, MSNBC, CBS and SiriusXM’s Wharton Business Channel where he talks about the financial, economic and technology issues that affect business leaders today.
Marks owns and operates the Marks Group PC, a technology and consulting services for small and medium sized businesses. Prior to starting the Marks Group PC this Certified Public Accountant spent nine years in the entrepreneurial services arm of the international consulting firm KPMG as a Senior Manager.
On Day #2 Brian Carter’s keynote address will be “Eruption Not Disruption.” It will feature the secrets of attracting the customers and workforce to grow in today’s disruptive business environment. Carter is a bestselling author and IBM Futurist whom LinkedIn dubbed “an expert you should listen to.”
In his 20 years of business success, Carter has worked with organizations of all sizes, including Microsoft, NBC, Salesforce, JP Morgan, Humana and The U.S. Army. His frequent media appearances include Bloomberg TV, ABC, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, AdWeek and The New York Times.
Carter has taught 50,000 students in topics including sales, generational differences, social media, customer service, leadership, teamwork and marketing. He has 250,000 online fans and reaches an overall audience of over three million people each year. His ideas and insights come from 20 years of trailblazing work in the modern business world, up-to-date experience and deep case-studies.
The conference will also feature educational sessions, meetings with shippers, networking events and a look at the newest industry trends and innovations at the conference’s packed exhibition hall.
Educational programs will include:
Two roundtable discussions will bring together shippers and carriers, forwarders and brokers from around the country to discuss new business, business strategies and best practices.
The three-day event will also include seven hours of networking opportunities and a look at the future of the industry with innovative solutions showcased in the Exhibit Hall.
“Members of the industry won’t want to miss out on this opportunity to meet shippers looking for carriers; stay on top of the knowledge to grow your business; get the jump on the latest technology; network with others in the business and renew connections with industry friends,” says conference chair Thomas Jowers.
For more information or to register, to go the Education and Events tab on the CLDA website CLDA members receive a discount on their registration. The association is currently taking reservations for booths in the exhibit hall and there are a variety of sponsorship opportunities available. To reserve a booth or learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact info@clda.org.
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
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 who are 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 key issues and helps 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 www.clda.org.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston
aobston@aomc.com
(860) 803-1155 – cell
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 5, 2022 – Last-mile carriers are increasingly looking to overseas help in the face of a tight job market. For one carrier, Eveready Express, it’s been the key to continue delivering a high level of customer support in the face of the labor shortage. And a strategy for coping with rising costs.
“It’s been challenging since COVID to hire and retain people, and more so now with the US at or approaching full employment.” says Eveready Express’ President, Keith Kirk, a New Jersey based provider of courier and trucking. “A lot of people have gone out of the workforce. That includes older, more experienced people who are concerned about COVID as well as younger moms. We used to hire a lot of mothers to work while their kids were in school, but COVID changed that.”
Kirk started entertaining the idea of supplementing his office staff with overseas workers in 2020. “If you told me a year ago that we would have several people outsourced to overseas, I would have said you were crazy. I’d tell you ‘It’s not a good fit for us. We want everybody in the same place.’ But here we are now with a team of six workers in the Philippines who assist in recruiting fleet drivers, screening independent contract drivers, handling basic email customer support, tracking and tracing drivers,” says Kirk.
He admits that his early attempts at using overseas workers got off to a rocky start. He cautions other logistics providers that there’s a learning curve to make this work that they need to be prepared for. He got a jump on that learning curve by reaching out to fellow members of the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA). “I talked to CLDA members who have been very progressive in many areas and found out how they were approaching this,” says Kirk. “After that, I felt like I wanted to give it a try. We hired a telemarketer, a lead generation person, from a logistics outsourcing company in Columbia. It didn’t work out. One of the issues is that most of these workers had been trained for the truckload industry and when I brought them into the last mile space, they didn’t seem grasp it. While this first group didn’t work out, we were still committed to leverage the diversity and cost advantages of remote workers.”
A number of logistics providers use outsourcing companies to bring on overseas workers. “I understand some logistics companies have been very successful handling things this way, but this first experience wasn’t successful for us. On the other hand, I’ve had some success hiring remote on Fiverr, Upwork, and other online freelance marketplaces for specific projects and in short-term situations,” says Kirk. “In fact, we’ve used freelancers from these sites for specific projects, like online research, recruiting in the USA and overseas, even for a project to purchase delivery vans. For ongoing staffing, there are quite a few staffing firms who specialize in this, and also direct recruiting sites, if you want to take on the managing of the team yourself. Our overseas staff include customer support, administrative support, track and trace, and weekend dispatch. We’ve been able to expand our service hours very cost-effectively.”
The key to making it work, Kirk says, is training. “There’s definitely a lot of training involved,” cautions Kirk. “I found that when you bring in people who aren’t familiar with our industry there is a greater learning curve. We give them a script to follow when recruiting and screening independent contractors, so they meet our standards. That can be time-consuming. There are a lot of questions and checking out. Once they get the hang of it, we’ve found they’ve done very well and really helped us beef up our efforts.”
Tips for Making It Work
Is overseas help right for your company? Kirk suggests you approach it with an open mind, guided by these tips:
A Way to Cope With Rising Cost in the Long Run
Would Kirk suggest couriers consider offshoring to control costs. Yes, but…
“If you’re looking for an alternative to conventional staff, I would definitely recommend looking to offshoring or nearshoring,” he says. “But you must go into it with a realistic plan. Chose specific areas. Perhaps non-core areas like administration, recruiting, backup for your customer service team or after-hours monitoring of dispatch. Those are all good areas to investigate where you will see some savings. It does help control cost, but you need to have a longer timeline for training. You need to go into it knowing it’s going to take a while to pay off.”
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
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 who are 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 key issues and helps 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 www.clda.org.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston
aobston@aomc.com
(860) 803-1155 – cell
WASHINGTON, DC., Feb. 7, 2022 — What can providers learn from today’s disrupted supply chain? And how can they use those lesson to re-engineer today’s flawed supply chain? Two logistics veterans say it’s all about taking in those lessons and using them to change the ways goods flow through the system.
“Supply chain disruptions have become our new normal, and we should expect and plan for them in the foreseeable future,” says Chuck Moyer, a 40+ year logistics veteran and a former president of the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA). CLDA’s 2,900 members include logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers, air cargo logistics providers, 3PLs and vendors servicing supply chain companies. Moyer is currently Chief Executive Officer at Pentagon Final Mile & President at ROVA (Transportation Platform Company).
Adam Hill, President & Chief Operating Officer for the Scarbrough Group of Companies agrees that disruptions are here to stay, at least for the near future: “I expect us to see a least another year of this. I think 2022 is going to give us a little bit of a reprieve but I don’t think we’re going to see anything approaching ‘normal’ until sometime in 2023. And even then, I think we’ll need a new definition of normal.” The Scarbrough Group is a full-service international and domestic logistics provider, and a U.S. and Mexican Customs Broker. The group includes Scarbrough International, Scarbrough Logistics, Scarbrough Transportation, Scarbrough Consulting, and Scarbrough Warehousing.
A Flawed System That Finally Broke
Moyer points out that none of the current disruptions are especially new. Many industry observers have pointed out just how frail the supply chain was, even before the pandemic. “Many of the systems in use are antiquated, lack supply chain visibility and the ability for proactive planning.”
Moyer also pointed out that there were pre-existing weaknesses in the supply chain that finally gave way when faced with rising consumer expectations intensified by the pandemic. “What’s happening now only exposed the weaknesses in the supply chain,” he says, “Everyone in the supply chain knew the ports and labor models were fragile. It’s been reported and discussed for many years. What happened with the pandemic just exposed what was already know and the lack of planning. There were problems below the surface, and they just hadn’t reached the breaking point yet. We’ve been talking about these issues forever, but very few companies have really done a good job preparing and taking a proactive approach in dealing with them.”
It Didn’t Start With the Pandemic
Both of these logistics pros saw the roots of today’s issues preceding the pandemic by decades. One of the big drivers was the change in consumer expectations. “It goes all the way back to FedEx and Amazon. They changed consumer expectations,” says Moyer. “Before that, the delivery companies would tell the consumer when to expect their orders (known as the “push model”). Then companies like FedEx and Amazon started to put that power into the hands of the consumer (known as the “pull model”). Changing from the shipper telling the consumer ‘Your package will be delivered in three weeks’ turned into empowering the consumer and shippers asking consumers ‘When would you like it delivered?’ That put stress on the entire supply chain and is here to stay. The expectation of fast delivery, shipment tracking, excellent customer service combined with a flexible return policy and free or low-cost delivery options has everyone reevaluating their solutions.
Hill pointed out that another of the big weaknesses in the supply chain can be traced back to the Recession in the early 2000s. “We’re going have to go all the way back several decades to get a full picture of where we are now.”
The Pandemic Domino Effect
When COVID hit in China, cancelling Chinese New Year celebrations in 2020, the final stressor on the supply chain fell into place. “China was locked down for nine weeks due to the virus,” points out Hill. “Factories were shut down. Production ceased. That caused the steam ship lines to stop servicing those ports. Then, COVID started making its way around the world. Europe shut down. The US shut down. And just as manufacturing in China picked up again, we started to see skyrocketing consumption in the US fueled by lockdowns. Fast forward now and we’re seeing the ports in LA and Long Beach trying to handle a 30-plus percent increase in traffic from their pre-pandemic numbers. Those goods are locked up even now as things ease a bit, but it’s still chaos. The warehouses on the coasts are 130% full. We have more than 20 loads for every individual truck that’s available to come out on the West Coast. It’s just a perfect storm of problems. In the past, we may have had one of these problems and the rest of the supply chain could figure a way around it. We can’t do that now. That’s why I describe what’s happening as chaos. Not disruption. Chaos.”
What Can We Do?
“Disruptions are ongoing and somewhat unpredictable but planning now and changing the way we do business will position companies to take advantage of those disruptions in the future, and gain market share” says Moyer.
Given that many of the supply chain issues are baked into the system, what can logistics providers do? Moyer advises getting as much visibility of the whole process as possible. “When I look at the supply chain issues of today, I believe the root cause is that most companies lack visibility and measurements in their supply chain. What they need is a Control Tower – a way to gain full visibility all the way from the manufacturing of the goods through every leg of the supply chain. That way everyone along the way can spot disruptors in real time and adjust. So, if manufacturing is ahead or behind in their schedule, those picking up the goods can modify their schedules and judge the impact on their warehouses and ultimately how and when they will be able to deliver goods to their destinations. Having real-time systems that are linked to all of your stakeholders, monitors weather, and industry issues (including labor and bottlenecks) will help everyone in the supply chain to plan accordingly. This will allow optimization of every component in the supply chain. If you have that Control Tower you can optimize everything from your agreements to your scheduling, insurance, inventory control, placement of facilities and adjust as needed and keep your customers informed. Creating a pro-active culture and solution is an investment and provides a distinct advantage and ROI”.
Hill points to the human side of the equation when it comes to coping with disruptions in the supply chain. “Partnerships matter. Providers need to do business with people who are like-minded. They must do business with people they trust and know they can depend upon. This is the time where service wins and good partnerships are how you provide a high level of service. The world relies on those of us who make the supply chain work and we need to work together to make that happen.”
When it comes to providing the best service, Hill says that communications are key. “Many of these disruptors will be with us for a very long time and if we’re going to keep our customers it’s going to be all about communication. Communication skills are the key to delivering good service, no matter what disrupts the process. And when those things hit, servicing the client may include having to tell them that something’s not going to happen. Providers will need to be honest when something’s gone wrong and offer solutions to the customer how they’ll take care of it.”
Lastly, Moyer advises that everyone in the supply chain will need to evaluate how they do things. “We’re going to have to streamline operational strategy at every stage of the supply chain,” he says. “That will include improving manufacturing and inventory control, evaluating carrier relationships, searching out vendor management solutions, modifying demand requirements and focusing on workplace environments. Companies will need to invest in their people, artificial intelligence, automation and analytics to find creative solutions to streamline tasks, improve forecasting, gain visibility and improve efficiency. These are complex issues and companies must put strategies in play today and not just hope that the issues will resolve themselves. They won’t.”
Opportunity From Chaos
Hill concludes his observations about disruptions in the supply chain on a positive note. “There are always opportunities created by chaos,” he says. “Find the right opportunity and look for ways to make the most of it. There will always be storms and those that figure a way to make the most of them will come through stronger.”
Looking for ways to flourish in the midst of supply chain disruptions? Turn to the CLDA for webinars, conferences, best practices and support from members in the industry. Contact the association at info@clda.org or visit their site at clda.org.
About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
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 who are 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 key issues and helps 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 www.clda.org.
Media Contact
Andrea Obston
aobston@aomc.com
(860) 803-1155 – cell
