Happy March, everyone. It is a pleasure to serve as your President and want to thank you again for the trust you put in your 2017 IACAC board. There are a number of things that I'd like to mention this month for everyone's consideration.
Passing of two IACAC Presidents.
We are saddened by the passing this month of Vid Rapsys and Herman Ruiz, Jr. Vid served as IACAC President twice, in 1968 and in 1975. Herman served as President in 2009 and was a current member of the 2017 board of directors. Both men have a long and distinguished career in the Chicago air cargo community and are to be remembered for their great works and contributions to our community.
Membership - Have you renewed?
If you've not renewed your membership from 2016, what are you waiting for? You'll lose out on our Vendor Partnerships that are being rolled out this month as well as the chance for family members or employees to submit an application for an IACAC Scholarship. We are working hard to make membership something that brings education, networking and helps companies see and receive value for their investments. Join the IACAC for 2017 and help us represent the air cargo community in Chicago with as wide a participation as possible.
March Madness and the April luncheon
Put them on your calendar, but registration is open for our March Madness event, sponsored by PayAnyBiz. Come out and join us for a free evening of tournament basketball and friendship at the Wyndham on Thursday night, March 16th. We ask that you RSVP so we can have a count to make sure the food is in plentiful supply.
On April 11th, (registration opening soon), we're featuring Mark Ketcham of Riege Software International who will be presenting to the group on technology changes and platforms that are aiding forwarders and the air cargo sector. There are no shortage of pricing platforms, rate aggregators and tracking systems, but what do they all mean and how do they fit together? Mark will help us understand what is out there and what makes sense for a forward to have in their office.
IACAC Golf Outing August 15th - Sponsorships available.
We are fortunate that our golf outing is one of the best attended events on the Chicago calendar among air cargo professionals. We have had several amazing years of turnout and participation at the Bridges of Poplar Creek and are planning the same for this year.
If your company is interested in reaching a wide audience of airlines, forwarders, truckers and others who support and work in air cargo, there are opportunities across many financial levels to participate. For more information and to become a sponsor, visit our IACAC Golf Outing page to learn more.