Chairman’s Letter: March, 2016

I can definitively say that this is the last one of these you'll see with my name on it. We're electing a new President this month and have a whole bunch of other things going on as well.

Special IACAC Presidential Election.

In November, we elected a President, Sam Krouse, formerly of DGM. By January, Sam had accepted a position with a shipper in Ohio and had left Chicago and the industry and relocated his family out of state. Our by-laws dictated the path we had to follow, so earlier this month we voted to accept his resignation as a board and call for a special election to fill the vacancy created by his departure.

Two candidates have entered their names for consideration, Brian Bartolotta of BCS Placement and Herman Ruiz, Jr., of Channel Distribution. You can read their bios and find out more about the voting process here. We ask that all members take a moment to cast their ballots. Think of it as good practice for later in March for the primaries and in November for the general election.

Luncheon news: March, April and a change in May.

What didn't most folks find under their trees this past holiday season? Self-balancing scooters. Mostly because they either caught fire or the CPSC got their hands on them before Santa could put them under a tree and then the house would catch fire. Importers and Customs brokers draw the most attention from the agency in cases like this, but believe it or not, those of us who carry, transport or store these things have been dragged into the discussion as well.

Without making everybody's heads implode from a regulatory onslaught, we've asked Guadalupe Whyte, CPSC's Compliance Investigator, to come and tell us just what they do, how they do it, how we're involved and give us some great examples about their enforcement activities. We'll be at the Wyndham on March 8th and attendance is limited to the first forty registrants. Don't miss your chance - seats will go quickly.

In April, we are thrilled beyond words to feature Bruce Campbell, Chairman, President and CEO of Forward Air Corporation. Bruce has been with them for more than two decades in a number of capacities and oversaw their acquisition of Towne Air Freight. Details to follow, but mark April 12th on your calendars.

Finally, starting in May, we've increased the price for walk-ups to our luncheons to $35.00 from the current $30.00. We have had a number of embarrassing situations in the past several years where we relay the number of online reservations to the venue only to have the number exceeded by two or sometimes three times. This really makes me mad. We look foolish to the hotel, we look foolish to the speaker, we inconvenience everybody by making a room more crowded and worst of all, we run the very real risk of running out of food.

The board voted to implement a change beginning in May that walk-ups without a reservation will now pay $35.00 to attend. We could have gone higher, but wanted to make the point to people that all you have to do is register. You can still pay at the door, but make a reservation to let us know you'll be there. Reservations stay open till midnight the day before, so it really isn't that inconvenient to take two minutes to share your planned attendance with us.

Tentative annual March Madness outing back in 2016.

We've done it the past few years with the Young Freight Forwarders Association (YFFA) and it has been a tremendous amount of fun. Continue to watch our site and your inbox for the details, but we're planning on holding the event on Thursday, March 17th.

Golf Outing confirmed and sponsorships selling quickly.

Tuesday, August 9th - we've even got a placeholder page here on the website. We've got multiple sponsorship opportunities including breakfast, lunch, the beverage carts, holes and this year plan to offer a whole-hole sponsorship package that includes the chance to be on the tee with a table and chairs and have a flag with your logo for the hole as well.

The Golf Committee is also looking for help as well to solicit sponsors, promote the event and help execute a lot of the behind-the-scenes planning including securing items for the luncheon raffle that benefit our IACAC Scholarship Fund.

To participate, send me an email and we'd be happy to have your involvement.

IACAC Special Election – March 8, 2016

The IACAC Board of Directors, in accordance with the association by-laws, is holding a special election to fill the vacancy of the office of President that was created when Sam Krouse resigned shortly after his election. Sam left the industry and took a job in another city.

We have two candidates who have declared for this special election, Brian Bartolotta of BCS Placement and Herman Ruiz of Channel Distribution.

Their biographies are reprinted below:


Brian Bartolotta

Brian has been a member of the IACAC for several years and has been very active in the international transportation and logistics communities and associations including the CCBFA, IACAC, the Traffic Club of Chicago and the CSCMP.

Brian is currently President of BCS Placement, which focuses on recruiting, education and consulting for the international transportation, freight forwarding, air cargo and logistics industries.

Brian has consistently increased revenues annually for BCS since 1997 and has advised and implemented successful growth strategies for other local private corporations. He has very strong business contacts including Fortune 500 executives and professionals.

By leveraging his diverse business network and analyzing social and data trends, Brian’s contributions will include increasing IACAC membership, IACAC revenues and participation.

Brian attended the University of Illlinois at Urbana-Champaign where he majored in Economics. Brian was an Evans Scholar, a full tuition scholarship based on academic and scholastic performance. Brian was also a member of the Illinois Men’s Wrestling team.

Mr. Bartolotta is active in several local charities including the Special Olympics. He is married with three children, ages 10, 8 and 5.

 

Herman Ruiz

Herman Ruiz, Jr., began working for the airlines in 1966 with Flying Tiger Line and in 1968 moved to Airlift International working in STL/IAH/SFO/LAX and IND. While with Airlift, he was their Chief Cargo Agent then Cargo Supervisor. He later moved to being a loadmaster working on MAC flights out of Travis Air Force base (SUU). He moved back to Chicago to work for Air Wisconsin International setting up their Road Feeder Service within the Midwest. He also worked for Airmax then moved to Alliance Airlines to handle their cargo claims and teach their hazmat classes.

He moved to International Express to run their bonded warehouse and handle ocean imports and exports. From their he moved to Gotoh Distribution and ran the FTZ, Bonded warehouse and G. O. department.

He then left to work for Garrison CFS and ran the Bonded warehouse and G.O. Department working with the rail lines and steamship lines.

He now works at Channel Distribution Corp. working in sales and running the Bonded warehouse and G.O. Department. He also teaches G.O. Classes for the industry working closing with CBP.

Herman is active with the Knights of Columbus, Boy Scouts of America and the American Legion along with the IACAC.

He is a past President and Chairman of the Board of the IACAC.


 

Members in good standing are eligible to vote in the election, including those who have joined since our last election in November, 2015.

There are two ways to vote:

  1. Click here or on the picture of the ballot to download and submit your ballot to me no later than midnight, Monday, March 7th.
  2. Attend our March luncheon on Tuesday, March 8th to tender your ballot in person. Click here for more details and to register to attend. Seating is limited.

The ballots will be counted and the winner announced at the conclusion of the March meeting.

Click here to download the special election ballot for IACAC President.
Click here to download the special election ballot for IACAC President.

CBP Updates ACE Deployment Timeline

In what can only be called great news for the trade, CBP has come to their senses and made a change in their deployment schedule, no longer focusing on February 28, 2016, as the drop-dead date to be filing entries in ACE. They have instead opted for a more graduated timetable. Their announcement is reprinted below:

______

Working in close coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, the Border Interagency Executive Council, and the White House, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been actively tracking and assessing stakeholder readiness for the mandatory filing of all electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). While significant progress has been made, continued concerns about stakeholder readiness have necessitated an updated timeline for the mandatory transition to ACE for electronic entry and entry summary filing.  This updated timeline continues to align with our December 2016 deadline for full implementation of the Single Window via ACE.

Taking into consideration the input from our stakeholders, CBP has implemented a staggered approach to the mandatory filing of electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries in ACE, and the decommissioning of electronic entry/entry summary filing capabilities in the Automated Commercial System (ACS). For further information on the dates and impacts, please visit www.cbp.gov/ace.

UPDATED ACE TRANSITION TIMELINE

February 28, 2016

Beginning February 28, 2016 CBP will start divesting the legacy Automated Commercial System (ACS) by:

  1. Offering limited Client Representative and Technology Service Desk support to the trade for ACS entry/entry summary types that are available in ACE.
  2. Performing ACS maintenance during peak business hours.
  3. Providing processing priority to ACE entries where corresponding ACS entries are still available.

March 31, 2016

Filers will be required to file in ACE and no longer permitted to file in ACS the following transactions.

  1. Electronic entry summaries, associated with the following entry types, with no PGA data:
    • 01 - Consumption
    • 03 - Consumption - Antidumping/Countervailing Duty
    • 11 - Informal
    • 23 - Temporary Importation Bond (TIB)
    • 51 - Defense Contract Administration Service Region (DCASR)
    • 52 - Government - Dutiable
  2. Electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries, associated with the entry types above, with data for the following agencies:
    • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for Lacey Act, unless paired with other Partner Government Agency (PGA) data
    • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), unless paired with other PGA data

The implementation of these capabilities through ACE means that the filing of the following transactions will no longer be accepted in ACS:

    • Electronic entry summaries (Entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51 and 52) with no PGA data
    • Electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries (Entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51 and 52) with APHIS Lacey Act data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction
    • Electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries (Entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51 and 52) with NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction

May 28, 2016

Filers will be required to file in ACE and no longer permitted to file in ACS the following transactions:

  1. Electronic entries, associated with the following entry types, with no PGA data:
    • 01 - Consumption
    • 03 - Consumption - Antidumping/Countervailing Duty
    • 11 - Informal
    • 23 - Temporary Importation Bond (TIB)
    • 51 - Defense Contract Administration Service Region (DCASR)
    • 52 - Government – Dutiable

Required filing of these entries includes those with APHIS Lacey Act and NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data.

  1. Electronic entries and corresponding entry summaries for the following transactions:
    • Entry type 06 - Consumption - Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) with no PGA data
    • Entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51, 52 with APHIS Lacey Act data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction.
    • Entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51, 52 with NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction.

Required filing of this entry type includes entries with APHIS Lacey Act and NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data.

The implementation of these capabilities through ACE means that the filing of the following transactions will no longer be accepted in ACS:

    • Electronic entries associated with entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51 and 52 with no PGA data.
    • Entries and corresponding entry summaries associated with entry type 06 with no PGA data.
    • Electronic entries/entry summaries, associated with entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51 and 52, with APHIS Lacey Act data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction.
    • Electronic entries/entry summaries, associated with entry types 01, 03, 06, 11, 23, 51 and 52 with NHTSA data, unless paired with other PGA data on the same transaction.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filings will continue to be allowed in ACS to provide more time for industry to transition to ACE.  Further information will be provided on the mandatory filing in ACE for FDA data.

Summer 2016 (Specific dates to be provided)

Filers will be required to file in ACE and no longer permitted to file in ACS the following transactions.

  1. Electronic entries and entry summaries, associated with the following entry types, with no PGA data (except for APHIS Lacey Act or NHTSA) will be deployed and must be filed in ACE:

Entry Types:

    • 02 - Consumption - Quota/Visa
    • 07 - Consumption - Antidumping/Countervailing Duty and Quota/Visa Combination
    • 12 - Informal - Quota/Visa (other than textiles)
    • 21 - Warehouse
    • 22 - Re-Warehouse

Entry Summary Types:

    • 02 - Consumption - Quota/Visa
    • 07 - Consumption - Antidumping/Countervailing Duty and Quota/Visa Combination
    • 11 - Informal
    • 12 - Informal - Quota/Visa (other than textiles)
    • 21 - Warehouse
    • 22 - Re-Warehouse
    • 31 - Warehouse Withdrawal Consumption
    • 32 - Warehouse Withdrawal - Quota
    • 34 - Warehouse Withdrawal Antidumping/Countervailing Duty
    • 38 - Warehouse Withdrawal - Antidumping/Countervailing Duty & Quota/Visa Combination
  1. Throughout summer 2016, the following agencies will provide, if they have not already done so, functionality for filing electronically in ACE:
    • Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS);
    • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF);
    • Remaining APHIS data (APHIS Core);
    • Centers for Disease Control (CDC);
    • Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA);
    • Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC);
    • Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA);
    • Enforcement and Compliance Commission (E&C);
    • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
    • Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS);
    • Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS);
    • National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); and
    • Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Tariff Bureau (TTB).

Agencies will provide further information regarding the conclusion of their pilots.  For details on the current deployment status and how to participate in PGA pilots, please reference the PGA documentation at cbp.gov/ace-pga.

The implementation of these capabilities through ACE means that the following transactions will no longer be accepted in ACS:

    • Electronic entries associated with entry types 02, 07, 12, 21, or 22
    • Electronic entry Summaries associated with entry types 02, 07, 12, 21 and 22, 31, 32, 34 or 38

Further information will be provided on the deployment of remaining core trade processing capabilities in ACE, and the mandatory use of ACE for all remaining electronic portions of the CBP cargo process.

Optional and Available ACE Functions during Transition

In addition to the specified filing requirements for each mandatory date, electronic filings will be permitted for those wishing/opting to file in ACE prior to the mandatory filing requirements in ACE for the following:

  • Entry summaries associated with entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51, and 52, until March 31, 2016 when they are required in ACE
  • Data for APHIS Lacey Act or NHTSA, until March 31, 2016 when it is required in ACE
  • Entries associated with entry types 01, 03, 11, 23, 51, and 52, until May 28, 2016 when they are required in ACE
  • Entries and entry summaries associated with entry type 06, until May 28, 2016 when they are required in ACE

We would like to reiterate that the updated transition timeline aligns with the December 2016 deadline for full implementation of the Single Window via ACE.  CBP appreciates all efforts from the CBP, trade community, and PGA stakeholders as we continue to work together toward the complete and successful transition to ACE.

President’s Letter: December, 2015

Dear Members,

As I am arriving at the end of my term as IACAC President, I would like to thank you all for your help and your support during this term. I also like to send out a special thank you to the Board of Directors and our Chairman, Mitch Estrada. Without their support, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the goals that were set forth.

We were able to maintain and increase our membership, provide scholarships to three individuals, raffled off four pairs of airline tickets during our annual golf outing and made strides in national news with our partnership with the CCBFA, AfA and others on congestion at O'Hare. This could not have been achieved without the support of the Board and a few members that supported the Association.

We started out this year with meet the board/networking event. In February, we were educated by the presentation of Matt Hart from the Illinois Truckers Association. We had a great turn out for our first evening event of the year with March Madness at the Wyndham. In April, we all laughed hard during Wally Deveraux’s presentation about Southwest Airlines. We were honored in May to have Gina Summerford of Cargolux speak about their new lanes and her history with Cargolux. Dangerous goods are always a great topic and we were able to have folks from DGM come present the new rules, regulations and concerns they were seeing. August was our annual golf outing at the Bridges of Poplar Creek. We had beautiful weather and generous members who allowed us to raffle off many great prizes and raise money in support of our scholarship fund. October saw our annual visit by Brandon Fried of the AFA to discuss regulatory issues the government is proposing.

All of this work would not have been possible without the help of the board and the wise advice of former IACAC Presidents. It was a pleasure working with all you and I look forward to working alongside all of you in the future.

My role will be as Chairman of the Board and I wish my successor, Mr. Sam Krouse of DGM, continued success that Mitch bestowed to me from his term as President in 2014. I also wish our new board members Mr. Scott Case and Mr. Chuck Menini, as well as our existing board members the best of luck in 2016.

I wish everyone Season’s Greeting and all my best wishes for the upcoming year.

Sincerely,

Jim Wilbrandt
President
IACAC

IACAC Scholarship Winners for 2015

It gives me great pleasure to present the winning essays from this year's applicants.

We are so proud of all eight of the students who responded to our call for applications for the 2015 IACAC Scholarship. It was a pleasure to read what they wrote and about their lives. From our eight submissions, we have selected the following three winners:

First place: Ashley Pak, daughter of Connie Pak of Progressive Transportation Services

Second place: Alyssa Smith, daughter of Rob Smith of Progressive Transportation Services

Third Place: Patrick Adams, grandson of Ronald Gadda of CSN.

We have uploaded their winning essays, so you can read what Ashley, Alyssa and Patrick all wrote.

We would encourage you to join us in person to congratulate these three deserving winners at our Holiday Luncheon on December 8th. Click here to reserve your spot.

Our Holiday Luncheon benefits the IACAC Scholarship Fund, Toys for Tots and this year, the Marian C. Bell Foundation for Parkinson's Research. We hope you can attend and bring a toy for a child and participate in our raffles, either by buying tickets, bringing a gift or gifts to raffle, or all three.

 

President’s Letter: November, 2015

We're into the home stretch for 2015 as well as my term as President of this great Association. It has been a successful year of networking and social events as well as raising money for our scholarship fund. Professionally, I have been humbled at the opportunities that I have had, and I look forward to our elections next month where we will select the slate that will lead us on to new and even more exciting things in 2016.

November luncheon: Of elections and scholarships.

Our luncheon is going to be held next month on Tuesday, November 10th. We have no speakers lined up, instead attendees will be there for two very important things. First, the election of individuals to the Board for 2016. We have one announced candidate running for President and three individuals vying for two available elected positions. I hope all members are in attendance to vote, or you can download the ballot here and submit it to me by email by midnight, November 9th (the day before). Members in attendance will be able to hear from the candidates in person who are seeking your votes, and we hope you will participate in helping to select the people who will chart the course of the association next year.

Second, and equally as important, we will have our scholarship winner(s) present to receive their recognition and our financial contribution to their continuing education. We anticipate having the winners selected by next week and we will have a separate post and announcements notifying you of their names and posting their winning essay answers. Please make an effort to attend; it is a very special event. Again, click here to register.

December holiday luncheon: New venue, same great charity.

With thanks to outgoing IACAC board member Maureen Schmitt, our designated charity again for this year's luncheon will the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. Attendees at the luncheon are asked to bring an unwrapped toy. This year's holiday luncheon will be held at Belvedere Events & Banquets on Tuesday, December 8th. Stay tuned for more announcements.

Because this luncheon is a fundraising opportunity for our charitable efforts, we are asking IACAC members for their generosity in providing items for us to raffle off. We have had a variety of great prizes in past years including airline tickets, Blackhawks game tickets, gift baskets, gift cards and many, many more things. Please get in touch with me with items that you would like to donate for this worthy cause; no donation is too small and we are grateful for your help.

We're developing posters for your offices.

At the most recent meeting of the Chicago Air Cargo Congestion Working Group, the carriers and their ground handlers highlighted two things that they believe contributes to congestion. The first is an incredibly high rate of rejections for dangerous goods shipments. When a hazmat shipment is refused, one trucking move turns into three as the cargo must be picked up, brought into compliance and then returned. By one carrier's estimate it adds more than an extra one hundred truck moves per day that could be avoided by having the cargo right to be accepted the first time around.

The second is when truckers are sent to recover cargo that a forwarder hasn't checked to make sure is:

  1. Customs cleared
  2. Fully paid (collect freight charges or terminal charges)
  3. Available

Working with the CCBFA, we are developing posters that we will distribute to our members that you can either print yourselves or we will print a limited number of and you can post in key areas to remind your staff. By doing our part, we can take steps to give every trucking visit to an airline for drop off or pick up the highest chance to succeed.

Membership renewals are coming.

As we approach the end of the year, it is a time to remind everyone that their membership renewals will be forthcoming for 2016. Individual memberships are $50, corporate memberships (allowing for up to two voting members) are $100 plus an extra $30/person. Keep watching your email or snail mail for those renewals.

Remember, we are focused on giving people and companies a voice and representation in and around the airport. Whether with TSA, Customs, IDOT or the airport itself, we want to work to make things smooth for everyone to focus on the job of moving cargo on behalf of their clients.

President’s Letter: October, 2015

Fall baseball: Looking good if you're a fan of the North Siders. Fall football: Looking bad if you're a fan of the local pro team. Fall news on IACAC happenings: Great no matter what sport you love or hate.

IACAC Scholarship submissions: Thank you.

At the time I'm writing this, we have FOUR individuals who submitted applications for our IACAC Scholarship. We put a very heavy marketing push into getting the word out about this opportunity and are very happy to have received these submissions. Olga Lebedyeva, our Scholarship Chairwoman, will be reviewing them and later this month we will notify the winners. Those winners are invited to attend our November monthly luncheon to receive their scholarships. (Sept 30 update - we're up to SIX submissions!) (Oct 1st FINAL COUNT: Eight applications. Thank you so much to everyone who submitted an application for consideration.)

Don't miss Brandon Fried for lunch this month.

He came last October and I personally feel that if he's going to be an annual October fixture, that's fine with me. Brandon Fried is Executive Director of The Airforwarders Association and until he sold his business over a decade ago, he was a practicing air freight forwarder. Brandon now represents and lobbies for air freight forwarders in Washington, DC. Got a problem with TSA nationally? Don't know how to handle the lithium battery issue? Worried about advanced data filing requirements? Brandon is plugged into all of those issues and advocates for them on behalf of AfA members.

He'll be speaking on Tuesday, October 13th and you can go here and register. Even better? He's going to give away a registration to AirCargo 2016; the premier air cargo trade show in North America. Next year, it is being held in June at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona.

Come for the networking, stick around to hear about the things that will affect your business in the months to come.

Elections are next month.

Hard as it may be to believe, but November is the month that we elect the board of the IACAC. Individuals wishing to run should contact me or Mitch Estrada for more information and to submit their candidacy. The requirement is that an individual must have been a member in good standing for a minimum of six months prior to the elections, which are held November 10th. Members can submit their ballot in advance of the meeting if they cannot be there in person to cast their votes.

Participating in the board is a very worthwhile activity and one that I've appreciated for the years that I have been involved. We raise money for great causes, we educate the local air cargo community through our luncheons, we provide a platform for sponsors to reach our members and we advocate and represent our members in local air cargo issues.

Rethinking the airline experience.

 

Occasionally I come across things that are just neat to think about. Recently I came across an article about the agency who has designed interiors of Boeing aircraft since 1946. They asked themselves what an airline that could start from scratch would look like in today's world. No carry-on luggage, premium treatment for whoever gets the dreaded "middle seat" and additional ways to monetize the passenger experience were some of their recommendations.

3051426-slide-s-8-3-radical-ideas-to-totally-disrupt-air-travelIt's a great read. Check it out here.

60th Anniversary Celebration Rescheduled

Everyone:

Due to a scheduling conflict which we discovered was severely and adversely impacting the ability of people to attend and celebrate our 60th anniversary on Thursday night, we have had to postpone the event. That's the only bad news.

The good news is that we have decided that the time to celebrate this momentous time and to look back is during a time of celebration, so we plan to combine the festivities with our annual holiday luncheon to be held on Tuesday, December 8th.

The goal is to move the holiday luncheon to Belvedere Events & Banquets, the venue where we planned to hold the party later this week.

We believe that a special occasion such as our celebration deserves special treatment, and the board is working out the details and will advise them as soon as they are finalized to let you know about an even bigger and better holiday luncheon than we've had in the past.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding. We've already refunded people who paid for tickets to the event and thank you very much for your support.

Our next event will be our October luncheon and our featured guest is Brandon Fried, Executive Director of The Airforwarders Association. Registration for the event is open on our website. Click here for more details.

President’s Letter: September, 2015

Last week felt like fall; this week's supposed to feel like summer. Depending upon what side of town you're from, either your baseball team is making you happy or making you sad. Either way, football starts for real this month and basketball and hockey camps open as we turn our eyes to the 2015-2016 season for our local teams. Last month was busy, the next several months will be busy, so let's cover what is happening and important.

Golf Outing: A success because of all of you.

You can read the whole summary of the golf outing in this post, but know that everyone who came out that day had an awesome time. The weather was great, the golfers had fun, we took a ton of pictures and while the final numbers aren't in yet, we raised a ton of money for our annual scholarships. Speaking of the IACAC Scholarship...

Scholarship applications due at the end of September.

You'll see plenty of reminder emails and posts through our various social media channels, but we've got several thousand dollars in scholarships to give away to students who meet our criteria and submit an application, their transcript and answer our three essay questions. Visit the page we've set up for more information and to download an application.

We're 60 this year. Party with us on the 24th.

Hard to believe but the IACAC has been around since 1955. This year, our 60th, we are going to celebrate with a great event at Belvedere Events & Banquets. For only $35 per person, come join us for our seventies-themed party on Thursday, September 24th. Appetizers will be served and it is a cash bar and we're featuring a DJ who will be cranking out music from 6 - 10 PM. For more information or to download a flier or register for the event, check the page.

We're looking for a few good...board members.

Are you interested in serving on the board of directors of the IACAC? We'd love to have you join us. Members in good standing of the association for the past six months are eligible to run for a seat on the board of directors. Elections are held at our November luncheon. If you are interested in learning more about the Association and the commitments you can expect as a board member, contact me at jim@basicent.com for more information.

Brandon is coming (again)! Seriously; we love Brandon.

Brandon Fried is the Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association, the national trade association for air freight forwarders. He spent many years as one of us, owning his own Adcom Worldwide franchise in Washington, DC, before selling his business. We've had Brandon join us the past several Octobers for "The View from Washington."

It is important to remember that while your membership in IACAC gets you really great local representation for issues that impact us in Chicago, Brandon's group really is focused on things happening at a national and policy level. Don't like the changes to the IACSSP? Got an issue with how lithium battery transport has been handled? Worried about advanced data filing of your inbound and outbound shipments? That is the voice that Brandon and the AfA offer. And it's so easy to join and just $199 for your first year's membership. It is a small investment to protect your business from regulatory changes that could cost you thousands of dollars. Check them out.

2015 IACAC Golf Outing Results

The golf outing this past week was a wonderful day for everyone. Last year's weather, which really reminded people more of golfing in Scotland in the fall than Chicago in the summer, was the exact opposite. 70's, low humidity, scattered clouds, low wind...a perfect day for people to spend outdoors and for some pretty great scoring. We had an outright winner, but a USGA tiebreaker playoff for second and third places.

For more pictures from the outing and luncheon, visit the gallery.

Our golf winners:

First place: 54 (-16)

IMG_9281
Bridget Bell, Chris Huston, Brett Ulrich, Matt Castle

Second place: 58 (-12)

Jim Manka, Brett Hall, Vince Barracca and Jason Owen
Jim Manka, Brett Hall, Vince Barracca and Jason Owen

Third place: 58 (-12)

David Haracz, Dan Schoenborn, CJ Koroll, Chris Jaramillo
David Haracz, Dan Schoenborn, CJ Koroll, Chris Jaramillo

Hole contests:

Straightest Drive: Rob Pingal

Longest Drive: Wally Bogdanski

Closest to the pin: Steve Houser

Longest Putt: Mike Ferrandino

Our raffle prize winners:

First, I want to be sure to say THANK YOU to all of those companies who contributed something to the raffle this year. The proceeds from this raffle, as well as the bridge and hole sponsorships and the games on the course, all benefit our IACAC Scholarship which is currently accepting applicants through September 30th. We had several premier raffle items, and I wanted to be sure to thank those companies.

  • Rockford Airport: 2 sets of 4 VIP tickets to the 2016 Air Show.
  • Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village: An overnight stay
  • Thrift Trucking: Putter
  • LAN Cargo: Two roundtrip tickets
  • Southwest Cargo: Two roundtrip tickets
  • Air Canada Cargo: Two roundtrip tickets
  • Qatar Airways Cargo: Two roundtrip tickets
Nick Hatchen, Hellmann Worldwide, Rockford Air Show tickets.
Nick Hatchen (left), Hellmann Worldwide, Rockford Air Show tickets with yours truly, IACAC President Jim Wilbrandt
Mike Ferrandino of DLS with Christina Aguirre, IACAC Past President
Mike Ferrandino of DLS, winner of the Holiday Inn Getaway with Christina Aguirre, IACAC Past President
Christina Aguirre, winner of two Southwest Airlines roundtrip tickets!
Christina Aguirre, winner of two Southwest Airlines roundtrip tickets, pictured with Mike Mclaughlin of Southwest.
Mitch Kamdar (left) of Worldwide Logistics Partners, winner of two LAN roundtrip tickets, with Rob Smith of Progressive Transportation.
Mitch Kamdar (left) of Worldwide Logistics Partners, winner of two LAN roundtrip tickets, with Rob Smith of Progressive Transportation.
Wally Bogdanski, Yusen Logistics (right), winner of two roundtrip tickets, with Tim Fruehling of Air Canada Cargo.
Wally Bogdanski, Yusen Logistics (right), winner of two roundtrip tickets, with Tim Fruehling of Air Canada Cargo.
Vince Holmes (middle) of U-Freight, winner of Qatar Airways tickets presented by Kenny Oda and Margherita Caruso.
Vince Holmes (middle) of U-Freight, winner of Qatar Airways tickets presented by Kenny Oda and Margherita Caruso.

Yours truly was fortunate enough to win one set of the Air Show tickets as well as the putter from Thrift. I figured nobody wanted to see a picture of me by myself, so I took a pass on posting one.