News

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.

Welcome to August, the dog days of summer. It certainly decided to wait until this last week of July to hit us with the sustained warmth. The heat feels good, though. Makes it feel like summer has finally arrived, even though the calendar said it got here over a month ago.

There are a significant number of things in the works that I want to share with everyone, and we hope that you’re saving space on your calendar and telling your industry friends about them, because they’re important to not just us, but to others as well.

Golf Outing:

 You’ve heard me beating the drum for it the past several months and now it’s here in a little over a week and a half. August 11th, 8:00 AM start at the Bridges of Poplar Creek in Hoffman Estates. If you don’t book your foursome today, the price goes up from $400 to $500. Single golfers will remain at the $125 per player price.

Can’t join us for golf? Join us for lunch. At only $35, you get an awesome buffet lunch and can join us for a chance to win one of any of a number of amazing prizes donated by our sponsors. Our highlight gifts are three pair of tickets from LAN, Southwest and Air Canada. There are any number of other prizes as well including growlers of beer, tickets to baseball games and other events and locations.

Thanks to all our sponsors for their contributions. Raffle tickets for these items will be on sale during golf and the luncheon and all the proceeds go to benefit our IACAC Scholarship Fund.

Follow this link to register now.

IACAC Scholarship:

 Speaking of the scholarship, we are continuing to accept applications. Our scholarship chair, Olga Lebedyeva, did a tremendous job creating the application and coming up with the three questions that we’re looking to have answered with five hundred words per question. So the application requires fifteen hundred words of writing, a transcript and for the application form to be completed. Easy enough.

It’s open to the children and grandchildren of individual and corporate members in good standing. If someone you know is interested but isn’t a member, it is only $50 for an individual membership and $100 for a corporate membership. A small investment for what IACAC can provide you or your company as well as giving your family member a legitimate shot at a scholarship that could be worth thousands of dollars to their continuing college education.

We're going to be promoting this hard these next two months once we're past the golf outing.

Visit this page for more information.

Chicago Air Cargo Working Group:

This week, the working group that was assembled and convened in the wake of the May forum met by teleconference for the first time. Comprised of a great cross section of individuals representing freight forwarders, ground handlers, airlines and truckers, the group is developing a charter and plans their first in-person meeting in late August at Lufthansa. Your IACAC was an integral part in getting this off the ground and has a seat at the table and a voice in what issues are to be discussed.

Remember, if you have ongoing issues with congestion at O’Hare, contact me and we will work to include these issues in the greater agenda to be addressed.

Board E-mail Distribution List:

This month we set up our general email address (info at iacac dot com) as a distribution that goes to all of the board members. So if you send any email to that address, be aware that is sent along to our entire board of directors.

The Annual Golf Outing is being held at the beautiful Bridges of Poplar Creek in Hoffman Estates on Tuesday, August 11th at 8:00. Please get your foursomes/groups in before the rates jump up on August 1. You can sign up on line or download the registration form and email it back to either Mark Stoyas or myself. If you cannot attend the golf, how about the luncheon? The luncheon will take place around 1 or 1:30 depending on the pace of play. We are also looking for any donations for raffle prizes. Donations, can be from gift cards, bottle of wines (liquor), tickets, airline tickets, etc. The donations are raffled off at the end of the luncheon. Remember, the net proceed from the money raised helps fund the IACAC Scholarship fund. Please contact Mark Stoyas at mark@basicent.com or myself at jim@basicent.com for registration, donation or sponsorship.

IACAC SCHOLARSHIP

The International Air Cargo Association of Chicago (IACAC) is a non-profit organization which raises money throughout the year to award scholarships to worth recipients for their continuing education.
We have now opened the application period for our 2015 scholarships. Applications are due no later than September 30, 2015. Winners will be notified in writing by October 31, 2015, and the scholarships will be awarded at our November luncheon on November 10, 2015.
This year, we anticipate being able to award multiple scholarships to worthy applicants.

ELIGIBILITY:
• Applicants must be enrolled in a two or four year program with a GPA of 3.00 or higher.
• Graduate degrees or professional certificates are not covered by the scholarship.
• Applicants must be a family member of either an individual member or an employee of a corporate member whose membership is in good standing for 2015.

TO APPLY:
• Download and complete the 2015 IACAC Scholarship Application
• Applications are due no later than September 30, 2015.
• Provide the most recent transcript of grades. If you are a 2015 high school graduate, please submit your most current report card and college acceptance letter.
• Write 500 words on each of the three topics below (total of all three essays = 1500 words):

• What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word "Future"?
• What is the most surprising turn of events you have ever experienced?
• What was the bravest moment of your life?

QUESTIONS CAN BE DIRECTED TO OLGA LEBEDYEVA, SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR, BY EMAIL AT OLGA.LEBEDYEVA@AIRMENZIES.COM.

60 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY

IACAC will make YOU FEEL LIKE DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY!! To celebrate our 60 year anniversary we will be holding a 70’s party in September. Get ready to dig out the old leisure suits, bell bottoms and pet rocks and come celebrate with IACAC. More information to come.

IACAC Annual Golf Outing

We are only two and half months away for the Annual Golf Outing and we're back at the beautiful Bridges of Poplar Creek in Hoffman Estates on Tuesday, August 11th. It is a best ball tournament with a shotgun start at 08:00. The golf outing raises money for the IACAC Scholarship Fund. We are proud of all the sponsors we have already secured (and their names and logos will be appearing on the website). However, there are still some holes, bridges and blades of grass that are available to be sponsored.

In addition to the money that is raised through registration fees, we have a raffle during the luncheon, the proceeds from which also go to the scholarship fund. We are looking for donations of any kind, including gift cards, bottle of wines or liquor, sporting event or concert tickets, airline tickets, etc.

If you would like to donate or sponsor, please contact Mark Stoyas at mark@basicent.com or myself at jim@basicent.com.

To register, click here.

June Luncheon: DGM Chicago

At an air cargo congestion forum held last Thursday (more on that later), a representative from Swissport indicated that in their Chicago facility, 64% of dangerous goods shipments that are tendered for shipment are refused. At second presentation, fully thirty percent are refused again. It seems that our timing for this particular topic is perfect.

The DGM organization, founded in 1987, is devoted to packing, storage, consulting, classification, and professional training in the field of moving dangerous goods. All of DGM’s activities are performed in accordance with the global safety standards: The rules and regulations of IATA/ICAO – IMO – 49 CFR – ADR – RID, for the safe handling and transport of hazardous goods also referred to as dangerous goods.

DGM are just completing a move into a new building and will be offering new service that will be of interest to the Chicago air cargo community. Please come to Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village on Tuesday, June 9th at 1130 to hear the DGM team speak of the new service and current services.

Register at this link.

Air Cargo Congestion Forum

IACAC, along with the Chicago Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association, held a very successful event to begin talking about how to alleviate issues of congestion at cargo handling facilities at O'Hare. Nearly one hundred people attended from freight forwarders, truckers, airlines and ground handlers. A working group is being formed that will meet regularly to start to talk about the challenges we face and work together to find solutions to them.

My thanks to Scott Case of Position : Global, Brandon Fried of The Airforwarders Association, Warren Jones of CNS and Dan Gadow of New Barton Air Cargo Services for their work. Kudos as well to Adam Rod and the City of Chicago's Department of Aviation who provided the room and offered his insights and knowledge on what is happening around the airport.

Well my pick to win the Derby is still running I believe. Thank goodness I didn’t lay down any money. It should be fun to see if American Pharoah will win the Belmont Stakes next weekend.