News - Page 8 of 13

President’s Letter: May, 2015

Posted on May 1, 2015 | by Scott Case

IACAC gets out of the starting gate this summer with our May luncheon on May 12. Our guest speaker will be Gina Summerford with Cargolux. Gina has an extensive resume with Cargolux after graduating from University of Alabama, Huntsville, where she studied International Trade. She began her career in 1991 in Huntsville, Alabama, and became Cargolux’s first female loadmaster. She quickly became the operations manager and managed eleven weekly frequencies. In 2005, she moved to Chicago to become the Regional Manager Midwest and grew the frequencies from two weekly to thirteen. Cargolux Airlines Internaitonal , S.A. specializes in international air carriage and is Europe’s largest all cargo airline. Please come out to meet Gina and fellow members of IACAC. Click this link to register.

Congestion Issues Update

In the beginning of April, Jane Sorenson of the Chicago Customs Brokers and Forwarder Association, Scott Case of Position : Global, Brandon Fried of the Airforwarders Association and I have been working with the City of Chicago regarding the current issues at the airport. Jane, Scott and myself will be meeting some of the cargo handlers in two weeks to learn more what can be done to help expedite freight to and from the cargo handlers. If you've got comments or stories, keep leaving them on the blog post that is open for comments.

IACAC Scholarship Update

Do you have a child or grandchild, or are you currently in college or will be attending college in the fall? If so, the IACAC offers a scholarship to current members to help with the cost of college. The applicant must be enrolled in a 2 or 4 year program with a GPA 3.00 or higher. The applicant must submit an essay to the scholarship committee. Some examples to put into the essay can be: 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 ever experienced? What was the bravest moment of your life? Olga Lebedyeva will speak at the next luncheon to discuss more on the scholarship. Watch this space for more details; we'll get the page up on the site shortly.

Website Credentials Purge

We are working on the member section of the website and are making some changes to the lists. We're updating our process for ensuring that only paid members have access to those areas of the site to which they are entitled, including our membership roster and member rates for our events. As such, in the next month or so we are going to exchange the current users with site access for the most up-to-date, paid list. If for some reason you've still not paid for 2015, get that check to Maureen Schmitt as soon as possible or visit the site and renew.

Golf Outing News

As we come down the stretch towards the golf outing on August 11, we are still seeking hole sponsorships and donations. If you are interested in either one, please reach out to me at jim@basicent.com and let me know if you will like to sponsor a hole or donate or both.

My pick for the Derby is….Mubtaahij

Truck congestion at O’Hare – We want your comments

Posted on March 31, 2015 | by Jim Wilbrandt

It's not the queue to get into the cargo areas of O'Hare, but it's what it looks like all the time right now.

Things are a mess at O'Hare right now, and we want your feedback.

The lines to access the cargo areas are horrible. Once you're in the facility, the service doesn't get people handled quickly, politely or respectfully.

Air cargo is the most expensive mode of transport, but the way it is being handled right now at O'Hare is far from a premium service.

The IACAC, along with the Chicago Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association, are working to find solutions to this problem. We make no promises, but we are at the earliest stages of engaging all the stakeholders to better share our concerns and suggestions to take steps towards improving things.

If you have specific comments or suggestions, or would like to share something that you've experienced, please leave a comment below and we'll include these concerns as part of our discussions.

President’s Letter: April, 2015

Posted on March 31, 2015 | by Jim Wilbrandt

Who is ready for the weather to break? It seems every year we get a taste in March of 60’s then BAM!, right back to freezing. Hopefully the weather will start warming up for good very soon.

There are many things going on right now impacting our community and I would like to call your attention to two of them that are critically important.

Irving Park & York Road Closure

This month, IDOT took two weekends to close Irving & York to put up overhead beams for the Canadian National tracks. You'll remember that we warned everyone that if there were problems with trucks hitting those beams that IDOT would take drastic measures, including closing the intersection.

IDOT has closed the intersection.

All vehicles are being routed via Touhy Ave to Mannheim Road. IACAC, along with the CCBFA, are talking with the City of Chicago to find solutions alleviate the congestion.

We need your help to find solutions to pickup and drop-off congestion at airlines.

The economy's recovery has been great, and it means more air cargo business for everyone. However, the economy's recovery, plus West Coast port congestion, plus constructions in and around O'Hare have created a complete and utter mess trying to pickup and deliver cargo at airlines.

Police are sending drivers away whose trucks are backed up on Mannheim Road; it is not unusual to wait hours to pickup or drop off cargo. Lockouts are being missed, trucking companies are forced to pay overtime to their drivers and worst of all, service to the community that uses air cargo as an "expeditious" means of shipping is being affected.

We need your help.

Click here to read more and leave comments or suggestions.

We are planning to have a meeting with key stakeholders, including the City of Chicago, the CCBFA and, if necessary, CNS, the Airforwarders Association and the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) who can help bring everyone to the table to find a solution.

March Madness Networking Draws 80+ Attendees

As we head into the Final Four weekend, three #1 seeds made it through, but everybody's brackets in the early stages were, to say the least, a wreck. I heard on ESPN that only one person in 11.3 million submissions correctly picked the first round outcomes. IACAC March Madness Event

I want to thank everyone who attended the event and made it a success.

April Luncheon Features Wally Deveraux of Southwest Cargo

For those who work with Southwest or who travel the trade show circuit, you know Wally very well. He is the Senior Director of Cargo & Charters for Southwest Airlines. Wally is one of the great people in the industry who understands the business and can articulate Southwest's position as they are growing and expanding their network domestically and internationally. That's right, Southwest flies outside the United States.

Given all the congestion and heartburn that we're facing at O'Hare right now, maybe taking a look to Chicago's other airport makes sense for our businesses.

Looking ahead: August Golf Outing, December Holiday...Luncheon(?)

As you may have noticed on the home page, the IACAC turns sixty years old this year. It has been a remarkable journey and the fact that the organization has remained alive and continuously operating for that long solely with volunteers is something to be proud of.

We've got our August golf outing scheduled and have already been soliciting sponsorships for holes and other things. If you're interested in being a sponsor, it's never too early to commit and get the advertising and messaging that comes with it. For more information, contact either myself or Mark Stoyas for more information.

In December, we're wondering whether or not we should step up our game in honor of this milestone. Some of the ideas being discussed are:

Do we do a luncheon, or a dinner?
Is it a more formal affair (something just short of black tie)?
Do we do it in a hotel ballroom and open it up to a much larger audience?
If we go the ballroom route, the tickets will be much more expensive, and will people still attend and support the event?

It goes without saying that we will be continuing our support of the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots drive as well as having our usual raffles of great prizes. Watch for a survey in the next month or two to solicit your feedback.

President’s Letter: March, 2015

Posted on March 5, 2015 | by Jim Wilbrandt

March is finally here and we are getting ready for some warmth. Not sure if you are like me, but it just seems that the older I get the longer the winters are. As we all know in Illinois, once winter is over, our next season starts ROAD CONSTRUCTION.

The truck detour route for the York and Irving Park Road construction will commence March 14, not April 1^st,like previously mentioned. There will be a height restriction enforced during the construction at 12 ½ feet. During the construction a new railroad track will be installed, pavement removed and replaced at a lower elevation to all the detour route to be lifted sometime in late spring and placing embankment of stone and dirt to relocate the railroad tracks to their final position. If everything goes as planned and without any weather delays or catastrophes the truck detour could be lifted by Memorial Day weekend. For a formal map of the detour route, please go to our website www.iacac.com.

February luncheon recap

Thank you to Mr. Matt Hart, Executive Director of the Illinois Trucking Association, who discussed the outlook of the trucking industry in Illinois at our luncheon on Tuesday, February 10^th. Matt brought his insight from Springfield and discussed some issues that are being bounced around from broadening taxes on trucking companies and warehouses and the repeal of the Commercial Distribution Bill under Senate Bill 662/ House Bill 371. Everybody seemed to learn something new who attended this luncheon.

No March luncheon; March Madness instead

There will be no luncheon in March, but we will have an evening event. Join us March 19^th from 6 PM -10 PM at the Wyndham Garden Elk Grove Village/O’Hare. This will be a co-sponsored with the Young Freight Forwarders Association (YFFA). Appetizers and soft drinks will be provided and plenty of TV’s to watch the first round of the NCAA tournament. So after a long day of work (or watching the games on a live feed) come join us for some fun, laughs and networking.

Follow this link to register.

Our next luncheon will be Tuesday, April 14^th and our guest speaker is Wally Devereaux, Senior Director of Cargo and Charters at Southwest Airlines.

Advertising and sponsorships available on iacac.com and in The Pallet

If you are interested in advertising on the IACAC website or newsletter, please contact us. We have many levels of sponsoring and pricing options to accommodate all budgets.

President’s Letter: February, 2015

Posted on February 2, 2015 | by Scott Case

As I sit here writing this letter, I cannot believe January is over. Before long, baseball teams will be reporting to spring training. I have a few issues that I would like to call your attention to this month and they're important. At least, after you've shoveled out your respective homes and businesses they are!

2015 Memberships, Join or Renew Today!

If you have not joined as of today, please join via our website. For new members, we have two tiers of membership:

INDIVIDUAL: $50.00 per year
CORPORATE: $100.00 per year (this covers two people per company who wish to be involved including the right to vote, benefits that are extended to IACAC members, etc.)
CORPORATE EXTRA: $30.00 per additional named member

February 10th Luncheon: Matt Hart, Illinois Truckers Association.

We are only a week away from having Mr. Matt Hart, the Executive Director of the Illinois Truckers Association, for our luncheon on Tuesday, February 10th. Matt will be sharing his insight on the current climate of the trucking industry regarding the regulations on safety, hours of service, the increasingly shrinking of the driver pool and much more. Matt currently serves as the Region III Chairman of the Trucking Associations Executive Council (TAEC). He was recently named to Congressman Rodney Davis’ Transportation Advisory Board of Directors and also sits on numerous other boards.

The luncheon should be a great insight on the numerous issues that carriers have to face to move freight to/from the airport. Follow this link to register.

AirCargo 2015 - Last Day for Early Bird Discount.

Are you going to AirCargo 2015? AirCargo brings together all actors in the air cargo supply chain in one location to discuss trends, challenges, opportunities and the future of the air cargo industry. Airlines, airport authorities, freight forwarders and expediting companies along with the vendors who support them are all in one place. The conference will be held March 1-3 in “The Big Easy”; New Orleans. This year’s keynote speaker is Jim Crane the owner of the Houston Astros. Most people in the forwarding industry will know Mr. Crane as the person who established Eagle USA Airfreight and later Crane Worldwide.

Save the date - IACAC Golf Outing August 11th.

Save the date August 11, for the Annual IACAC Golf Outing to help fund the IACAC Scholarship. The outing will take place at Bridges of Popular Creek in Hoffman Estates. I am already calling in favors to have better weather than last year!!

IACAC Scholarship Announcement for 2015.

Every summer the IACAC issues a call to submit essays and applications for a scholarship open to individuals or employees of companies who are members. Applications are reviewed and judged by a volunteer panel of IACAC members and then announced at the November luncheon meeting. In 2014, no scholarships where issued out since no person submitted. Please if you know of anybody or have somebody taking higher education classes, please have them submit an essay. If you have any questions or comments, please let the board know.

Stay tuned for more information on March Madness Night!

Have a great February and hope to see you at the luncheon.

Renew your 2015 IACAC membership now!

Posted on January 16, 2015 | by Jim Wilbrandt

Happy New Year, everyone!

Last year was one of the most successful years on record for the IACAC in terms of membership, funds raised for our scholarships and engagement in our social and professional activities.

Let's make 2015 even bigger.

The way that happens is with the continued participation and engagement of our existing members and adding to that base as well.

Our dues are EXTREMELY reasonable and we welcome forwarders, airlines, individuals, ground handlers, truckers, sureties...anyone involved with, or who has an interest in supporting, the business of air cargo.

We have two tiers of membership that you can see on this page.

Membership rates are very simple:

INDIVIDUAL: $50.00 per year
CORPORATE: $100.00 per year (this covers two people per company who wish to be involved including the right to vote, benefits that are extended to IACAC members, etc.)
CORPORATE EXTRA: $30.00 per additional named member

Note that for companies this is not the number of employees you have, but rather the number of employees you envision participating in our events on a regular basis who would like to accrue the benefits of membership.

Three ways to pay your membership:

IACAC Website:

Visit this page and follow the process and it'll take you into Paypal for the checkout.

Credit card via Paypal:

If you're already a member, we've created this simple Paypal button for you to select your membership type. Note if you're doing corporate for more than two people, select the "Continue Shopping" button which will send you back to the site and select the additional people from the drop down menu. You will then be taken back to your cart where you can add the necessary number of additional people and then finish checking out and paying.

IACAC President’s Letter – January, 2015

Posted on January 2, 2015 | by Jim Wilbrandt

By now you've probably noticed (or not) that there is a new byline on the President's letter for 2015.

My name is Jim Wilbrandt, and I am proud to introduce myself as the IACAC President for 2015. I was elected to the position at our monthly membership meeting in November.

As we reflect back on this past year, the association has taken off. With the launch of the new website last February, a cold wet golf outing in August, the annual Toys-for-Tots Christmas Party and numerous guest speakers, has increased our membership by 40%.

As the incoming President, I will like to take the baton that Mitch and the past board have passed and continue on the right path to increase membership and the focus on the airlines and air cargo community. We envision collaborating more with the other trade associations who share similar interests as ourselves such as the Chicago Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association and others.

I would like to again personally thank Mitch for reinventing the association and bringing in a new attitude. I look forward to working with him and the board to continue his vision. I also like to thank Chris Aguirre, Laura Brown, Kate Koenig and Jennifer Crotty for their past services on the board. You all will be missed and wish you luck on your new endeavors. We hope to see you at the luncheons and functions this year.

The kickoff luncheon will be held on Tuesday, January 13th at the Holiday Inn on Landmeier and Busse Road in Elk Grove Village. This event is just more than a networking event, but also a town hall meeting for the board and members to converse on the direction of the Association. This is your Association, so we want to hear your input. What kind of speakers will you like to have? Events? After hours events?

Register for the luncheon here.

So far we have the following scheduled for this year, Southwest Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Brandon Fried, our Annual Golf Outing on August 11 and the Toys-for-Tots Christmas Party on December 8. Please keep these dates open for these educational and fun events.

If you ever have a comment or have a question regarding the association, please feel free to contact me at jim@basicent.com or call my cell phone at (847) 704-0360.

IACAC President’s Letter – December, 2014

Posted on December 2, 2014 | by Brian Bartolotta, President

This is the final President's letter that I will write. Next month, this space is turned over to the 2015 IACAC President, Jim Wilbrandt, who was elected to the position last month.

It has been a year of change at IACAC, and to go back and look at what we accomplished as an organization month-by-month amazes me. None of it would have happened without a tremendous board of directors; people who give tirelessly of themselves for our members and the air cargo industry in general. Many of those people will be continuing on next year, some will be retiring at the end of this year. All are to be thanked for their hard work, dedication and service to the community.

When I look back on my tenure as President, there are a few things that happened of which I am most proud.

A new iacac.com website. This new site did wonders for us. Unveiled in February along with a rethink of our monthly Pallet and a push into social media that we previously did not use to the fullest extent, we expanded the reach and message of the Association. Presently, The Pallet is sent to close to a thousand people in Chicago and around the globe. The new site also generated marketing revenue that eclipsed the previous four years combined.
A renewed airline focus. Our name tells our charter; the International Air Cargo Association of Chicago. Look back at our past presidents list. There are countless names there who came from the ranks of airlines, and this year we worked hard to re-engage carriers and had their participation both as speakers at our monthly luncheons and as sponsors of numerous events. To those carriers who have been involved, please accept my thanks and I encourage you to continue to engage with the new board in 2015 and beyond. The number of airline members eclipses the total of the past eight years.
A successful golf outing which generates scholarship dollars. Our golf outing was a great success and we surpassed last year's attendance in what was a continuing tough climate for social industry outings. The money raised at the golf outing (and at our upcoming holiday luncheon) goes right into the scholarship fund for students to continue their studies; look for the announcements again next Spring when we call for applications and look forward to helping defray the cost schooling for worthy recipients.
An increased membership. Between people signing up for the early bird specials and our push to get people to join, we have added fifty more new members to the Association. We realize that with businesses consolidating into larger and larger companies, some long-time members go away. However, it seems like that when a larger company closes, a few smaller ones open as talented men and women take on new opportunities. For them, we are here to support and help them grow.

Our holiday luncheon next Tuesday, December 9th, is important for three reasons. Well, maybe four.

First and most importantly, it is a chance to bring a toy for our annual Toys for Tots drive that is spearheaded by Maureen Schmitt of Mallory Alexander. We've partnered with the Marines for many years in the past and our community's generosity is a wonderful thing to behold. Please come help a child have something under their tree this Christmas. Second, we raffle off some really great prizes, including a pair of tickets to Paris donated generously every year by Air France. (Note, the winner is responsible for the taxes which are approximately $200 per ticket). The money from those raffles benefits our scholarship fund. Third, come and socialize with your fellow IACAC members before the holidays and commitments overrun us all. Fourth and finally, it's a chance to RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2015. Get started, be one of the first to be on the 2015 membership rolls.

For more information and to register, click here.

This year's board was one of the strongest boards I have ever worked with. We made a lot of changes internally which positively affected how we are seen externally, and I can say we are heading in the right direction. I will return next year as Chairman, after which I will step down and remain involved as a paid member.

For me personally it was an exciting year of change as well. I departed my previous company to start my own place in August called The Chit Chat Group. Chit Chat opened with a focus on education, training and consulting logistics companies. In October, Chit Chat signed a two-year deal to exclusively represent Atlas Logistic Network throughout the Americas. This put the company rather quickly on the global stage, representing the third largest exclusive network in the world.

While the Chicago agencies are filled, we're looking for members in other gateway cities throughout the United States.

For more information on Atlas as well as our ongoing classes, check us out at www.thechitchatgroup.com.

Once again, thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President for 2014, and I am eager for the leadership that Jim Wilbrandt and the new board will bring in 2015. This new board is equally as strong and forwarding thinking and I'm looking forward to their certain success.

2015 IACAC election absentee ballot available

Posted on November 5, 2014 | by Brian Bartolotta, President

Members of the IACAC:

You may now download the 2015 Absentee Ballot for the IACAC elections.

If you will be unable to attend next Tuesday's luncheon meeting (registration open here), then you may download, complete and email this ballot to Christine Aguirre.

Absentee ballots must be received by November 10, 2014, to be counted at the meeting on Tuesday, November 11th.

Note the following for the ballots:

If your company is a corporate member with TWO contacts, you are allowed two votes.
If you have joined as an individual or have only one person listed on your IACAC record, you are allowed one vote.
Each position allows for the submission of a name for a write-in candidate.
Winners will be announced at the IACAC luncheon next Tuesday at the Holiday Inn, Elk Grove Village.

If you have any questions, you may contact Christine Aguirre by email at chragu27 (at) yahoo.com.

IACAC President’s Letter – November, 2014

Posted on October 31, 2014 | by Brian Bartolotta, President

Why does it feel like every time I sit down to write one of these letters one of two things is happening; either a holiday or a massive shift in the weather?

Contemporary Tree Art Blowing Away Print by Amy Giacomelli

I have been fortunate enough to spend this week in Beijing, China, for work. It was a day late in happening as I spent eight hours at O'Hare waiting for my flight to depart last Sunday as the airline worked (how feverishly I'm still not sure) to get the plane airworthy. At 9 PM on Sunday night, after my fill of football and airport food, they cancelled the flight, only to find me back to try it again at 1:00 Monday afternoon.

That one, thankfully, went off without a hitch.

This month we were fortunate to have Brandon Fried of the Airforwarders Association join us for our monthly luncheon, and he did not disappoint. Brandon travels extensively for AfA, speaking to Associations such as ours, as well as appearing on panels with IATA, CNS, NCBFAA, TIACA and others. In fact, Brandon was in Seoul, Korea, at TIACA's event the week before ours. He also was delayed in transit on his Asian trip, not by a mechanical, but by a typhoon.

In November, we vote. We as a country and state vote for Congressional representatives and in Illinois we are voting for state leadership as well. Democracies are founded on the participation of their citizens, and this is my plea to you to get out and vote. Let your voice be heard, let your opinion be counted.

After voting in our state and federal elections on November 4th, don't miss the second major election of November, the one for the AIFBA board.

This will happen at our monthly luncheon (click here to register) on Tuesday, November 11th at the Holiday Inn. Remember, you are the ones who determine your leaders and can have a voice with them to set policy and the important agenda items to address during their tenure.

With declining oil prices, fuel costs are declining as well, and according to IATA's numbers, air freight volumes are ticking upwards, and Boeing has forecast a strong demand in the next twenty years for air cargo.

Combined, it appears that a healthy recovery is underway, and continued success lies ahead for our industry.