At our luncheon meeting today, a vote was held on the issue of whether or not to change the name of our annual scholarship back to the IACAC Scholarship.
By a vote of 9-5, the choice was made to revert to its previous name.
We thank all our members who were present today and took time to vote on this issue.
What a difference a day makes, huh? Warm all weekend and Monday and BANG, a face full of fall Tuesday. Candidly, it suits me fine. It's tough to think apple picking, hot cider and pumpkins when it's north of eighty degrees.
As I mentioned in the opening few paragraphs of The Pallet, we're entering the final quarter of my tenure as President of IACAC, and it has been one that has seen some significant advancement of the organization. My commitment was to return the organization to the prominence it had in its early days. We've been around since 1955. That's a very long time with a lot of history (we keep a list of Past Presidents if you ever want to read it) and a diverse collection of leadership from airlines and freight forwarders alike.
My goal was to reengage airlines this year, and I feel that we've done a great job of that to date. But we're not done. Three more months to go and we're not going to coast over the finish line.
I know, I know, it's hard to imagine that I'd spend a lot of time promoting things, but here I am doing just that.
Next Wednesday night is the annual Transportation Night that is put on by the Traffic Club of Chicago. I wrote about it here and we sent out an email about it last Friday, but I'm going to still tell everyone to put it on their calendars and make sure they attend. Besides the fact it's at the Rosewood (a venue that plays host to many events for the Traffic Club, ITA/GC and others), when you look at all the organizations who are participating you can't not be there. It's free, there's little on television to compete with, and if you have to, just record it and watch it when you get home.
The following week, on Tuesday, October 14th, we are pleased to be hosting Brandon Fried from the Airforwarders Association. Brandon is their Executive Director and absolutely plugged in to what is happening in Washington, DC. Brandon is a member of the prestigious COAC committee which advises Customs on policy and is also instrumental in working with regulatory agencies like FAA, DOT and TSA when it comes to how much air forwarders can and should be regulated. He's a great speaker who is candid and very approachable in his comments and we've asked him to come with a packed presentation on everything from infrastructure funding to the current economic climate for air cargo and the move to a paperless environment. Go here to register.
The IACAC is preparing a slate of candidates to be voted on at next month's luncheon. Like government, we, too, hold elections in November. Continue to watch this space for an announcement with the names of who is being put forth.
Held annually, the Traffic Club of Chicago does a tremendous job bringing together the major trade associations in our industry to give job seekers a way to learn about everything involved in supply chain and logistics and where they can get more involved. IACAC has been a proud exhibitor at the event in past years, and you'll find us there again this year.
As usual, the event will be held at the Rosewood Restaurant in Rosemont. There is no admission, there will be appetizers and a cash bar. It is from 5:30 - 8:00 PM.
We would love it if you would attend and support these great organizations. Click on the flier below for more details.
First, allow me to wish everyone a happy, safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend. May you spend it with family and friends, recalling the memories of a milder-than-usual summer here in Chicago. Not that we're complaining, mind you, although reports of a sequel of the Polar Vortex are particularly troubling. If that's the case, I'm stocking up on firewood, driveway salt and wool sweaters early this year. 
We're also entering the traditional peak season for air freight shippers. With the unveiling of Apple's new flagship phone in a week and a half, plus persistent rumors they'll also unveil a watch as well, freighter and belly capacity from Asia is disappearing faster than a dropped ice cream cone on a summer day. Longshoremen on the West Coast have reached an agreement on health benefits, one of the alleged stickiest points of the negotiation, a new contract cannot be far behind. Shippers hope, as evidenced in the letter they wrote further encouraging both sides to formally come to an agreement as the holiday peak season ramps up in earnest.
Here at IACAC, we're looking forward to an exciting final four months of the year as well.
We have mentioned it before, but if your company provides a service to the air cargo community, we would welcome the chance to work with you to be a preferred sponsor or provider of services to our membership. In exchange for offering some kind of exclusive offers to our members, we will promote your participation online as well as at our meetings and through other venues. If you are interested, please contact us to discuss this further.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to August.
It's been a mild summer so far, and if you're an electric utility you're likely upset because billings and usage are down, but as a consumer, it's been nice to have the windows open more days than not. But kids going back to school later this month? Where has the summer gone...my email has turned into everything outdoors now being on sale. Do these retailers know something we don't?
The past few weeks have been a professionally busy summer for me. Those of you who receive The Pallet saw that the return address has changed, and I've started my own company. One of the first things that I did was to join this great organization because it's something that I believe in and am committed to as your President and someone who has served for years as a board member. As we move into the fall, IACAC is only going to continue on its ascendancy and that is because of the great board that you elected and the involvement of you, our membership.
It's in a week and a half; you'd better have signed up. The Early Bird Discount for foursomes expired at midnight, so if you're booking for four, the price is now $500.00. Pricing for single golfers remains at $125.00 and if you're only able to join us for lunch, it's $35.00. Only lunch? Did I really say that? It's not only lunch; it's a chance to win one of many amazing prizes that our sponsors have been kind enough to donate that benefit the Dennis J. Speck Scholarship Fund.
Our three "featured" raffle prizes that we have right now (and a serious THANK YOU to all of these fine people are):
This event isn't possible without you to play or contribute to a worthy cause. Don't miss it. JOIN US TODAY
Be sure to check out The Pallet (or our Facebook feed) for links to two stories involving air cargo. The first is the decision regarding the transport of lithium batteries - the final rule will be published in the coming days and we've got a link to the text. The second is that Customs is continuing the ACAS pilot for another year and has re-opened it for sixty days (less, now) for companies to apply to participate. We thank the Airforwarders Association for sharing this information with us, and we are sharing with you.
We thank AirBridge for their sponsorship of IACAC. Their most recent financial results were positive and they have been adding flights, including a freighter ex-DFW that we are promoting here on the site. 
If your company is interested in becoming a sponsor of IACAC or a corporate partner that is willing to offer benefits to our membership, please contact me directly to discuss this opportunity.
With thanks to the kind folks at LAN and their local GSA, Progressive Transportation, we are pleased to offer as a raffle prize two roundtrip tickets with LAN. The proceeds from the raffle for these tickets, as well as the other raffles of the day, benefit the Dennis J. Speck Scholarship Fund. Applications are still being accepted through next Friday. Check out the page for more details.
Welcome to July everyone, and I hope that last night's storms only caused people lost power but no damage to their property or injuries to themselves or family.
As we get ready to head into the Independence Day weekend, this is the month where IACAC has no structured activities taking place (i.e. our regular monthly luncheon). Tonight is our monthly board meeting at Basic Enterprises which starts at 6, and if any members wish to attend, those meetings are open to your observation. Just let us know you're coming and we are glad to have an audience. Be careful, you might find yourself dragged in as a volunteer for an upcoming event, such as...
It is being held next month at the Bridges of Hoffman Estates on August 12th. Registration is open for singles ($125), foursomes ($400 or lunch guests ($35). We have also started to receive sponsorships and you will start to see the names of those companies in the advertising we do for the event. If you can't wait until August 12th to get a course tune-up, then may I suggest the Chicago Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association) who are holding their annual outing on the same course next week. You can visit their site here for more details.
Sponsorship for the IACAC outing can be had for as little as $100 for a hole sponsorship which includes a sign with your logo on the tee box. Talk to Jim Wilbrandt, our Golf Committee chair, for the primo sponsorships on the holes where golfers will back up (hint: the par 3's are a GREAT value for your dollars!).
Funded through the generosity of our members and guests at events such as our golf outing, monthly luncheons and annual holiday luncheon in December, the Dennis J. Speck Scholarship Fund is named for a man who gave more than two decades of service to this Association and held every position on the board. Open to family members of individual or corporate member firms, this year's topic is "How will technology change the future of air cargo?" You can read more at the page here on the site including additional details for eligibility and download an application.
I respect that we all get busy in our jobs. The IACAC is a volunteer organization that is funded by the dues of our members and sponsorship opportunities online and in our monthly Pallet. When we transitioned to this new site, we gave login credentials to everyone who were members last year. Some of those membership are still unpaid, and tireless board member Maureen Schmitt has been working to contact people personally to get them paid or we will remove their access.
Thanks everyone and have a happy and safe Fourth. And to our friends north of the border today...Happy Canada Day!
From the American Journal of Transportation:
In the next step to co-locate operations across the combined network, US Airways Cargo joins American Airlines Cargo’s operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
While the two carriers continue to operate independently, the co-located facility allows American and US Airways customers to tender and recover both 001 and 037 air waybill shipments in one location.
US Airways Cargo customers will begin tendering and recovering 037 air waybill shipments at the following locations:
Cargo Facility
Handled by: American Airlines Cargo
O’Hare International Airport
609 South Access Road
Chicago, IL 60666
We were fortunate to have had Linda Dreiffen of American speak to us a few months ago and share their plans for the future. We wish them well as this moves forward.
Hello, everyone, and thanks for taking a moment to stop and read this letter.
As summer approaches and we look to warmer weather and more time outdoors, I'd like to take a moment to look back on May and look forward to what changes are coming to your Association this summer and into the fall.
The board has discussed additional ways that we can deliver value to our members, and we are looking for partners to pioneer a vendor affinity program. We've been fortunate to have the support of companies in the past, and we would really like to make a push for this over the summer months.
If you are a company who does business with air cargo companies and provides goods or services, we would love to talk. We would create a custom URL to your company's site that is only accessible via the members-only section of our site, insuring that only our members can take advantage of those partnerships.
In exchange, we are willing to provide additional promotional consideration and opportunities through our social network channels, communication and on our site.
If you are interested reaching a growing and vibrant industry, please contact us at info@iacac.com for more information.
First, our thanks to the Chicago Department of Aviation and their Assistant Commissioner Frank Grimaldi, Jr., for coming and speaking to us in May. As anyone who has to drive around the airport for a living knows firsthand, it's a mess out there right now and we'd love to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if we need to know that it's months or years off before we see it. There's no question that Chicago is focused on growth, and it is an exciting time to be in the industry.
In June, we're doing our first networking luncheon in a long time. Some have put the number five years in the air, and I will defer to those who have been around longer that the number is close to accurate. Registration is open for the event, visit https://iacac.com/event-registration/?ee=22 to sign up.
Traditionally we take off the months of July and August. There are no scheduled events for July, and August is when we have our annual golf outing on August 12th. Registration is also open for that at https://iacac.com/event-registration/?ee=21. We're looking for golfers and sponsors and both will have a great day at a tremendous course, Bridges of Poplar Creek in Hoffman Estates. There will also be raffles with prizes for the winners and proceeds benefit the Dennis J. Speck Scholarship Fund. Watch this space and our other communication because details and requirements will be announced over the summer.
When we get back to luncheons in the fall, we're planning a panel discussion in September (our tentative vision is a panel of Middle Eastern carriers since right now we have two carriers flying to ORD with a third beginning in August), Brandon Fried, Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association is slated to speak in October, November is our general business meeting and December is the holiday reception. When you summarize the balance of a year in one sentence, it makes you realize just how quickly time passes.
Starting in September, as we announced last month and will keep reminding people, luncheon pricing will change. It will be $25.00 for members who register in advance and $30.00 for non-members and those who show up without an RSVP (including members). You can pay in advance by credit card, or by check or cash on the day of the luncheon at the announced price. Paying by credit card the day of, however, will continue to require payment of a $2.00 surcharge to offset the card processing fees.
This week, Customs and Border Protection in Chicago held their Trade Day and I was talking with someone who had a long conversation with a CBP chief about Chicago's importance as a global hub. I was reminded that from Chicago, carriers reach us in one flight from Asia, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Thinking about us in the context of a transshipment hub (when Chicago is really thought of us a destination that feeds the Midwest marketplace), completely changes the logic behind what Chicago means. Imagine, sixteen hours from Hong Kong, change carriers and the next morning, you're in a South American market. The possibilities are amazing.
At the NCBFAA's Annual Conference in Summerlin, NV, there was a panel discussing the past and future of aviation.
Warren Jones, the head of Cargo Network Services, IATA's United States arm, mentioned that IATA was planning to create global standards for ground handlers, a group which air freight forwarders, truckers, Customs brokers and airlines alike would love to see deliver continuity of service. While the talk was in the early stages, more details about its goals and potential rollout have firmed up. Below is excerpted from Brendan Sullivan of IATA in a recent email on the subject:
Cargo handling is performed at thousands of airports all over the world by hundreds of handlers, big and small. This poses a high potential risk for deviations in quality and consistency of handling. IATA's Cargo Operations Advisory Group (COAG) comprised of airlines and ground handlers developed a list of capabilities against which a cargo facility could be measure. The purpose of this matrix is to enhance cargo handling capabilities to a consistently high standard while identifying possible non-compliance on critical areas such as safety or security. The areas of activity that were initially considered were as follows: 1. Safety, ensures undeclared dangerous goods are screened for 2. Security, ensuring all regulations are complied with 3. Special Cargo (Pharmaceuticals, Live Animals, Perishables, Express), ensuring the most vulnerable cargo is properly cared for 4. ULDs, ensuring safe handling of these expensive assets 5. Messaging, recognizing the value of data 6. Mail, ensuring the postal operations are handled effectively 7. General Cargo Principles (acceptance, etc.) COAG has completed their development and anticipates Cargo Committee endorsement. The next steps will be to propose an validation model to assess and validate the current capabilities of cargo handling facilities against existing standards, identifying best "best in class" and increasing the capabilities in the industry through adoption of best practices. To avoid over burdening the industry with audits, the validation model will seek to consider integrating into existing audits such as the IATA ISAGO or ACC3 audits. Footnotes: Reporting jointly to the IATA Cargo Committee and the Ground Handling Council, the Cargo Operations Advisory Group (COAG) has been established to bring together members from airlines and ground handling agents to develop best-practice processes and procedures to address all aspect of cargo acceptance and handling. The COAG aims to work on the review, improvement and development of cargo operations processes and procedures for incorporation into the IATA Airport Handling Manual (AHM) and IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM). The objective being to develop operations processes that can be adopted by airlines and ground handling agents and that will ultimately lead to a greater degree of standardization and harmonization for cargo acceptance and handling. www.iata.org/coag The next steps for the project are to have the Cargo Service Conference (e.g. airlines) review and provide input, then ASA and IGHC (e.g. ground handlers). Following that along with some trials COAG will be able to propose a way forward (validation model).