Tag: Presidents Letter

President’s Letter: August, 2018

Posted on | by Scott Case

A week ago, the IACAC held our annual golf outing, and I have to say that it was a success. This is thanks to the participation and generosity of our sponsors, golfers and everyone who came out for lunch and brought items to raffle off. We are extremely fortunate to have such an amazing community here in Chicago and words fail me sometimes at how we come out for a cause. We've got the photo gallery here on the site - check it out.

THANK YOU to our hole sponsors:

  • Cathay Pacific
  • Alliance Ground International
  • Fastmore Logistics
  • Midwest Express
  • AirBridge Cargo
  • Air Canada Cargo
  • Charity Golf
  • Land Air Express
  • IAG Cargo
  • Basic Crating & Packaging
  • BCS Placement
  • Riege Software International
  • Avalon Risk Management
  • Heavyweight Air Express
  • Quick Caller

THANK YOU to our course sponsors:

  • Rockford Airport
  • Alliance Ground International
  • Forward Air
  • Rank Transportation
  • Freight Force
  • Cargosprint

THANK YOU to our game sponsors:

  • Longest drive: Archgate TMS
  • Closest to the pin: Cargosprint
  • Longest putt: Chain.io

THANK YOU to our beverage cart and halfway house drink sponsor:

Alaska Air Cargo

THANK YOU to our airline sponsors who donated tickets or miles:

Air Canada

Alaska Air Cargo

LATAM

Southwest Cargo

THANK YOU to our golf committee and volunteers - this couldn't have happened without all of you before, during and after the event.

We put together two fliers for the golfers and a raffle thank you sponsor sheet. Download them here and if you won something, drop the sponsor a note and say thanks - it really means a lot and lets them know you appreciate their contribution.

SAVE THE DATE - TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2019 - We'll see you out there.

The money we raise at the golf outing goes to support our IACAC Scholarship which is now open for applications! We set a page up here on the site and will also be sending emails to our members reminding them that immediate family members of both individual and corporate members are eligible to apply. Details are in the application and applicants need to provide a transcript and answer the three essay questions. Applications are due by the end of October, winners will be announced mid-November and we hope they can also join us at our holiday luncheon in December.

If you're looking ahead to what comes next on the calendar - we'll keep you busy at lunch on September the 11th and networking after work on the 13th. Come hear Kyle Matousek speak about the important qualities of leadership - as a former soldier and firefighter, Kyle's well positioned to share what he has learned and has to offer. $25/members, $35/non-members and those without registrations at the door at the Wyndham. On Thursday night, we're at our favorite after-work haunt, Church Street Brewing Company for an Oktoberfest party sponsored by DHL Aviation, AOT Overseas and TransChicago NationaLease. Free for members, $25 for non-members. Come join us for two Oktoberfest beers and complimentary pretzels from Gnarly Knots Pretzel Truck. RSVP here so we know how many will attend - we will not be taking payments at the door so if you're not a member and you plan to attend, registration must be paid in advance.

If you're interested in joining the IACAC Board of Directors, elections are coming up in November - now's the time to ask questions of any of the current board members and see if you would like to join us.

 

President’s Letter: July, 2018

Posted on | by Scott Case

I'll admit it - having a son who plays football (futbol) means that our house has been gripped by World Cup fever. The tournament has been a tremendous amount of fun to watch, especially given the number of upsets and matches that were decided on shootouts after 120 minutes of hard-fought play. My friend Steve Polmans with Brussels Airport is quite excited about their prospects, especially after knocking out Brazil just today.

We're entering that part of the year when things slow down a bit - people are taking vacations and having the 4th of July sit right smack in the middle of the week meant that people were really dividing-and-conquering with vacations. Some the weekend before and the holiday, some the holiday and the weekend after. It's part of the reason that we put the luncheons on snooze for July and August - people going a bunch of different directions and getting both interest and a full house is a challenge.

This month, we're planning a social event so watch your inbox - it'll be the evening of July 19th in Rosemont - we had a great time last summer taking in a concert and have designs on doing the same again later this month. The featured musical act that night is a Bob Segar tribute band - it promises to be a rocking time for all.

We're also booking quickly for our IACAC Golf Outing - with a month to go until the event we've got nearly all our holes sponsored and golfers filling our foursomes. If you've not registered, the early bird deadline is Monday - what are you waiting for? Sign up today.

Remember - this event benefits our scholarship fund, so we welcome raffle items and donations for our luncheon after golf. We know that your time is valuable and after a great day on the course that the last thing you want to become is a prisoner of the banquet room - so we promise to feed you and get you out the door with a prize and a full stomach as quickly as possible afterwards. Our IACAC Scholarship Fund is also a 501(c)(3) charity and can provide you with a letter for your tax deductible charitable donation.

We covered as well in The Pallet that CBP finally published about ACAS in the Federal Register. Don't miss knowing what that is about because while it is targeted at inbound air cargo right now, there are a number of countries to whom CBP is going to give access to their targeting engine and it may only be a matter of time before we're filing it for export.

That's all from here - thanks for your time and I look forward to seeing you at our events in the coming months.

 

President’s Letter: September, 2017

Posted on | by Scott Case

In The Pallet for this month, I led off with the extremely serious issue of Hurricane Harvey and the devastation of the storm. There is no one in America's fourth largest city who has gone unaffected by this and people will be dealing with the physical, emotional and property recovery for years to come.

We have reached out to our sister air cargo association in Houston to ask if we can be of assistance in any way. As a board we will discuss if there is a donation or contribution that we can make to a charitable or local organization.

If you are looking to help yourself, I would personally recommend any of these national or local organizations:

  • The American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org
  • Team Rubicon: http://www.teamrubicon.org
  • Houston Food Bank: http://www.houstonfoodbank.org
  • Friends for Life Animal Shelter: http://friends4life.org

August event summary:

Our golf outing was an amazing day. We raised a lot of money for our scholarship fund thanks to the generosity of our golfers. We had nearly 110 people golfing and over 140 people at lunch. Thanks to all those who volunteered already to help out next year and mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 7, 2018!

Brian Bartolotta and I also attended the ribbon cutting of Phase 2 of Northeast Cargo featuring a host of dignitaries. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is focused on getting started on the next phase of the development as soon as possible. 

Finally, our educational event for this month was a Q&A with Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans where she shared the O'Hare Modernization Plan and what is planned for runways and passengers. Undaunted, our attendees got to hear what is planned for the airport. A group then boarded a bus as the rain moved in and were fortunate enough to be plane side at the new area, stand on the "X" where the new 9C/27C runway is under construction that will open in 2020 and stand at the end of 22L on some crushable concrete designed to prevent an aircraft from sliding off onto Mannheim Road. 

And for September?

We are planning a networking event the night of September 21st at Church Street Brewing Company. We were there not once, but TWICE last year and are looking very much forward to being back. Our networking events draw a different crowd than our events during the work day, probably because people can leave work and not look back. Mark it down and we'll let you know when registration opens.

We're looking for sponsors of the event as well, so if you're interested, please contact either myself of Brian Bartolotta. You are allowed to feature your name and banner and merchandise at the event, we share the list of attendees for marketing purposes and your name and logo are promoted on our website and social media channels in advance of the event.

Spread the news - the scholarship is open for submissions.

The IACAC Scholarship is the reason we have our golf outing, holiday luncheon and raise money throughout the rest of the calendar year. The deadline for submissions is October 30th, the winners will be announced mid-November and we hope that recipients are able to join us at our holiday luncheon in December. The scholarship is open to the immediate family of individual and corporate members. For more information and to apply, check out the Scholarship page on our site.

 

President’s Letter: July, 2017

Posted on | by Scott Case

As we enter the second half of the year, we're not going to be slowing down with our activities at all. We're going to be social, we're going to be educational, we're going to raise money for a good cause and it all involves you, the air cargo industry here in Chicago. Let's get to it, shall we?

AirCargo 2017 Recap

The AirCargo conference earlier this month in Orlando was extremely educational. Aside from issues about the future of the industry for forwarders, this was a great chance to learn about airports and what they're doing to cope with the growth of cargo in their facilities as well. Adam Rod was there and shared his presentation that we all saw earlier this year at a luncheon. What I found to be extremely interesting was this slide that Dan Muscatello put forth of what the "Airport of the Future" would look like. It takes into account a slew of entities who would use a new airport including passenger, cargo, trucks, drones, (yes, I said drones), lighter-than-air vehicles and others. If there was an opportunity to build an airport in a green space, this one looks like it.

Elon Musk is a genius or a loon. I vote genius.

Greg Hinz, the political reporter for Crain's Chicago Business, reported this week about an idea that Elon Musk has to speed people between O'Hare and the Loop...below ground. Musk envisions tunneling and creating tubes with sleds and smaller public transport cars that would make their way between the airport and downtown at speeds approaching 125 miles per hour. He's got a tunneling company called, I'm not kidding, The Boring Company, who are able to do it faster and for less money with newly-designed boring technology.

Here's an idea of how they envision alleviating congestion with passenger vehicles under a city. Why go up when you can go down? He may be crazy, but he founded and sold Paypal and has two of the most successful companies in Tesla and SpaceX out there right now - so he's certainly got the credibility.

Events, events, events:

  • Next one is on July 11th - Tim O'Donnell is going to discuss retirement - if you're close, are you ready? If you've got some time still, how are you preparing? If you're starting out...save. Now. Register here.
  • We're planning another networking event, this time July 20th. We'll be back at MB At the Park in Rosemont for their Thursday night concert series - stay tuned and watch this space for more.
  • The Golf Outing! C'mon - you can't miss this. Mark your calendars - August 15th this year. As we've said, we're a week later than usually, but we're still spot-on for the fun and excitement. Have you booked your foursome yet? No? Then get registered today!
  • The Ginger Evans Q&A and bus tour are going to be awesome. We rescheduled to the end of August so we didn't conflict with the CCBFA golf outing in July. We wish we could pack a bunch of buses, but we'll only have the one. However, we'll be serving continental breakfast at the Q&A and that's free and there are no limit on the number of attendees.

Rent going up for cargo tenants at ORD.

This story also broke earlier this week and is one that we'll need to watch as we get into the latter half of 2017. Rents which were at rates that hadn't been seen for decades and were negotiated in the 80's are going up for all the cargo carriers at the buildings on the airport. How low?

For instance, O'Hare Buildings 613 and 663 on the airport's southern end have 1973 leases with ground rental rates of just 35 cents per square foot. Nearby Building 609 charged 12 cents under a 1986 lease.

We already know how the ground handlers managing these warehouses staff, charge and operate, and if anybody starts to see signs of exponentially increased fees for services, we ask that they contact us immediately. The operators should've been pocketing the money they were ahead and if they look to make it all back from the air cargo community, we'll certainly be providing them feedback on that business plan.

President’s Letter: April, 2017

Posted on | by Scott Case

No fooling around here - we're all business at the IACAC. (Yeah, right - we're in air cargo - who would believe that line for a SECOND?)

In all seriousness, welcome to the second quarter of the year. Good, grief, the first one went by quickly, albeit free of major snow here in the Chicago area. For the first time in 146 years of recorded meteorological history, there was not more than a trace amount of snow in January or February. It's probably why when we get some rain or a spate of cloudy weather like we've got right now that people are so agitated.

This month, I'll be traveling to the NCBFAA's Annual Conference in New Orleans, at the JFK Brokers Association as their featured speaker mid-month and going to the CNS Partnership Conference at the end of April. I'll be reporting back to IACAC whatever interesting tidbits I pick up at those places and hopefully have some photos and videos to share as well.

Coming in April: Talking Tech with Mark Ketcham

Our April luncheon speaker is Mark Ketcham from Riege Software International, a forty-year old software company at the forefront of many of the initiatives with IATA on their eAWB campaigns. More than air, their products are also used in sea freight and throughout global forwarder operations for Customs brokerage in Europe as well. Mark has spent most of his career in the technology side of forwarding and is looking forward to sharing his perspective on the near term and far-flung possibilities of what we as an industry will be using in future.

Join us Tuesday, April 11th at the Wyndham. Click here to register.

Save the date: Cuatro de Mayo Networking Event

We're putting the finishing touches on the details, but we're planning to head to Adobe Gila's in Rosemont on Thursday night, May 4th. So...May the Fourth be with you as well! #starwars #skypoint If your company is interested in being a sponsor for what we hope is our biggest event yet, please contact me at scott (at) positionglobal.com. More to come in the coming weeks!

IACAC sponsorships always available.

We're sincerely appreciative of our sponsors, both in The Pallet and on our website. If your company wants to reach an ever-expanding network of air cargo professionals, consider becoming a sponsor (and a member) if you're not already. Check out this page for more information.

President’s Letter: March, 2017

Posted on | by Scott Case

Happy March, everyone. It is a pleasure to serve as your President and want to thank you again for the trust you put in your 2017 IACAC board. There are a number of things that I'd like to mention this month for everyone's consideration.

Passing of two IACAC Presidents.

We are saddened by the passing this month of Vid Rapsys and Herman Ruiz, Jr. Vid served as IACAC President twice, in 1968 and in 1975. Herman served as President in 2009 and was a current member of the 2017 board of directors. Both men have a long and distinguished career in the Chicago air cargo community and are to be remembered for their great works and contributions to our community. 

Membership - Have you renewed?

If you've not renewed your membership from 2016, what are you waiting for? You'll lose out on our Vendor Partnerships that are being rolled out this month as well as the chance for family members or employees to submit an application for an IACAC Scholarship. We are working hard to make membership something that brings education, networking and helps companies see and receive value for their investments. Join the IACAC for 2017 and help us represent the air cargo community in Chicago with as wide a participation as possible.

March Madness and the April luncheon

Put them on your calendar, but registration is open for our March Madness event, sponsored by PayAnyBiz. Come out and join us for a free evening of tournament basketball and friendship at the Wyndham on Thursday night, March 16th. We ask that you RSVP so we can have a count to make sure the food is in plentiful supply.

On April 11th, (registration opening soon), we're featuring Mark Ketcham of Riege Software International who will be presenting to the group on technology changes and platforms that are aiding forwarders and the air cargo sector. There are no shortage of pricing platforms, rate aggregators and tracking systems, but what do they all mean and how do they fit together? Mark will help us understand what is out there and what makes sense for a forward to have in their office.

IACAC Golf Outing August 15th - Sponsorships available.

We are fortunate that our golf outing is one of the best attended events on the Chicago calendar among air cargo professionals. We have had several amazing years of turnout and participation at the Bridges of Poplar Creek and are planning the same for this year.

If your company is interested in reaching a wide audience of airlines, forwarders, truckers and others who support and work in air cargo, there are opportunities across many financial levels to participate. For more information and to become a sponsor, visit our IACAC Golf Outing page  to learn more.

President’s Letter: February, 2017

Posted on | by Scott Case

The best thing I can say about February is that football ends this weekend and pitchers and catchers report later this month. We made it out the other end of what has been an absolutely dreary January for weather and complete and utter sunshine deprivation, but I'm cautiously optimistic that spring will be here before we know it.

January was a great month for the Association and I want to share with you what has transpired and what we've got an eye on in the weeks and months ahead.

What's our role?

This is something that the board has discussed on how we as the IACAC fit into the air cargo and international trade community here in Chicago. We feel that the the job that the CCBFA does on focusing on issues impacting Customs brokers, ocean freight forwarders and the import process is exemplary. We have partnered with them on a number of initiatives and will continue to do so into 2017 and beyond.

The place that seems best for us are the infrastructure and customer service issues in and around the airport. The deepening relationship with the Chicago Department of Aviation, as well as the national connections we have made at airlines and handling companies will allow us to work to improve conditions in and around the airport.

Administration change and trade.

With the arrival of a new administration comes new opinions on leadership and policy. I think that in the initial flurry of activity we have seen since the inauguration, our industry must be very carefully balanced on eagerly anticipating the potential benefits of reduced tax and regulatory burdens while watching for potential protectionist trade policies. While the focus may be on imposing burdens on imports, trade is bilateral, and we should fully anticipate that barriers America places on foreign goods coming in should expect the same treatment for our exports going out.

Joint meeting with CDOA, CNS, IACAC.

Lionel Van Der Walt, the head of Cargo Network Services (CNS) in the USA, came to Chicago at the end of January. The IACAC brokered a meeting with him and key members of the Chicago Department of Aviation, including CDOA COO John Leach and Director of Planning (and friend of the association) Adam Rod. Lionel shared some of what CNS has in store and are looking forward to forging relationships with local airports to focus on the importance of cargo to the average airline passenger who might otherwise be unaware of the important commerce traveling beneath their feet or over their heads (for those who live around airports). This will be an ongoing project that may result in some co-branded materials and other awareness pieces, but it is an interesting partnership and opportunity to be certain.

Upcoming events, activities and opportunities.

We had a great January kick-off luncheon for 2017 and are hoping to continue with a very active schedule of events. Among the things we discussed were:

  • Philanthropic activities
  • Greater focus on education, scholarship and opportunities
  • More evening social events so people can leave their offices and not have to come back.
  • Women-only events and activities.
  • Potential tours of the airport and surrounding facilities
  • Furthering and adding vendor partnerships to give our members the feeling that they're getting back what they invested (and more) in an IACAC membership.

Speaking of membership...

Join! Renew! We want you back (and want you in the first place). Membership is extremely affordable, and will provide access to a members-only area of the site which will offer links to vendor partners and opportunities to save your company money while supporting the IACAC. For individuals, the membership is only $50.00 per year; a corporate membership is for up to three people and is $130.00/year. Don't miss the chance to participate. Click the link to join or renew your membership online, or download and mail your application and payment by check today.

President’s letter: December, 2016

Posted on | by Scott Case

This is the final President's Letter that I will be penning for the website. Beginning next month, the new IACAC President, Scott Case, will take over writing this column. Scott was elected President at our elections in November and I trust he will continue the great work of the Presidents who came before him to engage the air cargo community here in Chicago. I will move into the position of Chairman of the Board.

Joining Scott will be Christina Aguirre as Vice President and our three new voting board members, Pamela DeSalvo, Laura Brown and Maureen Schmitt. Non-voting board directors elected this year are Therese O'Sullivan, Herman Ruiz and Pam Parekh. 2017 promises to be another great year for IACAC.

It has been an honor to serve as the IACAC President this year. When you stop and look at the roster of past Presidents, there are many great people who have served the Association. Thank you very much for this opportunity.

Thanks also need to go to our outgoing Chairman of the Board, Jim Wilbrandt and board member Olya Lebedyeva who are departing this year. We thank you both for your service to the Association and appreciate everything you have done.

Peak Season strong

From forecasts around the industry, there is a surprise bump in trucking demand in this last quarter and both air and sea carriers have seen some stability in rates and increases they have put in place have for the most part been holding.

Network, network, network

It was a hallmark of my tenure as President of IACAC, but I am a firm believer in networking. This year alone, IACAC held events at a baseball game, two events at Church Street Brewing and our March Madness event.

This holiday season, it looks like the calendar can get crushed with one association holiday event after the other, but these are great opportunities to keep your business networks active in case an opportunity presents itself personally or professionally.

In 2017, IACAC is going to be working to provide a mix of luncheon and evening networking events. We discovered the crowds we draw for the two events are different and new faces are able to join us more readily at night, and we are committed to cultivate the next generation of leaders.

IACAC Holiday Luncheon

Speaking of networking events, don't miss ours. It's Tuesday, December 13t,h and you can register online here. This event, as well as our golf outing, raise money for our Scholarship Fund. This year we've awarded two scholarships and have invited both of our winners to attend the luncheon.

Don't show up empty handed, either. Bring two things: An item to be raffled off (gift cards, baskets, sporting event tickets...think what you'd like to win) and an unwrapped toy for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive. We're also setting aside $5 from each ticket for our scholarship fund as well.

Finally, don't show up without a reservation. Please. Last year, we had thirty-some people registered and sixty-five people showed up. We were VERY lucky Belvedere could accommodate and feed everyone. That might not be the case this year, plus the size of the room will depend upon how many we give for a reservation count. Just click here to register.

President’s Letter: November, 2016

Posted on | by Brian Bartolotta, President

If you had told me at any point that we'd see baseball on the north side in November, I probably would have expressed my disbelief quite loudly. Yet here we are, the Cubs playing November baseball and a chance to win the World Series. Best of luck to them.

It has been a pleasure to serve as your President this past year and as we come up on our elections this month, I wish our slate of candidates all the best. I am excited at the people who have generously decided to donate their time on behalf of this amazing organization.

With this in mind, I'd like to look ahead to a few things we have on the schedule between now and the end of the year.

Elections luncheon next Tuesday.

That's right, the annual general meeting of the IACAC will be held and we will be holding our annual elections. The event will be held at the Wyndham Garden Elk Grove Village and you can RSVP here. You can also download the ballot at this link, and all members in good standing of the IACAC are eligible to cast a ballot.

For more information or questions about the election, contact Jim Wilbrandt, our Chaiman at jim (at) basicent (dot) com.

Oktoberfest in November on Thursday.

With thanks to our generous sponsor Alaska Air Cargo, we are holding an Oktoberfest in November event at Church Street Brewing Company, the site of our July networking event. The owners have assured us they even kept a few barrels of their Oktoberfest beer squirreled away in the corner for safe keeping and our consumption.

The Toasty Cheese truck will be making an appearance as well.

Thanks to Alaska Air Cargo, our attendees will receive a coupon for a free gourmet grilled cheese sandwich and a complimentary beer.

Don't miss your chance for a great night of networking - follow this link to register.

Scholarship application period extended through November 11th.

One of the hallmarks of the IACAC and the reason we hold events as fundraisers like our holiday luncheon and the golf outing are to raise money for the scholarship fund.

The deadline for submissions this year has been extended to November 11th, giving qualified applicants the chance to submit in time. We will notify the winners within a few weeks and ask them to make their best effort to attend our holiday luncheon next month to receive their award in person.

For more information including eligibility requirements and to apply, visit our website for all the details.

The holiday party is coming.

And with it, we're looking for raffle items and giveaways for our fundraising efforts. Last year we were fortunate to have not only a wonderful selection of prizes and airline tickets and miles, but the bins were overflowing with the gifts that our attendees generously brought to benefit the Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive.

Mark your calendars and watch your inboxes - this year's event will be held again at the Belvedere on Tuesday afternoon, December 13th. Event registration will be open soon.

Photo credit: Flickr user Dave Herholz, CC by 3.0

President’s Letter: October, 2016

Posted on | by Brian Bartolotta, President

There is nothing better than knowing that my Sundays are once again free of the border of having to follow Chicago's professional football team. Thankfully the retooled Bulls, the return of hockey (it's an odd-numbered year, so they're in the Cup hunt again) and the potential of an October filled with local baseball will fill the void. As my term as IACAC President nears the end, I am proud of what we've done throughout 2016 and look forward to continuing to work until the new board takes over in December.

September successes

We had two major events here in town that I hope everyone had the chance to attend. Dan Gadow, former IACAC President, current Swissport Vice President and really all-around great guy came and spoke to a crowd of nearly forty people at our September luncheon. I say this with all sincerity, there is a short list of people who have spent their careers in and around this airport who understand its inner workings and Dan is on it. The Chicago air cargo community should be grateful for Dan's leadership and his continued vocal involvement on behalf of companies and their issues.

The Airforwarders Association also held a packed-house event at Coopers Hawk in Arlington Heights on September 21st. The IACAC's Chairman of the Board Jim Wilbrandt participated in a panel discuss that featured Chicago's Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans. It was a pleasure to have leadership from the airport there to discuss our issues and it opens up a dialogue we hope continues long into the future. If you couldn't make it, they've got a gallery on their Facebook page.

October opportunities - IACAC  Scholarship and monthly luncheon

Every year, the IACAC attempts to fund a scholarship for a family member of our individual and corporate members. Last year we awarded three scholarships - we hope to have the same opportunity this year. The page is live to learn more, but the deadlines are October 30th to submit an application, November 15th to be advised, December 13th to be awarded. If you know someone who has a child or grandchild starting college or is in college and would like to submit an application, visit this page on our site for all the details. Candidates should complete the application, answer the three, 600-word essay questions and submit their transcripts.

On October 18th (a week later than usual), we're featuring the annual visit of Brandon Fried of the Airforwarders Association. Forwarders usually feel the impact of a regulatory change (updates to their Security Programs, new CBP procedures) after all the rulemaking and discussions have happened. Brandon and the AfA are in the room, fighting for forwarders to keep those changes from making our lives more difficult and costly. Come out and hear from him in person what is going on with advanced data requirements, what the election could mean for trade and the state of the industry. The registration page is live so go and sign up now.

November stuff - Oktoberfest on the 3rd, Elections on the 8th

Early in November you won't be able to get enough of us still as we have a return to Church Street Brewing Company planned for November 3rd and the event is graciously being sponsored by Alaska Air Cargo. We'll have the Toasty Cheese truck back as well, so if you missed it in July, you've got another shot coming up in November. We decided "Oktoberfest in November" was a great event - because who doesn't love eating & drinking and a good Alpenhorn?

November 8th will be the monthly luncheon where elections for the IACAC Board of Directors takes place. All regular members in good standing for six months are invited to run for one of the director seats and all regular members in good standing are eligible to vote. The IACAC board meets the first Tuesday of every month in the evening and we plan luncheons and networking events as well as raise funds for our scholarship fund through the golf outing and our holiday luncheon. For more information on running for a position on the upcoming board, contact Jim Wilbrandt at jim (at) basicent (dot) com.

Hanjin bankruptcy and peak season

We're certainly seeing reshuffling of cargo on the water because Hanjin's failure at the end of August. With an estimated 20,000 - 25,000 containers per week taken out of service, there have been some GRI's reported by the remaining carriers seeking to impose some levels of rate restoration. The JOC reported a strong August with an increase of 5.6% year-on-year as the peak season approaches. Airlines as well are seeing increased load factors as some cargo trapped on the ocean is moved by air to fill orders.