Tag: Presidents Letter

President’s Letter: September, 2016

Posted on | by Brian Bartolotta, President

And into the final third of the year we go...I'm somewhat in a state of disbelief when I sit down to write this in about another month or so that the baseball playoffs will be upon us. I mean, weren't they just reporting for Spring Training?

There are a wide variety of issues that I wanted to mention in this issue, many of which require linking out to the source material. If you or your company do not subscribe to some of these publications, I encourage you to do so because you'll be well read and ready to discuss the current issues that face logistics and supply chain today and into the future.

Peak Season: Flat.

Both the Journal of Commerce and the Wall Street Journal have opined that flat is the new peak. If that's the case, then logistics companies are going to have to change their business models to support year-round revenue generation rather than counting on a bump between now and the holiday season.

Amazon is coming to town...

They're all around us now, actually. In Crain's, it was announced this week that a third Amazon facility is planned for south suburban Monee, joining two facilities they've got under construction in Joliet and Romeoville. And congrats are in order to Ken Ryan and his team at Rockford Airport who've landed a daily Amazon freighter that could balloon to as many as five flights per day.

September events: Dan Gadow and the Airforwarders Association

We'll have more details on Dan's featured presentation at our monthly luncheon which will be held on Tuesday, September 13th, in the coming days. Just get your calendar marked for it. The big event, though, surrounds the quarterly Airforwarders Assocation board meeting that will be held in Chicago on September 20th followed by a night of discussion about air cargo issues in the Chicago market. In what can only be termed a coup, the AfA have landed Ginger Evans, Chicago's Aviation Commissioner, as a speaker and participant. If you're interested in sponsoring the event which is targeted at freight forwarders, or you want to attend, check out more on our website.

Calling all scholars...

September is also the month when we will open for nominations and applications for our annual IACAC Scholarship. Last year three worthy recipients shared several thousand dollars for their education. As a reminder, the scholarship is open to immediate family members of IACAC individual and corporate members. Got a kid going to college? Spend $50 or $100 on a membership for a chance to get them money for school.

"It's cold in Chicago" isn't a valid excuse.

You'd have to be blind or not spend any time driving around any part of O'Hare to notice the construction that seems to be happening at every turn. IDOT and the Illinois Tollway's plan for western access to O'Hare (and a western bypass around said airport) are under siege because the Canadian Pacific Railroad have backed out of an agreement to sell a portion of their yard to the Tollway Authority for the western access project. Greg Hinz has been covering it beautifully for Crain's and you should read what is happening and hope that both sides can come to their senses and the bargaining table because the delays and additional costs would dwarf whatever price the railroad sets for the property.

October events include an Oktoberfest!

For certain we're going to have the inimitable Brandon Fried and his traveling road show from the Airforwarders Association in to talk about what is happening with regulators in DC. There are all kinds of things to talk about like IACSSP Change 6, canines, ACAS and more. Brandon's event is usually one of the more well-attended we put on each year, so don't forget to mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 11th.

We're also finalizing the details on an Oktoberfest back over at Church Street Brewing Company, the site of our successful July social event. The tentative date is Thursday, October 20th at Church Street in Itasca. Watch this space for the full details when they're announced.

President’s Letter: August, 2016

Posted on | by Brian Bartolotta, President

Welcome to August. I like to think we're deep in the heart of the summer (and it has been a warm one to date, certainly) but judging from my television and the sale fliers starting to appear in my mailbox, I apparently need to get to planning the return to school of my kids later this month. Before we start having thoughts of classrooms, though, there are bigger and better concerns for our IACAC members and I wanted to share those with you today.

Last reminder: The golf outing is on August 9th.

Honestly, I know we've been drilling it into everybody's heads and we hope you're not utterly sick of hearing from us.

This is an important event because it's one of our two major fundraising activities throughout the year that raises money for our annual scholarship fund that awards money to students continuing their education. I won't bore you with the details, you can go here to read them and register, but join us to golf. If you can't join us to golf, join us for lunch. If you can't do either of those, donate something that we can raffle off to help our recipient(s) defray the cost of their education. We're not putting anybody through Harvard with a full ride, but we can certain help them with books and materials for a semester or two.

Watch this space for the IACAC Scholarship applications and questions.

Our Scholarship Committee Chair Olya Lebedyeva has come up with the list of questions for our applicants and our goal is to follow the same calendar we did last year calling for applications later in August and accepting them through October. We will announce and present the winners at our annual Holiday Luncheon.

PSS and forecast from Asia.

The Journal of Commerce reports that as retailers are gearing up for the 2016 PSS that rates on the Shanghai Containerized Index are ticking upwards. Bill Mongeluzzo reports that while the bumps in volume are not what they were during peak years (as much as a twenty percent increase in volume), retailers will still move their high-value merchandise through West Coast ports for the transit time savings it affords them versus an all-water service to the East Coast and then a return westward by rail or truck.

The importance of being active (in your networks).

As the owner of a logistics placement firm representing both employers and recruits, I stress to both sides of the equation the importance of keeping things current. Employers need to be sure their job listings are accurate and timely, otherwise individuals will feel dismayed and not trust a company who is misleading in their hunt for people. For recruits, network, make connections and stay engaged in discussions. Carve out some time each day to work through your professional social media channels, sharing things that are interesting or making new connections. Heck, if you attend any of our networking events and come home with a pocket full of business cards, you should be trying to connect with those people as soon as possible after meeting them. Add to that network because you never know when you'll need it.

Stay current because there's always an M or an A right around the corner.

M = Merger, A = Acquisition. If you've been through one (or more), you know what it is like to come out on one side or the other. Maybe your position gets retained, maybe it is eliminated because the other company's department is superior or doesn't need double the headcount. According to consulting firm PwC, while M&A activity was off in the first quarter of this year, they anticipate that low oil prices will continue to free up capital to pursue opportunities throughout the rest of 2016. You can read the story in American Shipper.

President’s Letter: July, 2016

Posted on | by Brian Bartolotta, President

We've reached the crest of 2016 and are now moving into the second half of the year. We're not wasting any time here at the IACAC and hope that you're half as excited about what we've got on our plate as I am. Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

June CNS event

On June 16th, CNS, the US arm of IATA, came to Chicago to educate air freight forwarders about eAWB adoption. Starting August 1st, airlines here in Chicago are going to be pushing for as many shipments to be tendered with electronic MAWB's as possible. Thanks to our efforts and those of the CCBFA, we registered 150 people for the event and just over 120 people were in attendance for the half day event.

It was a privilege to open the event. Thanks as well to IACAC Board Member Scott Case who helped put it together, locate the venue and was the featured keynote speaker before handing it off to the team from CNS.

Between our pictures and theirs, we've brought them together into a gallery you can look through here.

AirCargo 2016 in Phoenix a success

Brian Bartolotta and Melissa Gallardo at AirCargo 2016I had the pleasure of attending the AirCargo 2016 conference in Phoenix earlier this month and between the sessions, the networking events and the great number of exhibitors in the hall, the more than six hundred people in attendance took away a TON over those three days.

July 28th networking event at Church Street Brewing Company

We had such a great time and turnout at our March networking event around the college basketball tournament that we're doing it again. This time, come join us July 28th from 6 - 9 PM at Church Street Brewing Company. There's no charge to attend, just bring yourself, your business cards, and a taste for great craft beer.

More details including an RSVP will be coming to the site shortly - stay tuned.

IACAC Golf Outing August 9th - Calling all golfers and sponsors

Our annual golf outing is coming up in a little over six weeks and we are thrilled to be back at the Bridges of Poplar Creek. This event is the highlight event of the association outing circuit each year (or so we think) and the proceeds benefit our IACAC Scholarship Fund.

Golf registration is only $125.00 for single golfers and $400.00 per foursome. Can't join us for golf or not a golfer? We'll see you at lunch for only $35.00!

Click here to register for the IACAC Golf Outing!

We're still looking for sponsors and raffle prizes as well to give away during the luncheon. For more information about becoming an IACAC Golf Outing sponsor, download this flier.

Airline tickets up for grabs at IACAC Golf Outing

As of June 29th, we've got a commitment for tickets from:

  • Lan (courtesy of Progressive Transportation)
  • Air Canada
  • Southwest

Stay tuned because we're still feverishly working the phones and email to try and secure more. The IACAC Golf Outing is one of the few events left for forwarders to win tickets from our valued airline partners.

 

 

President’s Letter: June, 2016.

Posted on | by Scott Case

It is finally safe to say that after what has been a remarkably miserable Spring weather-wise, we're out the other end of it. I decided the picture of the lawnmower was best because, well, I've become best friends with it over the past month or so. We've got a regularly scheduled weekly appointment, although that could easily be twice-weekly if I had the time. But summer's here, we (IACAC) aren't slowing down any time soon, and I wanted to take a few minutes to share the things that are important to the Association and you, our members, in the coming months.

AirCargo 2016: June 8 - 10; will YOU be there?

I will, and in fact my company will have a booth in the exhibition hall. The conference is jointly presented by four key air cargo trade associations; the Airforwarders Association (AfA), the Air-Expedited Motor Carriers Association (AEMCA), Airports Council International North America (ACI-NA) and the Express Logistics Association (XLA). It will be at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona, and is a worthwhile event to attend. The nearly six hundred air cargo professionals who have already registered to attend will hear great sessions on things like drones and driverless trucks, an SSI-only session with a representative from TSA in Washington to ask pointed questions about security programs and the whole thing will be keynoted by Ray Thurston who started a company called SonicAir and led him ultimately to be CEO of UPS Worldwide Logistics for a period of time.

Don't miss out; registration is still available. If you're a member of one of these four associations, there might still be member discounts available; check with them. Otherwise visit aircargoconference.com to register.

eAWB education and training June 16th in Schaumburg.

The IACAC, along with the CCBFA and CNS are proud to be co-hosting a training session on e-AWB that is sponsored by United Airlines. Beginning in August, airlines at ORD are going to push to receive as many export air waybills electronically as possible. In order to educate the trade community on eAWB and better understand how it works and what is coming, CNS (the US arm of IATA) are offering a free half-day training at the Schaumburg Corporate Center (thanks to IACAC member and sponsor Roanoke Trade for helping to secure the space) on June 16th from 8 AM - 12:30 PM.

If you're unfamiliar with eAWB, how it works and whether you and your software provider can transmit this data to carriers, you will not want to miss this important session. To register or for more information, visit this link with CNS.

The eAWB training session will be our June event in lieu of our usual luncheon event since it's only two days after when we would have had our luncheon.

IACAC Golf Outing open to golfer registration - plenty of sponsorships still available.

It's getting close! Sure, you can go and play Bridges of Poplar Creek by yourself or with somebody else, but it won't be near as fun as doing it with us on August 9th. The registration is now open for golfers and we've kept the pricing identical to last year. For only $125.00 per golfer (or $400.00 per foursome), you will receive continental breakfast, an eighteen hole shotgun scramble, cart and lunch. That's a heck of a bargain, and in the coming weeks you'll be hearing about those great sponsors.

Speaking of sponsorship; there's a reason we do this other than wanting to spend a nice August day outdoors. The proceeds from the golf, sponsorships and prize raffles at lunch benefit our IACAC Scholarship, which last year awarded over $4,000 to three worthy recipients. We want to do the same thing this year, and you, yes you can make that happen. For more information about sponsoring or donating raffle items, download this flier.

If you have any questions, email our Golf Committee chairman Jim Wilbrandt at jim (at) basicent(dot)com.

President’s Letter: April, 2016

Posted on | by Brian Bartolotta, President

It's spring, we're days away from Opening Day and it's time for some introductions.

Hello, everyone. Thank you to those who participated in the special election earlier this month. I would like to thank Herman Ruiz who also put his name forth for the election. Herman has been an important and involved member of the IACAC for many years and I sincerely appreciate his service.

My name is Brian Bartolotta and I'm the Managing Director of BCS Placement. I am fortunate that many of our members are also my company's clients, so I look forward to having a chance encourage many of you to take the time to get involved in this great organization. I'll also be pressuring my non-member clients to join as well, because I believe that ours is one with tradition and history on our side.

Why I ran for President.

My vision for this organization which is in its 61st year is one of growth locally and nationally. We have a strong and diverse membership of airlines, warehouses, truckers and forwarders. We all have issues that are important to us and we should be working together to improve the air cargo community here in Chicago.

We should also reach out in all directions to other associations; CCBFA, ITA-GC, ITCC, the Illinois Trucking Association and others whose livelihoods depend upon a strong and growing air cargo industry.

We face issues here in Chicago that affect us directly, but sometimes the challenges we face are being repeated in other cities or on a national level. It is with this in mind that I look forward to engaging with organizations such as the Airforwarders Association or other air cargo associations around the country to network and share resources, tips and ideas. I encourage all of you when you travel to other cities to check in advance if your travel coincides with the meeting of a local air cargo association. It is a tremendous networking opportunity as well as a chance to learn something about the local marketplace.

I also want us to be more social. Last week we had a tremendous turnout for our March Madness event held with YFFA. We need to add more of these to our calendar, and surprisingly there are many great venues surrounding the airport where we can gather and share laughs in a relaxed and social setting.

If you have any questions or wish to reach me, feel free to contact me by email at bbartolotta (at) bcsplacement.com.

I look forward to working on your behalf and hope to see as many of you as possible at what will be a feature lunch event on April 12th with Bruce Campbell of Forward Air. Make your reservations today.

Chairman’s Letter: February, 2016.

Posted on | by Scott Case

This is a bit of a departure from our normal format and I was pressed into service to write this again. Fortunately, I had twelve months of experience in 2015, all of which are still fresh in my mind. So without any further ado...let's get to it.

IACAC Presidential Election.

Sam Krouse who this great Association elected in November of last year has tendered his resignation to the board. He accepted a job out-of-state and out of the industry and he and his family are relocating. We wish Sam the best and this came as a surprise to all of us. We have consulted with Michelle Mejia, counsel to the Assocation (more on that later), and we must hold a special election for the office of President.

We have two candidates who have declared their interest, Brian Bartolotta of BCS Placement and Olya Lebedyeva of SEKO. Both are members in good standing and eligible to run for the position and we are very excited that two tremendously qualified candidates have put themselves forward to serve the remainder of Sam's term. If Olya is elected, this will open up an additional position on the board that will also require an election.

If you're interested in running for the President, please send me an email by February 9th.

We will be posting a link to the ballot on the site and emailing members that link in the coming weeks. We ask that if you are not going to attend our March luncheon event that you please submit your ballot to me by email as per the instructions.

February event: Networking!

Let's face it, when we're not trying to take business from each other, we love to get together and break bread and share a drink or two, right? Well, we normally do a January networking event, but thanks to the success of our January luncheon featuring Jason Allen of U.S. Testing and Michelle Mejia, we pushed the networking event to this month. Reviews were positive of the Wyndham as a venue, and we're going to be hosting our networking event there. Watch for the email invite and details in The Pallet and through our various social media channels.

Introducing...Michelle Mejia!

At the January board meeting, we voted to accept Michelle Mejia of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg as IACAC Counsel. Michelle has done great work with the Chicago Air Cargo Congestion Forum and will provide us with legal support for issues that the board faces. More importantly, she is available to you, the IACAC member, for issues that you're having with regulatory bodies or other agencies. We are focused on bringing value to our membership in 2016, and Michelle is a first step towards that. If you would like to learn more about Michelle, here is a link to her bio on her firm's website.

Sponsorships available on iacac.com and at our Golf Outing.

Our website generates a lot of traffic - nearly a thousand page views per month. It is a great opportunity for a company seeking to promote their company to the air cargo professionals in Chicago and elsewhere who pay attention. We have opportunities available throughout the site, whether on our home page or interior pages. In fact, we've created a sponsorship page where you can look at the options and pricing and contact us for more information.

We've not yet opened registration to golfers, but know that the annual IACAC Golf Outing will be on Tuesday, August 9th. We are soliciting sponsorships now and several are limited so get on the one you're interested in today. This year we are limiting the number of hole sponsors and will also be offering flag sponsorships. You can have your company's name and logo on one of the eighteen flags for only $75.00. When we're done playing, the flag is yours as a souvenir of the day.

For more information about what is available and to secure your early sponsorship, visit the event page for the Golf Outing.

President’s Letter, January, 2016

Posted on | by Scott Case

Happy New Year, everyone. As we make our way through this lull week between Christmas and New Year's, it is a great time to look back and close out 2015 and look ahead to 2016. We have plenty of exciting things on the horizon for 2016 as an Association and I wanted to share some of what we're planning for next year.

First of all, thank you very much to outgoing President Jim Wilbrandt and outgoing Chairman Mitch Estrada. These two men have each made their stamp on this organization during their presidencies in 2014 and 2015. This year we celebrated sixty years of the IACAC; a remarkable accomplishment when you compare our organization to other air cargo associations in other cities. We have much to be proud of that this group has kept going without interruption during that time.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sam Krouse. I am currently the Executive Account Manager for Labelmaster’s subsidiary DGM Chicago I previously worked as the Distribution Sales Manager for Labelmaster and attended Miami University where I majored in marketing and minored in management information systems. I'm the proud dad of two daughters and one dog and live in Pingree Grove, IL.

January luncheon: Pros and cons of screening your own cargo.

We're not going to ease into the year, we're going to hit the ground running. Anybody who is an IAC or an IAC's authorized representative should join us January 12th at the Wyndham Garden Elk Grove Village. We're going to present both sides of the "should I do my own screening" issue. Jason Allen is coming in from Washington state and works for U.S. Testing, a distributor of multiple screening solutions for forwarders and others in the air cargo supply chain. He'll talk about the types of equipment, the cost and what forwarders need to do to become their own screeners. Michelle Mejia of Sandler Travis & Rosenberg will talk about the risks such as increased liability and potential penalties for violations.

We've plastered it everywhere but I'll reinforce it; we're at the Wyndham, not the Holiday Inn. Click here to register by noon, January 11th and please let us know you're coming; there's nothing more embarrassing than having to set up more tables or running out of food because we didn't have an accurate count.

Renewal notices coming in the next two weeks.

We'll send out a blast to everyone to begin the renewals process. You'll be able to renew online here on the site or by downloading and submitting a paper application and payment by check, if necessary. This year we're also putting in an auto-expiry for the website, so your membership and access to the website will be shut off on a prescribed date if you don't renew.

Volunteering is a great way to get involved.

Many of the current members of the board got their start as volunteers on a committee. Whether you can commit to year-round involvement or help out for events like our golf outing or holiday reception or even a few months when we issue a call for scholarship applications, your help is always welcome. For more information, contact Jim Wilbrandt, Chairman of the Board, by email.

Submit your news for The Pallet.

Every month, we distribute The Pallet electronically to our members and the air cargo community. If you have cool things happening in your office (acquisitions, new hires, project cargo, awards, etc), share it with us so we can share it with everyone else. You can submit the stories to Scott Case who produces The Pallet for monthly distribution.

President’s Letter: December, 2015

Posted on | by Jim Wilbrandt

Dear Members,

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

Jim Wilbrandt
President
IACAC

President’s Letter: November, 2015

Posted on | by Jim Wilbrandt

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

November luncheon: Of elections and scholarships.

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

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

December holiday luncheon: New venue, same great charity.

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

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

We're developing posters for your offices.

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

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

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

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

Membership renewals are coming.

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

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

President’s Letter: September, 2015

Posted on | by Jim Wilbrandt

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.