CLDA PRESS RELEASES

Customer Service Tips from Dennis Snow, formerly with the Walt Disney World Company, Featured at CLDA Final Mile Forum in February

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 21, 2019 – “Delivering World-Class Customer Service: Lessons from The Mouse” will be the keynote presentation at the CLDA’s second Final Mile Forum & Expo February 19-21, 2020. The three-day expo and educational forum will be held at the Hyatt Regency Miami Sheraton Grande.

Dennis Snow will be the keynote speaker. He spent two decades with the Walt Disney World Company and is now a speaker, trainer, consultant and author who helps organizations achieve goals related to customer service, employee development and leadership. “Customers have more choices than ever, with the result that most products and services are increasingly seen as commodities,” he says. “So, in today’s market, what can an organization do to stand out from the crowd? Differentiating your service is the key to attracting and retaining customers – while driving bottom line results.”

Based on his 20-years with the Walt Disney World Company along with many years of consulting with organizations around the world, Dennis Snow will provide Final Mile Forum participants with a “how-to” program for creating a service-driven culture. This program will provide strategic tools that conference participants can use to raise the bar of service throughout their organizations.

Those who attend the Final Mile Forum will learn:

Approaches that help employees move from a task mindset to an experience mindset.
A process for ensuring that organization’s “backstage” environment never impacts the “onstage” customer experience.
Four specific strategies for wowing customers every time.

Dennis launched a division of the Disney Institute responsible for consulting with some of the world’s largest companies including ExxonMobil, AT&T, General Motors and Coca Cola. During this time, he presented to audiences in diverse locations around the world, such as South Africa, Australia, Mexico, England and Argentina. This division quickly became the fastest growing venture of the Disney Institute and experienced repeat business of nearly 100 percent.

He also spent several years with the Disney University, teaching corporate philosophy and business practices to cast members and the leadership team. While there, he coordinated the Disney Traditions program, which is universally recognized as a benchmark in corporate training. In his last year with Walt Disney World, Dennis’ leadership performance was ranked in the top three percent of the company’s leadership team.

The Final Mile Forum’s three-day agenda is designed to give leaders in the time-critical logistics, delivery and express air cargo logistics industries a front row seat on current trends and previews of the future in the supply chain. Along with the educational presentations and exhibits, the Forum will feature opportunities for business development and one-on-one networking. Participants will come away with tips on enhancing company performance with new concepts as well as new contacts with shippers and others in the final mile industry.

Registration is now open through clda.org. A discount rate is available for current CLDA members renewing for 2020. There are opportunities for sponsorship and exhibitors. Discounts are also available to members and those who join the CLDA when they register. For more information, go to clda.org.

Media Contact

Andrea Obston aobston@aomc.com

(860) 243-1447 – office

(860) 803-1155 – cell

The CLDA Final Mile Forum & Expo Moves to February

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 16, 2019 – The CLDA Final Mile Forum & Expo will kick off the trade show season with a move to February 19-21, 2020. The three-day expo and educational forum will be held at the Hyatt Regency Miami Sheraton Grande at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, AZ.

“The CLDA Final Mile Forum is more than just about education and networking. It is about meeting new people in the industry and creating long lasting relationships with like-minded individuals, sharing knowledge and experience, and making life- long connections,” says the meeting’s co-chair Thomas Jowers, Chief Operating Office, ADL Delivery. Julie Thomas, President of Priority Logistics Group co-chairs the event with Jowers.

The forward-looking agenda will give leaders in the industry a front row seat on current trends and previews of the future in the supply chain. Along with the educational presentations and exhibits, the three days will feature opportunities for business development and one-on-one networking. Participants will come away with tips on enhancing company performance with new concepts as well as new contacts with shippers and other in the final mile industry.

Registration will open on Oct. 21. A discount rate is available for current CLDA members renewing for 2020. There are opportunities for sponsorship and exhibitors. Discounts are also available to members and those who join the CLDA when they register. For more information, email info@clida.org.

About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association

The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) is a non-profit professional association that is the voice of the last-mile, time-critical logistics and delivery industries. The association serves the needs of its 3,500 members who are logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers and 3 PLS. Since 1987, CLDA has provided business opportunities, advocacy and education for those involved with the time-critical and last-mile customized delivery industry. For more information see www.clda.org.

Media Contact

Andrea Obston aobston@aomc.com

(860) 243-1447 – office

(860) 803-1155 – cell

New Speakers for CLDA’s Executive Leadership Summit Sept. 25 and 26

WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 22, 2019 –CLDA’s 2019 Executive Leadership Summit will include workshops with industry leaders and a management consultant to some of the country’s most influential companies. It will be held on Wednesday, September 25 and Thursday, September 26 at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort in Atlanta, GA. This hands-on conference will help executives and their up-and-coming leaders to sharpen their skills; gain practical knowledge and be ready for the new workforce

The Executive Leadership Summit will be led by management trainer, consultant and author Ed Eppley. Joining him on the program will be industry veteran and CLDA Hall of Famer Rob Hackbarth. Also part of the program will be a panel of investors in the industry who will talk about industry investments and acquisitions.

Eppley will moderate and present throughout the two-day workshop. His clients include a “Who’s Who” of business category leaders such as BMW, DSW, Sara Lee, Bloomberg, Battelle, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Speedway, Steamboat Ski & Resort Company, Value City Furniture, PSA Airlines, Emerson Electric, NECCO, Safelite Auto Glass, and others. He is the author of Let's Be Clear: 6 Disciplines of Focused Management Pros.

Hackbarth is a 40+ year veteran of the industry. He is a professional speaker, author and founder of two companies: Hackbarth Delivery Service and Mondays are Great. Hackbarth is the author of two books on leadership, overcoming adversity, teamwork and a winning attitude, There are No Small Moments and The BET.

The Industry Investment and Acquisitions panel will include Eric LeMarbre, Managing Director, The Tenney Group; Ray Jeandron, Partner, LongueVue Capital; Phillip DeDominicis, Managing Director – Investment Banking, Menke & Associates and Mike Brooks, Chief Financial Officer, Kellen.

“Those who take part in this event will receive hands-on leadership and executive training with other logistics executives and managers from the industry,” says conference chair Errol Cvern. “This event is designed as a workshop to help current and up-and-coming leaders chart a course through uncharted waters of the industry.”

The program will include:

Day #1

Smart vs. Healthy – In this session participants will learn how to strike the right balance between a highly efficient, results-driven organization and one that attracts above-average talent. The goal here is to build highly cohesive, aligned, high performing teams.
You Can’t Be a Good Leader Until You’re a Great Manager – Here participants will learn about the six disciplines of professional management that will help executives direct, operate and control the outcomes of their businesses.

“The BET” by Rob Hackbarth - Based on the lessons Hackbarth learned while pitching the baseball game of his life, this session will showcase the cornerstones of his successful 40+ career in the logistics industry. Those principles still underlie the company he founded, Hackbarth Delivery Service, Inc., a regional transportation company with 43 locations in 11 states.
The Gap Trap – In this session, managers will learn about the inevitable dilemma of over-focusing on producing results and failing to develop their people. This common trap often leads to managers working harder and longer than they did the year before and ultimately burn out.
Industry Investment & Acquisitions - This panel discussion will feature practical advice from three investors in the industry. Panelists will touch on the climate for mergers and acquisitions in the logistics space and the impact of private equity in this arena. They will also debate employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) options.

Day #2

Exceptional Performance Isn’t an Accident – Participants in this session will learn why individual and organizational performance must be routine for an organization to thrive over the long haul. Making high performance the norm starts with defining what success looks like for every person in your company.
Creating a Truly Healthy Company – In this session, participants will learn how to help their people see their work as something more than a set of outcomes or tasks. When this happens, productivity soars and inter-office politics disappear.
Taking the Concepts Home - In this wrap-up session, participants will develop real-world strategies that they can bring back to their offices and put into play as soon as you get there.

Registration for the Executive Leadership Summit is now open. The cost for members is $695 and non-members is $895. It does not include hotel reservations. To register for the conference and book your hotel room, go to the Events page of clda.org.

About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association

The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) is a non-profit professional association that is the voice of the time-critical logistics, delivery and express air cargo logistics industries. The association serves the needs of its 3,500 members who are logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers, air cargo logistics providers, 3 PLs and vendors servicing today’s supply chain companies. Since 1987, CLDA has provided business opportunities, advocacy and education. For more information see www.clda.org.

Media Contact

Andrea Obston aobston@aomc.com

(860) 243-1447 – office

(860) 803-1155 – cell

Take Your Company to the Next Level at the CLDA Executive Leadership Summit in September

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 18, 2019 – Courier companies looking for ways to grow their companies and their leaders will want to attend the CLDA Executive Leadership Summit in September. This hands-on working conference will help executives and their up-and-coming leaders to sharpen their skills; gain practical knowledge and be ready for the new workforce. It will be held on Wednesday, September 25 and Thursday, September 26 at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort in Atlanta, GA.

This is the second year for this CLDA’s skills development boot camp for c-suite executives, young professionals and managers in the leadership pipeline. Those who attend will receive hands-on leadership and executive training with other logistics executives and managers in the industry.

The Executive Leadership Summit will be led by management trainer and consultant Ed Eppley. He is a principal consultant for the Table Group, a Patrick Lencioni Company, facilitator for Aileron’s flagship Course for President and operates The Eppley Group. His practice focuses on professional management, sales strategy and organizational health. He has worked with executive teams at multinational companies across the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, and Australia. His clients include a “Who’s Who” of business category leaders such as BMW, DSW, Sara Lee, Bloomberg, Battelle, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Speedway, Steamboat Ski & Resort Company, Value City Furniture, PSA Airlines, Emerson Electric, NECCO, Safelite Auto Glass, and others.

“My goal for those who attend the ELS is that they advance their businesses through what they learn at the conference,” he said. “At the end of the event I expect they will develop ways to operate their businesses with more confidence. They should feel more confident to compete in the highly volatile environment in which they operate. My job will be to facilitate conversations about proven principles for managing and leading, and to help them think about how these principles apply to their businesses “

Based on his experience in the logistics sector, Eppley will urge participants to think of their businesses in new ways. “I want them to consider that the industry they are in is all about mobility. There is a large and growing movement around the concept of mobility. The traditional methods of moving people or packages are all under question,” he said. “If you a member of this association, you need to get comfortable with those changes and to think about how they affect both your customer (the shippers) and their clients. I want participants to ask themselves, ‘Who is my ideal customer and how do I help them best serve their clients?’ That’s who your business should be built to serve.”

Sessions presented by Eppley will include:

Day #1

Smart vs. Healthy – In this session participants will learn how to strike the right balance between a highly efficient, results-driven organization and one that attracts above-average talent.The goal here is to build highly cohesive, aligned, high performing teams.
You Can’t Be a Good Leader Until You’re a Great Manager – Here participants will learn about the six disciplines of professional management.When performed well, these disciplines will help executives direct, operate and control the outcomes of their businesses.

The Gap Trap – In this session, managers will learn about the inevitable dilemma of over-focusing on producing results and failing to develop their people. This common trap often leads to managers working harder and longer than they did the year before and ultimately burn out.

Day #2

Exceptional Performance Isn’t an Accident – Participants in this session will come to appreciate that individual and organizational performance have to be routine for an organization to thrive over the long haul. Making high performance the norm starts with defining what success looks like for every person in your company.
Creating a Truly Healthy Company – In this session, participants will learn how to help their people see their work as something more than a set of outcomes or tasks. When this happens, productivity soars and inter-office politics disappear.
Taking the Concepts Home - In this wrap-up session, participants will develop real-world strategies that they can bring back to their offices and put into play as soon as you get there.

The conference will also include two sessions by guest presenters.

Eppley sums up the reasons to attend the Executive Leadership Summit this way: “Ten years from now the issues that are confronting people in this sector will be totally different. The reality will shift. These sessions will help arm participants with the ability to recognize these shifts and to use them to develop stronger and more resilient and sustainable organizations.”

About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association

Media Contact

Andrea Obston aobston@aomc.com

(860) 243-1447 – office

(860) 803-1155 – cell

XLA JOINS FORCES WITH CLDA

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 28, 2019 – The Express Delivery and Logistics Association (XLA) has merged into the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA) effective January 21, 2019.

“This merger adds value for both associations, the industry, and all participants in today’s supply chain,” says Chuck Moyer, president of the CLDA. “It will present all members with increased business opportunities to work with some of the biggest shippers in the air cargo segment of our industry and the members of the final mile industry that deliver for them. It will also offer all members the ability to expand their knowledge about the entire logistics chain.”

“Our joining the CLDA will enhance our members’ bottom lines, while exponentially expanding their advocacy abilities on regulatory issues critical to their continued success,” says XLA President Bart Salant.

As one voice for the supply chain, the merger will increase the industry’s impact on a national level. “With this merger, we will enhance our advocacy efforts in Washington and state capitols around the country,” says Moyer. “We will be representing, under one roof, the entire express air cargo logistics and logistics chain, including shippers and carriers. By joining together we have a stronger voice to address critical regulatory issues and promote the continued growth of our industry. That will be of special importance particularly when dealing with Congress, the TSA, DHS and CPB.”

Former members of the XLA will become full members of the CLDA. This will give them access to the CLDA’s industry meeting including their May Final Mile Forum & Expo in Phoenix, their Executive Leadership Summit in February, their webinars, quarterly industry trend magazine and other professional development programs and events throughout the year. In addition, three members of the former XLA will sit on the CLDA board, one of whom will be on the CLDA Executive Committee.

“We approached the CLDA about this merger several months ago because we saw it as a dynamic organization that had the ability to represent all sectors of the express cargo business combining agents, airlines and IACs within its structure,” says Salant.

The combined association is a win-win for members of both organizations, adds Moyer, who concluded, “I am confident that this merger will significantly strengthen our industry’s interests and provide real and measureable benefits for the bottom lines of all members.”

About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) is a non-profit professional association that is the voice of the time-critical logistics, delivery and express air cargo logistics industries. The association serves the needs of its 3,500 members who are logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers, air cargo logistics providers, 3 PLs and vendors servicing today’s supply chain companies. Since 1987, CLDA has provided business opportunities, advocacy and education. For more information see www.clda.org.

Media Contact
Andrea Obston aobston@aomc.com
(860) 243-1447 – office (860) 803-1155 – cell

FROM ROBOTS TO THE FUTURE OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS - CUTTING EDGE PRESENTATIONS SLATED FOR THE FIRST FINAL MILE FORUM & EXPO IN MAY

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 22, 2019 – How will robots and 3D printers impact the final mile delivery sector? How will employment trends affect the industry? How can final mile companies deal with the challenges of cross-border deliveries? These are three of the topics time-critical logistics providers, delivery company executives and members of the express air cargo logistics industries will sample at the first Final Mile Forum & Expo. The meeting will be held May 8-10, 2019 at the Sheraton Grande at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, AZ. Presented by the CLDA, it will be a three-day expo and educational forum for those involved in the supply chain.

The Final Mile Forum & Expo is an expansion of the CLDA’s former Annual Meeting. The new format is expected to be a showcase for the latest trends impacting supply chain leaders in the final-mile and logistics spaces. The meeting’s expanded format and forward-looking agenda will give industry leaders a front row seat on current trends and offer previews of the future of the supply chain. It will feature multiple tracks for managers, HR professionals, shippers and those involved in business development. The new meeting format also reflects an expanded emphasis on the needs of shippers in the last mile space. In addition, it will address the needs of the CLDA’s newest members, the air cargo shipping professionals of the association formerly known as the Express Delivery and Logistics Association (XLA). The XLA recently become a part of the CLDA, offering the opportunity for the nation’s biggest shippers in the air cargo sector to work with the members of the final mile industry that deliver for them.

Topics that will be covered at the Final Mile Forum include:

Thursday, May 9

Employment trends and regulations affecting independent contractors
Driver safety and certification
Issues facing shippers
International deliveries – challenges and benefits
Technology - tracking, robotics, 3D printers and beyond

Friday, May 10

State of the Final Mile, a fireside chat with Jim Tompkins, Tompkins International and Vijaya Rao, DeliveryCircle
Branding and company marketing
Future industry leaders – a look at how business schools are developing the next generation of supply chain leaders
The challenges of small parcel delivery
Succession Planning – developing the next generation, mergers and acquisitions and leadership advancement.

Along with the educational presentations and exhibits, the three days will feature opportunities for business development, individual and group meetings with shippers looking for carriers and one-on-one networking.

Registration is now open with an early bird discount of $100 available until Wednesday, April 10. Discounts are also available to members and those who join the CLDA when they register. To register and for more information, go to the Events tab at www.clda.org.

About the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association
The Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) is a non-profit professional association that is the voice of the last-mile, time-critical logistics and delivery industries. The association serves the needs of its 3,500 members who are logistics professionals, carriers, shippers, drivers, express air cargo logistics providers and 3 PLS. Since 1987, CLDA has provided business opportunities, advocacy and education for those involved with the time-critical and last-mile customized delivery industry. For more information see www.clda.org.

Media Contact
Andrea Obston aobston@aomc.com
(860) 243-1447 – office (860) 803-1155 – cell