by Scott Frederick | Sep 24, 2015 | News
Sundreysh Sarup, Managing Director for Logistics Plus India, was recently featured in the August 2015 edition of Cargo News Unloaded – an e-newsletter published by Delhi International Airport. Sundreysh shares his views on the need for efficient cargo infrastructure in India. You can read his comments below, or click the thumbnail shown to the right to download/view a PDF copy.
by Scott Frederick | Sep 16, 2015 | News
The Erie Time-News published an article entitled “Logistics Plus in Erie brings casual approach to corporate success” in today’s paper (and online at goerie.com). It’s a nice little article with some great photographs – and we appreciate the time their staff writer spent interviewing our team, and the “inside look” he shared regarding our company’s culture.
The piece is nicely written, but I fear the forest may have been lost for the trees in the translation. While the article talks about our many non-standard practices, e.g., extremely casual attire, lack of budgets and plans, goofy personality of our CEO, etc., it doesn’t fully connect the dots as to how and why this has all been so successful. Great “managers” have budgets and plans; however, great “leaders” are beyond these standard business tools. Mr. Berlin is one such individual. Yes, he wears a t-shirt, tennis shoes, and jeans; tells funny stories; and hasn’t read our policy manual in over 10 years – but what he does do each and every day is show emotion, compassion and support for his employees and his business. A day hasn’t gone by where Jim hasn’t preached that “Logistics Plus is the company that gives a sh*t” and that we need to show our customers that is truly the case at all times. So while our company culture may seem casual and different, it has fostered an employee base that began as 3 and is now over 350, and one that has real passion for serving its customers, growing the business, and achieving success (over $120M worth of success, mind you, mostly through business referrals and customer testimonials, and as Jim often says of our employees “finding a way to YES!”).
It is true our employees enjoy the onsite fitness center, corporate trainer and free meals; but when they’re back at their desks they are working hard – often beyond normal business hours – to support the business. They know they are fully empowered to “do what’s right” for our customers and the business, and to think out-of-the-box to get the job done. And what’s great is that they also know if they make a mistake, they’ll simply get a hug from the CEO and pat on the back (and, of course, told “now, don’t do that again, right?”). I’ve been around a lot of big companies, and you won’t find that approach in too many company policy manuals, nor will you find many companies that will go the extra mile every day for their customers like Logistics Plus does.
Read the Erie Times-News Article
View the Erie Times-New Photo Gallery
by logisticsplus | Sep 9, 2015 | News
Logistics Plus (LP) was contacted recently by the Great American Stations Project to prepare a case study on how Erie Union Station was converted for commercial use. Amtrak® established the Great American Stations Project in 2006 to educate communities on the benefits of redeveloping train stations, offer tools to community leaders to preserve their stations, and provide the appropriate Amtrak resources. The case study documents Logistics Plus founder and CEO Jim Berlin’s quest to restore the old station, create a cool vibe for his company, and support economic development of downtown Erie. The author of the case study summarizes the keys to the successful commercialization of Erie Union Station as follows:
- LP renovated the station to suit modern office and commercial tenants
- Experimented with a tenant mix that responds to local market demands
- Station was one of the first large-scale building rehabilitation projects in Midtown
- LP continues to participate in wider efforts to support neighborhood redevelopment
- Renovation maintained the station’s historical integrity.
Thank you to Patrick Kidd, Senior Communications Specialist for Great American Stations Projects and Amtrak Archives for producing this case study in support of train station development. You can read the complete case study by clicking the image below. You can also download a PDF copy of the case study by clicking the thumbnail image shown above.
by Scott Frederick | Sep 8, 2015 | News
Today the Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA) named Logistics Plus as its Member of the Week. We are honored and truly appreciate the recognition of our services and support to the association and its members. The announcement was posted by the MBA to its Business Magazine website at www.mbabizmag.com/2015/09/08/member-week-logistics/
Founded in 1905, the Manufacturer & Business Association is a not-for-profit employers’ association whose focus is to help businesses succeed. The association is headquartered in Erie, PA with an additional office located in Harrisburg, PA.
by Scott Frederick | Aug 21, 2015 | News
Earlier this month, Logistics Management magazine unveiled the results of its 32nd Annual Quest for Quality Awards recognizing some of the highest-quality carriers in the industry. This year, its survey results yielded 125 providers of transportation and logistics services. To determine who wins the vote, Logistics Management readers evaluate companies in all modes and service disciplines, choosing the top performers in categories including motor carriers, railroad and intermodal services, ocean carriers, airlines, freight forwarders, ports, third-party/contract logistics services.
Logistics Plus, being a smaller-sized third-party logistics company, was not included on the survey ballot (but we’ll see if we can change that in the coming years). However, many of our core LTL freight carriers were on the ballot and many also won awards. So we’d like to congratulate the following Logistics Plus LTL freight carriers for winning Quest for Quality Awards this year:
- FedEx Freight (National and Multiregional LTL categories)
- Con-way Freight (National LTL category)
- Holland (Midwest/North Central LTL, South/South Central LTL and Expedited categories)
- Pitt Ohio (Northeast/Mid-Atlanta LTL category)
- New Penn (Northeast/Mid-Atlanta LTL and Expedited categories)
- A. Due Pyle (Northeast/Mid-Atlanta LTL and Expedited categories)
- Southeastern Freight Lines (South/South Central LTL category)
- Reddaway (Western LTL category)
Additionally, there were a number of truckload, expedited, ocean and air freight carriers that Logistics Plus has worked with in the past year that won Quest for Quality awards, including Miller Transporters, Ruan Transport, Prime, Landstar, and J.B. Hunt (truckload carriers); Panther Premium Logistics and FedEx Custom Critical (expedited motor carriers); Maersk Line, Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen Line, OOCL, and COSCO (ocean carriers); and Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Emirates SkyCargo, and FedEx Express (airfreight carriers).
Reputable and quality carriers not already a part of the Logistics Plus network can click the button on the left below to start the process of becoming a carrier. Shippers looking for quality carriers through a third-party logistics partner can click the button on the right below to request a risk-free quote.