Event Archives

Logistics Plus to Activate New FOREIGN TRADE ZONE

by Scott Frederick | Oct 13, 2015 | News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Logistics Plus Partners with Erie International Airport and Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority to Activate New FOREIGN TRADE ZONE

The ERI FTZ will provide regional businesses deferred, potentially reduced or eliminated, Customs duties, and reduced door-to-door transportation expenses.

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, October 14, 2015 – Logistics Plus Inc., a worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, announced today that it has added a new and significant cost and time savings option to its portfolio of available client services: the implementation and use of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) protocols.

Since 1934, and all across America, U.S. Foreign Trade Zones have proven to be enormously successful examples of ‘public-private partnerships’; wherein regionally-focused public agencies support and coordinate their efforts with businesses to foster opportunities to increase job creation, expand capital investment, and expedite economic development by facilitating global trade.

The new general purpose ERI Foreign Trade Zone (ERI FTZ) warehousing and distribution facility is located on Tom Ridge Field at Erie International Airport (ERI); and was accomplished in close cooperation with ERI, and the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority (Port Erie), the Grantee of Foreign Trade Zone #247.

To introduce and celebrate the launch of the activated ERI FTZ, there will be a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3837 West 20th Street (the former Penn-Brass building) in Erie, PA on October, 22nd, at 3:30 pm. Immediately following the ceremony, Logistics Plus will host an informational reception at The Brewerie at Union Station, located directly below its 1406 Peach Street global headquarters. Leaders from regional businesses that already are, or intend to be, actively involved in world trade, are invited to attend.

Port Erie and ERI filed applications and received grants of authority for Foreign Trade Zone status from the U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Board in Washington. Under a contractual agreement with ERI, Logistics Plus filed and secured activated status for the site from Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and will operate FTZ warehousing and distribution facilities on the airport property.

“We’re very excited about this new partnership with Erie International Airport and Port Erie, and the long-term economic development prospects it provides to the Erie area,” said Jim Berlin, founder and CEO of Logistics Plus. “Erie International Airport has a great location and facility, while Logistics Plus has the knowledge, experience, equipment, software, and expertise to make this FTZ partnership very successful.”

Thousands of U.S. businesses have discovered that Foreign Trade Zone utilization can prove to be an incredibly effective tool to help develop new markets while systemically increasing profitability from both their existing operations and international trade relationships. CBP has declared FTZs to be the best practice for compliant management of global supply chains, coordinated logistics, and integrated manufacturing operations. FTZs enable importers and exporters to consistently benefit from this CBP-privileged status; offering duty savings, reduced transportation and insurance costs, and the flexibility to do in America, what is too often done off-shore. This includes packaging, kits, labeling, sorting, assembling, processing or manufacturing. If the finished products are exported from an FTZ, the original Customs duties are reduced ($79B in CY 2013).

“I am impressed with how quickly Logistics Plus was able to get this public-use foreign trade zone activated and business-ready,” said Christopher L. Rogers, Executive Director at Erie International Airport. “Combined with our recently extended runway and other economic projects, Erie International Airport has expanded beyond passenger-only transportation – we are also a capable hub for air cargo and global commerce.”

To learn more about the ERI FTZ powered by Logistics Plus, please visit www.logisticsplus.com/ERI-FTZ

About Erie International Airport (ERI)
Erie International Airport, Tom Ridge Field is managed and operated by the Erie Regional Airport Authority. It is served by three major airlines: Delta, United, and American with nonstop flights to three major cities and connections to over 1,100 different destinations. North Coast Air, located on the west side of the airport offers the region’s best in FBO services including fuel and aircraft maintenance. Also located at ERI, the North Coast Flight School is the only FAA fully approved flight training center serving the greater Erie area. The Erie Regional Airport Authority is a Pennsylvania Municipal Corporation established in 1951 under the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Act No. 164, for the purpose of acquiring, holding, constructing, improving, maintaining, and operating, owning, leasing, and providing financing for the airport and all facilities necessary or incident thereto. Learn more at www.erieairport.org

About Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority (Port of Erie)
The Port of Erie is located on the southeast shore of Lake Erie in a natural bay formed and sheltered by Presque Isle, Pennsylvania. Erie´s harbor entrance channel is 29 feet deep. The Port of Erie and O-N Minerals Erie offer cargo shippers on the Great Lakes/Seaway System the finest facilities available. With 85 million people within a 500 mile radius, Port Erie is at the hub of the US and Canadian Industrial Center. Learn more at www.porterie.org

About Logistics Plus (LP)
Logistics Plus Inc. provides freight transportation, warehousing, global logistics, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. Founded in Erie, PA by local entrepreneur Jim Berlin 20 years ago, Logistics Plus has been repeatedly recognized as one of the fastest-growing transportation and logistics companies in the country. With a strong passion for excellence, its 350+ employees put the “Plus” in logistics by doing the big things properly, and the countless little things, that together ensure complete customer satisfaction and success.

The Logistics Plus® network includes offices located in Erie, PA; Fresno, CA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Evansville, IN; Detroit, MI; Kansas City, MO; Charlotte, NC; Lexington, NC; Buffalo, NY; Cleveland, OH; Charleston, SC; Greenville, SC; Nashville, TN; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Laredo, TX; Houston, TX; Australia; Bahrain; Belgium; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Kazakhstan; Libya; Mexico; Poland; Saudi Arabia; Turkey; UAE; United Kingdom; and additional agents around the world. For more information, visit www.logisticsplus.com or follow @LogisticsPlus on Twitter.

Media Contact:
Scott G. Frederick
Vice President, Marketing
Logistics Plus Inc.
(814) 240-6881
scott.frederick@logisticsplus.com

Logistics Plus is a Proud Sponsor of MFG DAY!

by Scott Frederick | Sep 28, 2015 | News

Logistics Plus is proud to be a sponsor for MFG DAY 2015 in Erie, PA. In addition to being mentioned in the October 2015 issue of Business Magazine, we’ll also be exhibiting at the Bayfront Convention Center this coming Thursday, October 1, 2015. John Ratzenberger and Paul Teutul, Jr. will be keynote speakers, so it should be a great event. If you plan on attending the show, please be sure to stop by the Logistics Plus table to say hello. Otherwise, you can read more about the event in the online version of Business Magazine by clicking the image below.

Logistics Plus Attacks Barber Beast on the Bay

by Scott Frederick | Sep 15, 2015 | News

Yesterday we reported how many Logistics Plus employees participated in this past Saturday’s Erie County Heart Walk event. Not to be forgotten is the annual Logistics Plus sponsorship of the Barber Beast on the Bay event which also took place this past Saturday (September 12, 2015). In addition to the company sponsorship, many Logistics Plus employees participated in this challenging event, including Alfredo Ayala, Jessica Skitka, and Judy Rowe. In fact, Judy’s son Adam Rowe finished fourth overall in the event.

Barber Beast on the Bay is a fundraising event to help support the Barber National Institute and its work with children and adults with disabilities. Spectators were encouraged to cheer participants along the courses and to join in the post-event party at Waldameer Picnic Groves. The main events include a grueling 10-mile extreme obstacle course challenge at Presque Isle State Park and a 1.2 mile adapted course for participants with physical or developmental disabilities. Not only does the Barber Beast on the Bay event raise awareness for a great cause, but it also brings the community together for a fun experience. Although the 2015 event was another success, final figures haven’t yet been reported. Last year the event raised $63,194 for the Institute, with proceeds benefiting more than 4,200 children and adults with disabilities.

The slideshow below contains a few photographs taken by LP employees at the event. Thank you again for supporting the community!

Logistics Plus Recognizes Truck Drivers During NTDAW

by Scott Frederick | Sep 14, 2015 | News

With this being National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NTDAW), Logistics Plus would like to formally recognize and thank the 3.4 million professional men and women who deliver our goods safely, securely and on time, while working hard to keep our highways safe. Not only do we employee professional truck drivers directly through our NTL (National Truckload) division, and indirectly through our North American LTL and truckload brokerage solutions division – but our founder and CEO, Jim Berlin, originally got his start in the industry as a professional truck driver in the northeastern United States (see the bottom of our company overview page for more on Jim’s background).

The American Trucking Assocation (ATA) began celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week in 1988 in an effort to honor those hard working men and women who deliver life’s essentials every day. Watch the ATA video below and then learn more at www.trucking.org

Logistics Plus Attends Sino-Americas Regional Conference

by Scott Frederick | Jun 22, 2015 | News

Logistics Plus employees, representing both LP Mexico and LP International, are attending the Sino-Americas Regional Conference 2015 in Miami, Florida this week. Logistics Plus is also a sponsor for the event. The conference began on Sunday, June 21 and ends on Wednesday, June 23. Organized jointly by WCA ltd and China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA), this event promises to be the most important networking and business-generating opportunity for any freight forwarder or logistics company looking to establish or expand its volumes into or out of this region.

As the key logistics hub between South, Central and North America, Miami plays a crucial role in facilitating trade between the Americas and the rest of the world. By attending this 3-day Logistics Plus hopes to open up a whole range of new potential business partnerships and to build our presence as an expert logistics provider to and from this market. The conference is open to all independent freight forwarders and vendors to the logistics sector, such as airlines, shipping lines, ports, airports, IT providers and equipment suppliers.