As you may have heard, Logistics Plus had to make the difficult decision of canceling our 25th-anniversary party. With the recent increase in the spread and severity of COVID, there is too much uncertainty at this time. Having folks coming in from all over the country and from around the world, the last thing we wanted to happen was to have someone catch the disease and then take it home. So, it was a tough call, but we thought it was the right and smart thing to do.
Please watch the video below from our Founder and CEO Jim Berlin explaining our decision and thanking everyone for their support.
In lieu of a large anniversary party, some of the employees at the Logistics Plus Global Headquarters in Erie, PA gathered for a small happy hour. Included below is a Flickr slideshow of photographs taken at the happy hour event (use right/left arrows to advance slideshow).
On the heels of the Logistics Plus 25th anniversary corporate celebration next week in Erie, PA, Logistics Plus México is also celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.
Many of the “LP México” members were able to spend some time together last week Saturday, July 24th – the actual date 15 years ago that its first in-country operations began. Francisco Tijerina, operations manager for LP México, and Jose Garza, managing director for Latin American and México, thanked the entire team for their great work and continued dedication.
Today LP México has nearly 50 employees located at offices in Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, and Mexico City. LP Mexico also celebrated its recent ISO-9001:2015 certification.
Stay connected with LP México by following them on Instagram or Facebook.
Logistics Plus completed the successful delivery of a Slewing Arm Davit (SLAD) from Michigan to Everett, Washington. This delivery hit close to home for Erie, PA-based Logistics Plus. The SLAD delivered to Washington was the single piece of missing equipment keeping the USS Gridley docked at the pier. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because the warship is named in honor of Captain Charles Gridley, who was historically stationed in Erie over 150 years ago. Captain Gridley was in charge of the guns that fired the opening salvo at Manila Bay, Philippines (1898) after Admiral Dewey issued his famous words, “You may fire when ready, Gridley!”
Close Ties to Erie, PA
A native of Indiana, Captain Gridley began his military career at a young age. His class graduated a year ahead of schedule so that the young men could serve in the Civil War. He was stationed from 1871 to 1875 on the only United States Navy ship based on the Great Lakes at the time, the Michigan, in Erie, Pennsylvania. While stationed in Erie, he married Harriet. Throughout the city of Erie, PA, there are several references to Captain Gridley. A former elementary school was named after him and a community park (Gridley Park) where a monument still stands in his honor. When Captain Gridley passed away in 1898, services were held in Erie’s Cathedral of St. Paul church. He was then buried in Erie’s Lakeside Cemetary.
A Message From the Commanding Officer
Upon delivery of the SLAD, Bryan Schneider, the Commanding Officer of the USS Gridley, shared the following message with Logistics Plus Founder and CEO Jim Berlin.
Good morning – my name is Bryan Schneider, and I am the Commanding Officer of USS GRIDLEY (DDG 101). I asked to contact the company who provided the transportation and drivers that transported the Slewing Arm Davit (SLAD) from Michigan to Everett, Washington, and was provided this email address.
What Jay and Eric did for the GRIDLEY was nothing short of amazing! For context, the SLAD has been the single piece of equipment keeping GRIDLEY moored to the pier until it is repaired. My team spent over 200-man hours trying to fix it, and it was finally determined to be unserviceable. Hence, it needed to be replaced. Driving through the parts of the country they did, during the time they did, and encountering the weather they did really showed an unwavering commitment to their job and duty!
We are working under a time crunch to get it replaced and tested to allow GRIDLEY to get underway and do what she was built to do; fight!
I gave Jay and Eric a hat and coin to thank them for the dangers they put themselves in to get this piece of equipment to me so my Sailors can continue to serve and protect the country. Still, I wanted to let you know I really appreciate everything they did for me and the GRIDLEY NATION.
With all my gratitude, I want to thank you, the company, and Jay and Eric for supporting GRIDLEY to get us back out to sea and to serve and defend this country!
Mr. Schneider also thanked Logistics Plus by sending autographed pictures of the USS Gridley along with handwritten notes showing his appreciation. The pictures and notes are now framed and hanging in the Logistics Plus Global Headquarters’ main lobby in Erie, PA.
This week, Logistics Plus employees were encouraged to show off their holiday spirit by competing in two holiday-themed contests. The first contest was for the best holiday-decorated door and the second contest was to determine the best holiday sweater. The winner of the holiday door decorating contest was the DELTA team located at the Logistics Plus global headquarters in Erie, PA. The winner of the best holiday sweater was Carmen Fucci, working at the Logistics Plus ETN warehouse in Erie, PA.
A big thanks to everyone at our Erie and Dallas offices who participated and helped spread the holiday spirit. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday season!
As announced yesterday, Logistics Plus Inc was proud to announce that Jim Berlin, its founder and CEO, was recognized Tuesday, March 3rd, with a “CEO Great Place to Work For All Leadership Award” by Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work, at its 3rd annual Leadership Awards Gala Dinner at the Four Seasons in San Francisco.
If you’re interested, here is a copy of the short acceptance speech that Jim delivered at the ceremony:
“Thank you to Michael Bush and everyone here at Great Place to Work. Your efforts help inspire companies and leaders to create the best workplaces in the world, and to recognize them when they do. Thank you for that. Our formula at Logistics Plus has been pretty simple and it really hasn’t really changed much in the 24 years we’ve been in business.
Surround yourself with good people. Communicate. Treat them well.
Honesty. Integrity. As my Dad always told me, ‘In the end, your good name is all that’s left’.
‘Give a shit’. That matters more than most people think.
Find ways to YES; It’s easy in our industry to say ‘No…sorry…can’t do that’. BUT people LOVE folks who bring them SOLUTIONS/and not PROBLEMS. We are a SOLUTIONS company. We find ways to YES!
KISS—Keep it simple. Find simplifiers/not complicators.
We have very few company rules other than The Golden Rule: Treat people as you’d like to be treated. Just follow that/we’ll be ok. The rest we can figure out as we go.
Focus on the MISSION, not just the money. Success at one will lead to the other.
Have and maintain a ‘Passion for Excellence’ (that has been our ‘trademark’ since Day 1).
And strive to grow. Growing is challenging but fun. (If someone ever complains about the pace of our growth, I always tell them: ‘If you don’t like growing pains…you’re REALLY gonna not like dying pains’).
And lastly … try and make work fun. If people like to be there, everyone benefits. We all spend more time with our workmates than we do with anyone else. Make it enjoyable to be there—not drudgery.
For our part, at least, this simple formula seems to be working. Logistics Plus has grown from 3 of us to become a $300 million global organization in 20 countries with thousands of customers and almost 450 talented and caring employees around the world. This ex-truckdriver couldn’t be more humbled or more proud of these fine people. Thanks again for this fantastic honor and for a most memorable and inspirational evening.”
– Jim Berlin, Founder & CEO, Logistics Plus Inc.
Jim joined a 2020 awards list that includes fewer than 50 CEOs from some of the most admired companies in the world, such as American Express, Delta, DHL, Marriott, Salesforce, and Wegmans. A PDF copy of the program with a complete list of CEO honorees and profiles is available here (Jim’s profile is on page 11). Jim’s profile is also shown below:
On the heels of the Logistics Plus 
