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F E AT U R E
from shippers who want to connect with those in our industry. On the other
end, adding the new membership category for independent drivers has grown
our membership dramatically. We saw the impact of this as we planned the
2017 Annual Meeting. Vendor booths for this meeting sold out at a record
pace. What all that says to me is that our association is maturing and adapt-
ing. Its future will be in responding to a broader membership base which will
include different types of members. I expect to see increased involvement by
shippers, ecommerce and retail companies who are anxious to get to know
our membership base.
External conditions also favor our industry. With the shift in the political
landscape many foresee less regulation and a more favorable business envi-
ronment. That will help our industry and our membership base. And, our
Government Affairs program is positioned well with the administration to
have a positive impact under these conditions.
We are very optimistic about the future of the both the industry and our
members.”
J oh n B e n k o, C hie f Strate gy O fficer, PACE
CLDA President
CLDA’s president, John Benko shares Chuck Moyer’s optimism about the future
for both the industry and the association that serves it. During his decade-
long involvement with the leadership of the association, he has held posi-
tions on the Executive Committee; chaired the Government Affairs Committee
and headed committees involved with Membership, State Association
Development and Vendor relations.
“I foresee a very bright future. We have a group of folks in this industry that
have a skill set that is unique and very needed. We’re a very nimble group.
What I mean by that is that we are able to tailor our goods and services to our
customers’ needs. Big national companies in the shipping and transportation
don’t have our ability to adapt. They require shippers to use their platforms;
their pricing; their schedules of pickups and delivery. There’s very little cus-
tomizing about what they have to offer. By contrast, the members of the cus-
tomized logistics and delivery industry say to our customers, ‘What do you
need us to do? ‘How do we need to bend and flex to meet your needs?’ ‘How
can we tirelessly tailor our offerings to your needs?’”
[CLDA is]
uniquely posi-
tioned to help
members see
and adapt to
what’s next.
We’ve been
doing it for 30
years and we
intend to do it
for 30 more.
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE INDUSTRY
“When you look at what’s going on in transportation there’s a lot of con-
solidation. When I got into the business lots of companies were doing silo
work. One might be only doing LTL. Another only did air freight. Companies
concentrated on a particular vertical in transportation. But today all that is
shifting. Companies have to be able to wear lots of different hats because,
over time, the industry has changed and evolved. Our members have been
Customized Logistics and Delivery Association | Summer 2017