Deepening Our Relationship in 2021

WITH SPRING IN the air, we are beginning to usher in, we hope, a more open and normal daily environment. The administration of vaccines to a growing number of people has led us to see a glimmer of the life we used to lead. Our members are still experiencing massively constrained capacity: in inventory, warehousing and transportation. People are spending their disposable income on consumer goods, rather than on services (see Noël Perry’s column in this magazine for an excellent explanation), this relationship may even out as society opens back up. Whether the entirety of 2021 looks like the fourth quarter of 2020 remains to be seen.

To understand better what our members are experiencing and their sense about how they will fare in 2021, I am visiting member facilities, at a safe and social distance of course, starting locally with Trinity Logistics (based in Seaford, DE), Choptank Transportation (Preston, MD) and H&M Bay (Federalsburg, MD). Thanks to Sarah Ruffcorn, Geoff Turner, and Scott Steinhardt for their graciousness in hosting me!

While I have been delighted to meet many members on Zoom and over the phone, visiting in-person deepens the relationship and my knowledge of our members’ concerns. This is what I and our team would be, and should be, doing had we not been amid a global pandemic. Now, not all members have opened their facilities to outside visitors, and some facilities have not even opened yet. Those that have, or when you do, I would love to visit with you; see what 3PL services you provide, hear your business story, and learn about what you want from your TIA membership. Please reach out to me and we can determine the right time for you, and as/if we return to a more normal business environment, we will broaden the territory we visit.

In this issue is TIA Chairman Brian Evans’ final message to the membership. His term as TIA Chairman ends this year at the TIA 2021 Capital Ideas Conference, taking place May 11-13 and delivered virtually (please register if you haven’t already!). To say his two-year term was dynamic would be a tremendous understatement. He has led this organization through some huge challenges, and his personal engagement in association matters has gone above and beyond what is expected of an Association Chairman. His commitment to TIA and his servant leadership has enabled TIA to continue—and continue strong—end of sentence. And he took on TIA matters in addition to his work as President & CEO of L&L Freight, a Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, and President of the Cabot Public Schools Board of Education!

Obviously, I am biased, because he and Rob Kemp and the rest of the CEO Selection Committee provided me this incredible opportunity to lead TIA. But his generosity, humility and integrity are evident to any who know him. Thank you, Brian. I hope all who read this reach out and thank him as well.

And thanks to all of you as always for all that you do for your businesses, for our nation’s supply chain, and for TIA. We look forward to seeing you next month at the Capital Ideas Conference!