PartnerShip LLC is a leading shipping solutions provider to small- and medium-size businesses across North America, and we're celebrating our 25th anniversary this year! Founded in 1989, today PartnerShip develops and manages full-service shipping programs for over a hundred industry groups, representing thousands of customers across the U.S. and Canada.

PartnerShip was originally founded by the non-profit National Association of College Stores to help college retailers across the country save on their textbook shipping. The program expanded to include additional shipping services, such as general merchandise shipping, inbound shipping management, routing coordination, and consolidated invoicing. Due to the success of the program within the college industry, the concept was eventually expanded to other associations groups, the first of which included the American Booksellers Association and the National Association of Sporting Goods, but then followed by numerous others.

Building on the hallmarks of simple, worry-free shipping, outstanding savings, and exemplary customer service, the company enjoyed rapid growth from 2007 to 2012 in which it tripled in size and expanded operations to two new locations: One in northeast Ohio and the other in southern California. Leveraging its trade association expertise, and forging alliances with national, reputable carriers, such as FedEx, UPS Freight, YRC Freight, and Con-way Freight, the company was able to expand into dozens of new industries to help thousands of more businesses with their shipping.

Today, PartnerShip offers a wide range of shipping services including:

• Less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipping
• Truckload, expedited and international freight shipping
• Small package (express and ground) shipping
• Exhibit shipping for trade shows and events
• Inbound/vendor shipping management
• Easy-to-use online freight management tools
• Storage, moving, packing, and crating services
• Discounted shipping supplies, and more

John Finucane, president and chief operating officer for PartnerShip, has been with the company for virtually its entire existence. John says the company has been fortunate to attract and retain high-caliber, dedicated people over the years. —Today, we have a staff of nearly 50 professionals that work hard to help our customers with all facets of shipping and logistics, each and every day,' said John. —Although we cater to small businesses, in our minds, there is no such thing as a small customer." John went on to add, —We're very proud of reaching this quarter-century milestone ... and in a very competitive and rapidly changing industry, we're looking forward to what the next 25 years will bring.'

The company officially kicks off its 25^th anniversary celebration with a special, grass-roots exhibition and customer-appreciation event at CAMEX 2014, the college industry's largest trade show and educational event.  If you're a PartnerShip customer, carrier, or employee - or simply a fan - be on the lookout for additional news, promotions, videos, and other fun stuff throughout 2014 as we celebrate this milestone event in our company's history. But most importantly, thank you for your support of our great company!

At the end of 2013, PartnerShip customers were encouraged to participate in the $25,000 FedEx Advantage Sweepstakes, sponsored by FedEx. By enrolling and shipping through a PartnerShip-managed shipping program, association members were eligible to receive over 100 prizes totaling more than $25,000. PartnerShip would like to thank the customers that participated in this promotion and congratulate our winners.

Congratulations to the $2,500 first prize winner - NTEA member, Judy from Meridian SV!

Congratulations to the following PartnerShip customers who each won a $100 American Express^® gift card:

• ABA member, Clive from Changing Hands
• NSRA member, Lou from New Balance Charlotte
• NACS member, Coral from Randolph College
• NSRA member, Mark from Shoe Stop
• NSGA member, Rick from Sports World
• NACS member, Kathy from Zane State College
• ABA member, Rebecca from Greenlight Bookstore
• NSRA member, David from Stans Footwear
• ACS member, Chris from Bardwell Farm
• NACS member, Amanda from Arm Pocket
• NAEDA member, Judy from Riceland Intl
• NACS member, Michael from Grandview Ed
• NACS member, Jennifer from Iowa State University
• NSRA member, Loria from Chiapetta Shoes
• ANLA member, Kelly from Garden Genetics
• NACS member, Norm from Umpqua Oats
• MIA member, Lucille 

PartnerShip LLC senior account representative Mike McLaughlin is looking forward to watching ice hockey games at the Olympics in Russia. But he won't be watching from his office in Westlake, OH; he will be in Sochi in person. Watch the FOX 8 Cleveland news segment for more details - or click here to read the article online.

For the typical independent retailer that's selling physical products and has an e-commerce presence, shipping is often an afterthought. While shipping is not as flashy or as sexy as creating marketing promotions and campaigns, it does directly affect your bottom line. Retailers that don't adhere to best practices run the risk of lost sales due to higher prices, or lost profits due to higher shipping costs. To ensure you're not leaving money on the table, here are five tips to consider:

1. Manage your shipping supplies expense. Most of the small package carriers provide free, basic shipping supplies to encourage usage of their services. For example, FedEx provides free shipping materials and labels that can be ordered online. For specialized boxes and mailers, shop around a little to make sure you are getting the right quantities at the best prices. PartnerShip is another good source for low-volume, discounted shipping supplies.

2. Consolidate orders to reduce shipping expenses. As a general rule of thumb, one big order ships for less than three smaller orders. That means retailers should consider consolidating multiple orders into a single shipment whenever possible, and always striving to minimize the number of packages it sends. All too often, shipments are arranged as they come in from sales or order processing. However, a little planning and visibility goes along ways towards shipping savings.

3. Look at for multiple carrier options. Different transportation carriers specialize in different types of services, package sizes, and geographies. Selling mainly low-value, smaller products? A service like FedEx Ground or FedEx Express Saver might be the way to go. Selling larger or heavier products? Your best bet is probably to use a reputable freight carrier. Working with a third-party freight management company often allows you to look at multiple carrier and service options through one website. For example, PartnerShip.com allows retailers to compare rates and services across multiple freight carriers and options.

4. Effectively handle customs documentation. International shipments require customs forms that can seem daunting to complete for retailers that only occassionally ship out of the country. Third-party logistics companies, like PartnerShip, can work with retailers that ship international shipments infrequently to ensure all of the needed paperwork is completed so that their cross-border shipments move efficiently and cost-effectively.

5. Use technology to be more efficient. To remain competitive with large retail chains and other e-commerce retailers, online tools and services are available to help independent retailers manage their inventories, consolidate orders, track shipments, and even complete in new marketplaces.  Make sure you are talking to your peers or suppliers through an industry association or local business chamber to find tools and services others are using to gain efficiencies in their business. By leveraging technology, retailers can meet the fulfillment and shipping requirements of every market in which they compete.

Shipping will never be as exciting as product launches, cool promotions, or a new website, but it is a part of the core foundation of a successful independent retail business. Retailers that proactively take advantage of services, tools and technology can significantly lower their shipping costs, become more competitive, and enjoy higher margins.

To take advantage of industry-leading shipping services and discounts, take a look at The Independent Retailers Shipping Program managed by PartnerShip. With 25 years of experience helping retailers with shipping, we are confident we can help you too.

Continuing our annual tradition, the employees of PartnerShip have once again created a short and fun holiday video in appreciation for our customers and our carrier partners. This year's video pays homage to the holiday classic, A Christmas Story, which was originally filmed in our hometown of Cleveland, OH (in fact, the house in our video is the same house from the movie).

You can watch the video below or you can view it directly on the PartnerShip YouTube Channel. Either way, we hope you enjoy it!

The PartnerShip team wishes you all the very best during this holiday season, as well as a prosperous and successful new year!

PartnerShip continues its annual tradition of "giving back" by sharing our good fortune during the holidays with area organizations that can use our support. In lieu of expensive customer gifts (other than our complimentary 2014 wall calendars), and as we have done in years past, we will be traveling to five local charities this week to make generous donations on behalf of PartnerShip. Our employees feel very passionate about the amazing things that all these charities do for the people in our community and many of us have been touched personally by some of them.

The organizations receiving these contributions are as follows (click on each name to learn more):

• DebRA of America: The mission of Debra (The Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association) of America is to improve the quality of life for all people living with EB, their families, and the caregivers through programs and services while funding research to find a cure and treatments for Epidermolysis Bullosa.

• Purple Lotus Project: Based in Lorain County, the Purple Lotus Project is a non-profit organization that provides education, transition and safety resources to women, teens, children, men and animals that are affected by domestic violence and abuse. Using a wide range of resources to assist those who need help to escape or help someone escape an abusive/domestic violence situation.

• Oaks Family Care Center:  A non-profit, non-political social service agency; Oaks Family Care Center provides support and encouragement to fathers, mothers, teens and all those in crisis. They help families understand their options so they can make educated decisions regarding life issues. Offering support groups and classes, material goods, outreach programs and a help line to anyone who needs support in their life.

• Elisabeth's House: The Prentiss Wellness Nursery (Providence House): The Prentiss Wellness Nursery is a collaborative, innovative solution addressing children's medical needs and family stability to support safe discharge of children from a hospital to an appropriate setting combined with intensive family support services to increase caregiver capacity and stabilize family crises. The vision of the nursery is that children everywhere are raised in safe, loving families free from abuse and neglect.

• Beds for Cleveland Kids: With over 3,000 families coming into the Cleveland Furniture Bank every year looking for basic home furnishing, and many with children who need beds to sleep in, the demand was too high for them to keep up with. Thus Beds for Cleveland Kids was formed in order to obtain donations from the public with the objective being to provide a gently used bed to every child in Cleveland that needs one, so that no child has to sleep on the floor.

PartnerShip continues its long history of generously giving back to the community, through individual fund-raising events and yearly participation in our local United Way drive. Each of the selected charities has touched our employees' hearts in a personal way and holds special meaning to our company. We hope that you agree that these donations will have a great and beneficial impact - after all, these donations would not be possible without the business and support of our many customers.

Thank you and happy holidays!

One of the biggest issues that keep exhibitors awake at night during the winter months is a trade show shipment that is delayed due to weather. If you plan on exhibiting at any upcoming trade shows, here are a few quick tips to keep in mind:

1. Build in one or two extra days for shipping, especially for cross-country shipping or shipping into cities that historically are affected by weather.
2. Work with a proactive shipping partner (like PartnerShip) that tracks your exhibit shipment EVERY day, and when issues arise, will work with you to come up with acceptable alternatives.
3. Always have a "Plan B". Most carriers will not honor delivery guarantees to trade shows when delays are caused by weather conditions. So it is important that you have contingency plans in place if your primary exhibit shipment is unexpectedly delayed (e.g., a secondary booth, experienced personnel who can expedite replacement materials, etc.).

PartnerShip has nearly 25 years of experience both as an exhibitor and as a shipper of exhibit materials. We stand ready to help exhibitors with our knowledge and know-how during this busy time of the year for trade shows, expos, and conferences. In fact, earlier this year PartnerShip helped nearly 300 exhibitors overcome nasty weather so they could have a successful CAMEX 2013 show in Kansas City, Missouri. Two crippling snow storms crashed over the Midwest affecting exhibit transportation during show move-in and move-out. Check out the video below to hear what these exhibitors had to say about working with PartnerShip to overcome the weather and still have a successful show.

Got questions? Give our Tradeshow team a call at 800-599-2902 option 3; or click the button below to request a free, no-obligation rate quote on your next exhibit shipment.

Online retailers know how important it is to streamline the shopping experience for their customers. They constantly strive to have a well designed website, a well managed inventory, and a simplified shipping process. That's why FedEx offers online retailers a way to improve their ecommerce space with the FedEx Web Integration Wizard.

The FedEx Web Integration Wizard is a great tool for online retailers that don't have a dedicated developer, or for anyone looking for a simple way to integrate FedEx functionality to their website. Once this functionality is incorporated into your website, your customers can compare FedEx shipping rates and transit times, create shipping labels, and track the status of their shipments - helping to create a more engaging website and improve overall customer satisfaction.

How to get started:

1. Create or locate a page on your site where shipment information will be featured, such as an order status page for tracking.

2. Open the FedEx Web Integration Wizard.

3. Enter your FedEx account information and set up a merchant account profile.

4. Select which services you would like to appear on your website (shipping, tracking, rating, or returns).

5. Answer a few questions about your shipping characteristics.

6. Select a design to match your website needs.

7. Click "Get Code" to automatically generate HTML code based on your input.

8. Copy and paste the HTML code into your website files where you would like the shipment information to appear.

The best part of this FedEx integration is that it can help you save money. Through a PartnerShip-managed shipping program, you receive significant discounts on select FedEx services. If you're not sure if you qualify for one of our small package shipping programs Contact Us and we'll find the solution that's right for you. Also, if you click the button below, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation shipping analysis to determine how much we can help you save on your small package shipping.

FedEx and UPS rates are increasing in 2020! Make sure you know what to expect so you can mitigate the impact to your bottom line. Our free white paper breaks down where you'll find the highest increases and explains some of the complicated changes you need to be aware of.

PartnerShip LLC has been selected for the 2013 Excellence Award amongst all its peers and competitors by the Small Business Institute for Excellence in Commerce (SBIEC). PartnerShip is a freight management company based in Cleveland, Ohio and is a leading shipping solutions provider to small businesses nationwide.

Each year the SBIEC conducts business surveys and industry research to identify companies that have achieved demonstrable success in their local business environment and industry category. They are recognized as having enhanced the commitment and contribution of small businesses through service to their customers and community. Small businesses of this caliber enhance the consumer driven stature that is renowned for.

PartnerShip has consistently demonstrated a high regard for upholding business ethics and company values which is a trait seldom found in its industry. It has more than 20 years of experience developing and managing LTL freight, small package, tradeshow, and specialized shipping programs and services for over 100 association groups and thousands of customers nationwide. Founded in 1989 as subsidiary of the National Association of College Stores, today it has offices in Cleveland, OH, and Irvine, CA.

As part of the industry research and business surveys, various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the selected companies in each category. This research is part of an exhaustive process that encapsulates a year long immersion in the business climate of the transportation and logistics industry. This recognition by SBIEC marks a significant achievement for PartnerShip as an emerging leader within the transportation and logistics industry.

Businesses are gearing up for the inevitable increase in traffic that comes with the busy holiday season. Luckily for shoppers, they no longer have to face long lines and crowded parking lots to get their shopping done during this busy time — they can choose to do it all online.

In the past several years, Cyber Monday has been catching up to Black Friday in popularity, offering consumers an alternative way to get the best deals while crossing names off their —nice list.' Online retailers have undoubtedly already begun preparing for Cyber Monday by ramping up marketing efforts and making sure their websites can handle the increased traffic.

If you're one of the businesses gearing up for Cyber Monday and the rest of the holiday season, it's important to not forget the basics of optimizing the online shopping experience for your customers. Shipping is a very important component of the online sale process and a key part to your ecommerce success. Here are some shipping best practices to keep in mind:

• Be transparent. Include shipping costs on the product page, instead of hiding them behind a login page, and give extended information on what the customer can expect from each shipping option.

• Consider a free shipping strategy. You could provide free shipping at a minimum order price, offer free or reduced shipping to your best customers, or offer it for a limited time. For more ideas, check out How to Effectively Offer Free Shipping.

• Keep your customers in the loop. Arguably one of the biggest downfalls of online shopping is the waiting game, so let your customers know their order is in good hands. Email them a receipt confirmation of their order once they place it, notify them when it has shipped, and most importantly provide them with the tracking number.

• Make returns easy. There is an increased element of risk when shopping online. Consumers often worry What if it doesn't fit? or What if it doesn't work like I thought it would?. Give your customers the reassurance they need by presenting them with a simple and hassle-free return policy. Better yet, make that policy clear early on in the sale process to ease their nerves and ultimately help secure the sale.

• Reduce your overall shipping costs. Work with your shipping partners or 3PL (like PartnerShip) to ensure you are saving as much as possible on your shipping. You can pass on any savings you garner to your customers or use it to re-invest in your business. 

Implementing these basic best practices for shipping will provide you with a good foundation for the success of your online sales during this holiday season and beyond. PartnerShip can help you in all facets of your shipping and logistics — not only outbound to your customers, but also inbound from your suppliers. For a free shipping analysis click the button below.