Laurie has worked at PartnerShip for over four years and she’s passionate about helping our customers. She has a similar passion for life and has a very inspiring story to share. Read more about her and her story.

What do you do for PartnerShip?
Senior account representative – I sell!

What is the most interesting thing you’ve helped a customer ship?
I’m not sure how politically correct this is, but I had a customer quote a shipment of teat wipes with us. Those are moistened towelettes to clean off cow udders.

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
I like the fact that no 2 days are alike. The shipments may range from musical instruments, to farm equipment, to toys and novelties and other items. I love TV shows like Shark Tank and The Profit so it makes me happy to know that we are helping small-medium sized businesses achieve success.

Tell us about your family.
I have been married to George for just over 13 years. We have the crazy cat lady starter kit of 3 cats (Whiskers, Grey, and Ali) and 1 goofy dog (Daisy).

Tell us something interesting about yourself.
I am donating a kidney to my husband George on May 26th. He is my best friend, and I am so excited that I can help him with the gift of life. It’s absolutely amazing to me that I am the perfect match in more ways than one. With that being said, he will never be allowed to pick out a paint color or couch ever again :)

Do you have any nicknames?
My husband kiddingly calls me Pita – pain in the *ss.

What was the best vacation you ever went on? Why?
Puerto Rico is our favorite place to vacation. It’s warmer than Cleveland, we can drink the water, the beaches are gorgeous, the food is tasty (our favorite is lechon – roast pig), there’s lots of history (Christopher Columbus sailed into San Juan harbor in 1493) and the people are the nicest I have ever met on vacation. There is so much to do there – from rainforests to deserts – beaches to mountains – the snorkeling is unbelievable! And they make mean mojitos!

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be? Why?
My mom – she just passed away on May 13th, and I’d give anything to know she’s OK and that she met up with my grandparents in heaven.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
We would go to Thailand and Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Angkor Wat is one of the largest temples in the world at one mile from end to end. They are still finding smaller temples in the jungle. It was featured in Lara Croft Tomb Raider. We love Thai cuisine and would like to visit some of the famous markets and temples there, ride elephants, and their beaches are gorgeous!

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
My proudest accomplishments are my many happy customers. When they provide referrals to me, it shows how much they trust and appreciate my efforts.

Jennifer is our Customer Service Manager and she is a joy to work with thanks to her positive attitude and outgoing personality. She’s been with PartnerShip for 9 years and she’s worked for the NACS family since 2000. In her time here she’s proven to be a great leader to her team and a big help to our customers. Learn more about her from the questionnaire below!

What do you do for PartnerShip?
Help our customers with all their shipping needs. I help my team provide quotes, schedule shipments, create bills of lading and problem solve for our existing customers!

What is the most interesting thing you’ve helped a customer ship?
Pizza stones to Steve Job’s personal chef for Christmas dinner.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Trying out new craft ideas, I really enjoy making jewelry.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Dog because they are always so happy to see people and make new friends.

What’s your favorite 90s jam?
First song to pop in my head is Mmm mmm by Crash Test Dummies or Every Morning by Sugar Ray.

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?
Talk show hosts. I would ask them the questions and get to hear all of their fun stories.

Do you have any nicknames?
J-fer

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
Graduating from Kent State University.

What was the best vacation you ever went on?
My honeymoon in Disney. Disney is magical and creates happiness.

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
My co-workers. I enjoy working with people who make me want to come to work.

Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?
Spider-Man because I’m a Marvel fan!

Tell us about your family.
I have a loving supportive husband Dave and we have one Harry Baby (Big Hero 6 reference), a kitty named Caroline.

What do colleagues say is your best quality?
Being happy and positive...on most days :)

What reality show would you like to be on?
Nickelodeon Guts or Family Feud (a break room lunchtime staple).

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Ireland or Scotland because of the castles and the rolling green countryside that dramatically drops into the blue ocean.

Harry has spent the last 9 years working at PartnerShip and we’re lucky to have him on our team. As one of our senior program managers he does a great job keeping our association partners happy and representing the company at tradeshows around the country. This road warrior was kind enough to answer some questions for us. Check them out below.

What do you do for PartnerShip?
I am a senior program manager and work with our association partners to help maximize the exposure of their shipping programs to their membership. Another main focus I have is prospecting, developing and launching prospective new association programs. I also help facilitate quarterly reporting, and help coordinate shipping analyses, issue resolution, and other special requests as needed.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve helped a customer ship?
Gongs… we used to help a musical instrument importer out of Nebraska named “Gongs Unlimited” ship gongs of all shapes and sizes all over the world.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Taxi kids around to activities across NE Ohio including soccer, dance, football, cheerleading, and festival pageants… When that’s completed I enjoy cooking, baking pies, grilling, golfing and attending sporting events.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
An eagle so I could fly and swoop down to steal the scraps; and because they represent the beauty and freedom of the USA.

What’s your favorite 90s jam?
Too many to name… Alive by Pearl Jam

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?
My Mom and Dad, as they have been gone over 20 & 12 years now, and would love for them to get to meet my wife & family.

Do you have any nicknames?
Daddio, Har, Har Dog, Ster, HC, Fuzzy Penny, and Hank to name a few…

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
I once bowled a 300 game (no-tap rule in effect) at Bowl For Kids Sake in Wichita, KS.

What was the best vacation you ever went on? 
Honeymoon in Puerto Rico with my wife, so much to do and see…

NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?
NSYNC, I’m a JT fan.

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
The people, flexibility and empowerment to do your job.

Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?
Batman, just because he’s Batman…

If your life was made into a movie, what would the title be?
Old School meets the Brady Bunch meets the Goonies.

Tell us about your family.
I’ve been married to my wife Maureen for 10 years. We have 6 Kids: Chanse 20, Nicole 19, Angel 16, Cory 15, Treyson 9 and Caralina 7. We have 3 dogs and 3 cats too: Percy (Corgi), Jonah (Lab), and Dudley (Great Dane), and three tabby cats – Ozzie, Bobbie & Cribbs.

What do colleagues say is your best quality?
Team player and hard worker, willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
My 9 year old asked me if I could go to school for him (3rd grade), and get him straight A’s on his report card…

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Mediterranean Cruise – hit all the destinations in Europe in one trip.

What reality show would you like to be on?
The Apprentice – It would be fun & challenging to work on the different projects and have the opportunity to live in NYC.

Alex has been working here at PartnerShip for almost four years and she’s a sales rockstar. If you've ever had a freight shipping need, you may have had the pleasure of getting to know her. If you haven't, you’ve come to the right place. Check out what she has to say!

What do you do for PartnerShip?
I am a Senior Account Representative who handles LTL, truckload, and tradeshow shipments.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
I would be some kind of bird so that I could fly.

Tell us about your family.
My husband’s name is Jim, our son’s name is Hayden and he is 4 years old. We have 3 cats, Molly, Abbey, and Zoi.

What’s your favorite 90's jam?
This Is How We Do It, 1995

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
Everything my son does & getting my college degree.

NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?
NSYNC

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
The employees.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Ireland. I want to see my heritage.

Nicole is a valuable member of our truckload team, the newest department at PartnerShip. With her help, our truckload business has been steadily growing and expanding. She’s been working here for a year and a half and is one of the friendliest people you will ever meet. We asked Nicole a few questions to help you get to know her. Check them out below!

What do you do for PartnerShip?
I am a carrier procurement representative for our truckload team. I find carriers who can move full and partial truckload shipments and negotiate the best price possible for our customers. I track the truckload freight to help ensure a smooth shipment and also help establish new truckload carriers on a daily basis.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve helped a customer ship?
I have helped a customer ship customized cardboard caskets. They are true works of art and definitely a very unique product.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m very much an outdoors girl. I love camping, hiking, and biking. Every summer we go on as many camping trips as we can. I love to watch the sun set while sitting around a campfire with family and friends.

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?
I would have dinner with my Grandfather. He passed away before I was born. He came to the United States when he was 17 years old from Yugoslavia. He had spent 4 years in a refugee camp and could barely speak English when he arrived in the US. He worked hard and went on to become a doctor and build a life for himself here. I would love to learn more about his story and our family culture.

Do you have any nicknames?
Nic. Everyone in my family calls me Nic and always has.

NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?
Backstreet Boys. No contest.

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
My coworkers make me laugh every single day. There is a definite sense of teamwork here at PartnerShip and we are always there for each other, no matter what. My colleagues have become a second family to me.

If your life was made into a movie, what would the title be?
Happiness Is Being With The Ones You Love.

Tell us about your family.
I am married to my best friend Brian, who also works here at PartnerShip. We have a beautiful, silly, happy 2 year old daughter named Callie. We also have two cats, Buster Brown and Gypsy. I feel very grateful to have the wonderful family that I do.

At PartnerShip, we believe in working hard and having fun while doing it. Our employees enjoy a rewarding career, robust benefits package, bonus opportunities, and other perks. If you’re a positive, creative individual ready to put your exceptional problem solving skills to use we want you to join our team.

Be part of a team
Your success is important to us and we know that when you work well together as a team, great things can happen. That’s why we’re always striving to support each other in any way we can.

Grow your skills
We’re a growing company and we want you to grow with us. There are always opportunities to develop your talents and continuously learn new things. Whether it’s through training or mentoring, we’ll help you reach your potential.

Have fun
We know that a good work-life balance leads to happy and productive employees and our company culture reflects that. When you need a quick break, jump on one of the games in our rec room. Have something to celebrate? You can bet that a potluck will be in your future. It’s little things like that add up to a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere – making PartnerShip a fun place to work.

If this sounds like a good fit, we’d love to talk to you! Click here to view a listing of open positions and apply.

The 2015 Winter Fancy Food Show, held in San Francisco, has come and gone and our very own Harry Centa was in attendance. Harry is a Senior Program Manager at PartnerShip and has become a staple at both the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows presented by the Specialty Food Association.

"This show is always a great opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and for the retailers, restaurateurs, and distributors that attend to bring new, exciting, and unique items and ideas to their businesses," said Harry. "It's also an invaluable opportunity for PartnerShip to showcase its money-saving member benefit, the Specialty Food Association Shipping Program, which is available to all Specialty Food Association members."

As the west coast's largest specialty food and beverage event, highlights include: 14,000 exhibitors from 35 countries, 19,000+ industry professionals, and 30 emerging food entrepreneurs. The show also features new product showcases, 15+ educational seminars, and custom matchmaking for buyers and suppliers. These are just a few of the great opportunities offered by the Specialty Food Association through this show.

In addition to the above highlights, Harry also collected submissions for a drawing for a $100 Visa reward card. Congratulations to our lucky winner — Jared at Aloha from Oregon! 

Don't worry if you missed out on the winter show, as the Fancy Food Show comes not once, but twice a year in the summer and winter. 

"The Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows are dates that are always circled on my calendar," Harry added. "The show always entertains, informs, and produces quality customer interaction year in and year out for PartnerShip....not to mention all the great food!"

Check out some of Harry's pictures from the event in the slideshow below.

The PartnerShip customer service representatives (or CSRs) play an important role for our company and our customers. Through telephone conversations, emails messages, and online live chats, they are responsible for helping our newest customers setup FedEx accounts, get LTL and truckload rate quotes, create online accounts, track shipments, and answer just about any and all types of questions you can imagine.

Once a new customer is fully on-board, they work closely with our sales staff to ensure each customer is personally introduced to the dedicated PartnerShip account representative with whom they'll receive the next level of support and consultation for their freight shipping needs. A few of our CSRs have worked so well with our customers and our sales staff that we moved them over to our sales department where they can build even deeper relationships with our customer contacts. As a result, PartnerShip has some new faces in our customer service area, and they are a terrific bunch! So terrific, in fact, that I'd like to personally introduce you to each one of them.

Nicole Hardman

You could say Nicole is the "veteran rookie" of the bunch. Nicole joined PartnerShip as a customer service representative a little under a year ago. However, she was not entirely unfamiliar with our company at the time - her husband Brian has been a part of the PartnerShip sales staff for the past six years. When she's not helping PartnerShip customers, she enjoys spending time with her family, camping, reading, and watching movies.

Allison Passero

Allison joined PartnerShip nearly four months ago (on the same day as Julieann and Briana). Previously, Allison worked for Fifth Third Bank for five years where she held numerous customer service positions and was recognized for demonstrating Fifth Third Bank's Core Values and driving customer service results. Allison graduated from The College of Wooster with a Bachelors of Psychology. She enjoys crafting, music, hiking, and knitting.

Julieann Fox

As mentioned above, Julieann joined PartnerShip nearly four months ago. Julieann recently worked at Green Circle Growers as an Orchid Classifier and before that worked for Equity Trust Company as a Client Relations Manager. She is a graduate of The University of Toledo. Her outside interests include Zumba, parenting, outdoor adventures, weight training, Cleveland sports, and traveling.

Briana Zajac

Briana also reported for duty nearly four months ago.  Briana previously worked for Teletech for past six years as a Customer Service Representative helping clients with T-Mobile and Geek Squad. She also worked as an Inventory Control Administrator at Bonne Bell where she processed orders. She enjoys her family and friends, watching movies, doing Zumba, and attending parks.

Shauntá Dennis

Shauntá is our newest customer service representative. She just started with PartnerShip last week, so we're very excited to have her joining our team. Shauntá has worked for Teletech for the past six years. She started as a Customer Service Representative answering incoming calls from customers and assisted with general technical troubleshooting. Most recently she was the Technical Support Supervisor where she led a team of 30 agents and handled escalated customer interactions.

Jennifer Hammersmith

Of course, all of these new CSRs are managed by Jennifer, our outwardly friendly, but very professional, customer service manager. Jennifer has been with PartnerShip for eight years. She absolutely enjoys helping our customers, she is a student of shipping practices, and she directly manages one of our important shipping programs for a major non-profit organization. When she's not managing, training, and motivating her customer service staff, she enjoys spending time with her family, crafting, ironing (really?), and watching movies with her husband.

If you have a question for the PartnerShip customer service staff, they're ready and willing to do their best to help assist you any way they can. Just Contact Us and we'll take it from there.

By Scott Frederick

All of us here at PartnerShip would like to congratulate Polly Gordon, our truckload brokerage manager, on a very important achievement. This past weekend, Polly earned her certification as a Certified Transportation Broker (CTB) through the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA). Polly put in a lot of hard work and dedication into earning this certification. It will serve her well as we take our growing truckload brokerage services to an ever expanding customer base.

The CTB Program was developed by the TIA to increase the professionalism and integrity of property brokerage, meet the educational needs of brokers, and expand basic knowledge of the brokerage and transportation industry through a rigorous certification program. Certification provides an additional edge in the competitive transportation marketplace. It demonstrates to customers that you have the knowledge base, professional integrity, and professional commitment best suited to meet their transportation needs.  The CTB is considered one of the most valuable credentials you can earn in your brokerage career. Visit the TIA website at www.tianet.org to learn more.

If your reading this article and you are a shipper with truckload shipping needs, please let us give you a quote on your next full or partial, dry van, flat bed, or refrigerated truckload shipment. We promise that Polly and her team will find you the right carrier and the right rate to fit your need.

By Scott Frederick

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!