Yesterday Crain's Cleveland Business announced its inaugural Crain'sFAST 50 class - and PartnerShip LLC was selected as one of the companies recognized! According to the announcement, Crain’s FAST 50 recognizes the entrepreneurial spirit, innovative business tactics and skyrocketing revenue growth of the 50 fastest-growing companies in Northeast Ohio.

To be eligible for the Crain's FAST 50, businesses could be either publicly traded or privately-held, at least five years old, have a had at least $5 million in 2013 revenues, and be located in Northeast Ohio. Also, eligible businesses could not have more than 1 year of declining revenue. 

Crain's will be hosting a live event on November 5 to announce the top #10 among the FAST 50. Additionally, the full rankings will be revealed in the November 10 issue of Crain's Cleveland Business magazine.

PartnerShip, along with many of the other FAST 50 companies, will be sharing our newfound status via social media channels using the #Crains50 hashtag. You can follow PartnerShip on Twitter at @PartnerShipLLC and you can followCrain's Cleveland Business at @CrainsCleveland.

We're very proud to have been named to the first-ever Crain's FAST 50 class. PartnerShip® has been serving the shipping needs of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio area businesses for 25 years. We are more than a Cleveland area freight broker – we are a team of dedicated Ohioans that share that same passion for community, and for the shipping services we provide. If you're located in Northeast Ohio and have shipping needs, please click the button below to learn more about how PartnerShip can help.

PartnerShip LLC is a leading shipping solutions provider to businesses across North America. The value we bring as a 3PL/freight broker - as our name implies - is that we create meaningful "partnerships" with carriers and shippers. In particular, our online PartnerShip.com freight management tools create the visibility and transparency to information that allows even small shippers to get the same benefit of scale normally reserved for large shippers only.

Using PartnerShip.com, shippers get access to competitive, bookable rates with over a dozen of most reputable LTL freight carriers in the industry. PartnerShip.com users also gain access to competitive truckload rates not available in the open market, as well as helpful tools to schedule shipments, create bills of lading, track shipments, view shipment history, pay invoices, and more.

The following Infographic is a simple illustration of how PartnerShip brings benefits to both shippers and carriers.

Whether you're a shipper looking for help managing your transportation, or a carrier looking for quality loads and quick payment -- if you're ready to take advantage of the benefits that a true PartnerShip® brings, then click one of the buttons below to get started.

      

PartnerShip was recently approved for Best Broker membership status with The National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC).

NASTC was established in 1989 to bring together small trucking companies for the purpose of sharing transportation information, education, certification, buying power, lobbying effort, discounts, products and management services to level the industry playing field.

In 1991 the NASTC established a Best Broker / Associate Member program for referred and quality rated freight brokers wanting to do business with its 3,600+ member trucking companies. Only brokers that have an excellent track record and credit history are invited to apply. Presently, NASTC has only 250 designated Best Broker / Associate members. Minimum requirements include: three+ years in business, reference status and a good “low risk” score through credit reporting agencies of “80” or higher. Approximately 138 NASTC Best Brokers, including PartnerShip, are also members of Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) - the only organization exclusively representing transportation intermediaries of all disciplines doing business in domestic and international commerce.

"Finding equipment and capacity with reliable, high-quality carriers is often the key to success for a freight broker," saysPolly Gordon, truckload brokerage manager for PartnerShip. "Also, small truckers want to do work with only the best freight brokers in the business since their reputation, equipment, and livelihood is on the line. Having Best Broker membership status with NASTC really opens the doors for PartnerShip to work with the best small carriers in the industry, and for them to work with a reputable 3PL/broker like PartnerShip that has 25 years of experience and a proven track record of success."

If you're a shipper interested in PartnerShip Truckload Brokerage Services, I encourage you to let us provide you with a free, no-obligation rate quote on your next load (or click the button below). If you're with a trucking company and you're interested in becoming a PartnerShip carrier, we provide a quick and easy-to-complete carrier application form online for your convenience.

Just like last year, many of the PartnerShip freight carriers were again recognized with Quest for Quality awards in 2014. This year, 7,451 Logistics Management magazine readers offered their valuable insight and helped the publication maintain the Quest for Quality as the premier benchmark study of logistics and transportation service excellence for 31 years.

In order to be a “winner,” a company had to receive at least five percent of the category vote.Transportation service providers are rated on five key criteria: On-time Performance, Value, Information Technology, Customer Service, and Equipment & Operations.

Here are the PartnerShip carriers that received awards this year:

• National LTL Freight:

• National: FedEx Freight, Con-way Freight
  

• Multi-Regional: FedEx Freight, Old Dominion, UPS Freight
  

• Surface Package: FedEx Ground, UPS

• Regional LTL Freight:

• Northeast/Mid-Atlantic U.S.: New Penn, Pitt Ohio

• South/South Central U.S.: Southeastern Freight Lines

• Midwest North/Central U.S.: Dayton Freight Lines

• Truckload/Specialized:

• Dry Freight: Pitt Ohio, Con-way Truckload, Schneider National
  

• Expedited: UPS Urgent, FedEx Custom Critical, OD Expedited, New Penn, Pitt Ohio, Reddaway

• Air Express:

• Air Express: FedEx Express

On behalf of PartnerShip, our employees, and the thousands of our customers that rely on your services as part of our shipping programs - congratulations to all of the carriers that won Quest for Quality awards this year! PartnerShip works with only the best carriers in the industry - and you've all proven to be in that category once again. If you're with a carrier that is not working with PartnerShip, start the process of becoming a PartnerShip carrier here.

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

In case you missed it, PartnerShip is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. In March of this year we produced a thank you video for our customers. For this video, we recorded a message from PartnerShip president and COO, John Finucane, as well as some short video clips of our office and employees. I think the video turned out very nice, and we actively showcase it on 25th Anniversary Thank You Page, and on the PartnerShip YouTube Channel. 

Although we didn't include it in our final customer thank you video, during our March video shoot we also interviewed a few PartnerShip employees and asked them to reflect on the company, our culture, and our 25th anniversary. We received some great, heartfelt comments from the brave employees that stepped in front of the camera and microphone; so I'd like to share them in this special video presentation. This is a true testament that PartnerShip is a great place work - with a genuine focus on customer service, teamwork, family values ... and having fun while doing it.

If you're interested in joining the PartnerShip team, please visit the Careers page on PartnerShip.com to see what opportunities may be open within our organization.

By Scott Frederick

Business Overview

Midwest-based anti-bacterial soap and cleaning products manufacturer with strong growth secures large customer on the West Coast.  Their customer is now placing full truckload orders on a monthly basis.  

Business Challenges

The soap manufacturer tries to use LTL carriers to fulfill its West Coast orders but encounters issues with double-stacking damage, expensive shipping rates, and poor delivery service. They switch to a broker-based solution but the carrier selected for service lacked the professionalism they wanted for their product delivery, and does not provide exclusive use of the trailer. Current annualized shipping cost for this monthly truckload move is over $50,000.  The shipping coordinator also wears many hats and does not have the luxury of time to talk to numerous carrier representatives in person or over the phone. She has a preference for quick, business-direct email communications.  

PartnerShip Solution

PartnerShip reviews the soap manufacturers' truckload shipping needs.  The PartnerShip truckload brokerage manager researches current carrier agreements and national load boards to find a low-cost, reliable, and safe carrier option. PartnerShip negotiates new rates on shipper's behalf, saving them over $100 per load.  The PartnerShip account representative — respectful of the shipping coordinator's time — details the proposal in an email. All follow-up communications are also email-based as preferred by the shipping coordinator. 

Additionally, the shipper is signed-up for the PartnerPerksâ„¢ customer loyalty program where they can earn up to $100 in gift cards per quarter (they are currently using the gift cards to help fund their internal employee-wellness program).   So far the soap manufacturer is saving nearly $2,000 annually on this one, monthly truckload move to the West Coast. They are also pleased with the carrier and driver that are routinely handling the move, and service has been perfect. They especially appreciate the regular email updates on the status of the load — from pickup to final delivery. Their West Coast customer has even increased its orders!

If you'd like to create a successful truckload case study of your own, request a FREE shipping analysis or a FREE truckload rate quote from PartnerShip today.

By Scott Frederick

The past few days I had the opportunity to represent PartnerShip at the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA) Annual Conference in Dallas, TX. As was the case in past years (see 2013 and 2012), the conference provided a great forum for networking and education with the top marketing and sales professionals in the transportation industry.

This year's theme, Driving Results Together, focused on the alignment between sales and marketing business strategies. There were a number of educational tracks that provided insights and tools to help transportation companies overcome shared obstacles and increase their bottom lines. Three particular highlights for me included:

• Opening keynote on the State of the Transportation and Logistics Industry by Adrian Gonzalez, President of Adelante SCM. Mr. Gonzalez posed the question "What Business Are You In?" and made the case for a broader perspective of the market, the competitive landscape, and a company's value proposition. 
• Eight Content Marketing Habits for 2014 presented by Nate Riggs, President of NR Media Group. Mr. Riggs did an excellent job presenting a framework to help industry marketers cut through the clutter and win more attention from customers by bridging the gap between the art and science of content marketing. 
• Closing keynote on Creating Strategic Impact - Making Great Ideas Reality by Mike Brown, Founder of Brainzooming Group. Mike, a former colleague of mine, used his trademark approach of creativity and humor to persuade the audience to embrace creativity within their own organizations, and how to make a meaningful impact on business strategy at all levels of an organization.

The biggest conference highlight for me, however, was when PartnerShip was presented with an Award of Excellence in the TMSA Compass Awards program. PartnerShip received its award in the prestigious —Integrated Campaign' category for our integrated brand-building efforts that past couple years, and we joined a short list of 33 other transportation companies that were recognized with awards of merit or excellence in this year's contest.

The Compass Awards program represents the hallmark of achievement offering TMSA members the opportunity to showcase their work, receive recognition, and benchmark work against others. All entries are evaluated by a judging team of industry peers, and then audited by the TMSA using a points-based scaling system. Fifty percent of the total score is based on the —Work Blueprint,' and the other fifty percent is based on the —Work Sample.'

As part of the awards program, each winning company was asked to submit a 1-2 minute video highlighting the entry and the team that worked on the project. Here is the video that we produced and submitted on behalf of PartnerShip:

Along with the Award of Excellence, TMSA provided the following comments that came from the judges who reviewed the PartnerShip entry: "Very well written. Really liked how your results and metrics matched up with your goals and objectives and that these numbers were included in that section. We really thought the timeline you provided was great as it helped keep track of all the moving elements. We also enjoyed the tie in with the internal aspect of re-launching a brand and that is to get employees on the same page."

On a personal and professional level, it is so cool to have PartnerShip recognized among some of the most well-respected transportation companies in the world (some of which are important partners with us), including FedEx, Pilot Freight Services, Pitt Ohio, C.H. Robinson, and many others. To view the PartnerShip winning award submission and to learn more about the TMSA Compass Awards, visit www.tmsatoday.org/recognition/compass-awards.

PartnerShip is a leading shipping solutions provider to small business nationwide. So, this week we'd like to officially celebrate small businesses across the country. Small businesses are the backbone to the U.S. economy and they're a primary customer segment for PartnerShip.

Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners.

More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.

As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories.  Every day, they're working to grow small businesses, create 21^st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America's global competitiveness.

If you're interested in learning more about National Small Business Week, you can visit the www.sba.gov/nsbw website. There you'll find a schedule of both live and online events and other helpful information.