The Chairman's Corner

by Patrick Longo

September 2015

As we start getting our kids back to school after this long hot summer and the company phone lines start to quiet down, we look back at another peak moving season and reflect on what we did well and what we could have done a little better. It's important to continue to give each other report cards on everyday performance not only at work but in your personal life as well. Did you handle that customer with care and empathy while she was waiting for her two-weeks-late shipment? Did you respect and reward that employee as much as you should have for going out of his or her way to handle a VIP account with such great care that the customer raved about them personally? Have you been able to stay on top of your truck fleet to make sure all your trucks stay running and in tiptop shape? Were you able to keep your warehouse clean and manageable? Were you able to balance your time to spend enough quality time with your wife and kids and not stay consumed with your work even when at home? Chances are you were not able to accomplish everything perfectly and that's OK. Nobody’s perfect. The main thing, I believe, is to stay consistent, learn from your mistakes, hold yourself accountable and be willing to adapt to change.
 
Early August, the CMSA Executive Committee had the opportunity to meet at the Fairmont Newport Beach for our annual Executive Committee Retreat. High-energy, productive meetings were held on Friday evening and Saturday morning, discussing issues affecting our industry and directly our association. After the meetings, we were off to lunch on the water then headed over to watch my Angels play the Baltimore Orioles at Angel Stadium, followed by an awesome fireworks show. I am very proud of our Executive Committee. They are dedicated members of our association, committed to working for the membership and making the Association even better then it already is.

Finally, I would like to share a quick story for you about what happened last month. I got a call from my crew chief who was out on a job. He needed me to come out and deliver some packing material to him and his crew so they can finish packing and loading the shipment. When I got there, one of his crew members had an allergic reaction to something in the customer’s house, so I had to get him home so he could get some medicine. As I’m driving him home, I noticed that he lived quite a ways from our office. I  asked him how long it normally takes him to get to work every day and he said it takes about an hour and a half to two hours by bus. This happens to be a regular worker for us and it blew me away on his dedication to find his way in to work for our company. Just one of those simple reminders to be thankful for all of your employees and contractors who dedicate so much of their time and effort in making your companies strong.

Look forward to seeing all of you located in San Diego, Twin Counties and Orange County in September at your chapter meetings.

September 2015 - CMSA Communicator