Jeff Rendel, CSP, will be bringing a wealth of education and experience to the upcoming CMSA Convention. With experience as a federal regulator, financial executive and Congressional lobbyist, Jeff knows business and, especially, the financial services’ marketplace.

As President of Rising Above Enterprises, Jeff works with financial services’ providers that want elite results in leadership, sales, and strategy. His company researches, synthesizes, and articulates essential achievement elements to help corporations profit – financially and inside their corporate culture – in their pursuit to fulfill their missions and strategic endeavors.

As a federal regulator with the United States Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Jeff examined a wide array of the nation’s banks. In this capacity, Jeff worked with all levels of senior management assisting them in developing sound operations, expanded business development, and impressive financial performance.
Lured to greener fields, he oversaw the strategic operations of one of California’s preeminent regional banks. There, he directed corporate initiatives and guided the bank to record growth, the # 1 spot in regional market share, and financial results that shareholders could not help but enjoy.

A new opportunity brought him to the Congressional lobbyist slot for financial institutions on the West Coast. Knowing that lobbyists held a “tainted” image, Jeff struck to create a new breed – one based on friendship, trust, and respect. It worked.

He continues to work personally with Members of the House of Representatives and Senate helping them understand the business implications that legislation has upon the financial services industry. Many Members of Congress regard him as their point of first contact when issues regarding financial institutions arise.

A highly sought after and accomplished speaker; he is a professional member of the National Speakers Association (NSA). In 2007, the NSA presented him the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation. Fewer than five percent of the world’s speakers hold this achievement.

Learn more at: www.RisingAboveEnterprises.com.

Guest Speakers LINDA BAUER DARR President & CEO American Movers & Storage Association (AMSA)

Linda Bauer Darr is President and CEO of the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA), Executive Director of the Moving and Storage Institute, and Publisher of Direction magazine. The leading trade association for the moving and storage industry, AMSA is a result of a merger of three associations – the American Movers Conference (AMC), the Household Goods Carriers’ Bureau, and the National Moving and Storage Association, the oldest of which dates back to 1920.

Linda was chosen to lead AMSA in April of 2007. Ms. Darr has almost 20 years of experience in transportation policy, association management and government relations. Her experience includes senior positions with the American Trucking Associations and the American Bus Association, as well as serving during the Clinton Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation. As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs, she oversaw the development of a $60 billion annual budget for the department and interacted regularly with senior officials in the Administration and at the White House and with members of Congress and their staff on a wide range of transportation policy matters.

Ms. Darr serves on the Board of the American Highway Users Alliance, the Eno Transportation Foundation’s Advisory Board, the Industry Advisory Panel of the Employee Relocation Council, and was appointed to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Committee of 100 Top Association Executives. Ms. Darr holds a bachelors of science degree from the University of Maryland and resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

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TERRY HEAD President International Association of Movers

In 1997 Mr. Head became the third President of the International Association of Movers. IAM represents over 1900 companies operating as movers, forwarders and other service providers and vendors in the United States and 165 countries around the world.

Mr. Head began his career in the moving and storage industry in 1969 working as a driver’s helper and packer. He has worked his way up through the industry serving in various administrative, sales and management positions for both moving and freight forwarding entities.

Prior to taking on the reins of the IAM, Mr. Head simultaneously served as President of Victory Van International and Cardinal Forwarding, Inc., two Washington, D.C. area firms that specialized in providing a broad range of warehousing and logistical services; including moving and storage, office and industrial relocations, international shipping of household goods and general commodities, as well as, record and media storage.
Mr. Head was involved in directing the logistical activities of such clients as the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and The World Bank, the US State Department and numerous other Federal Government Agencies and foreign Embassies.

Mr. Head is active in many local, national and international business associations involved in global transportation and world trade. He is a founding member and past Board Member of the International Trade Association, a past President and current Member of the Board of Governors for the Washington Air Cargo Association, served as the Chairman of the Washington Airports Cargo Promotions Committee for over nine years. He serves as both a member of the Board and Executive Committee for the Washington Airports Task Force. He is a member of the Governing Board of Directors for the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ#137) with multiple locations in Virginia. Mr. Head is an active member of the National Defense Transportation Association and the American Society of Association Executives.

Mr. Head represents his Membership and the Industry in attending and addressing various conferences and workshops held around the world. On a variety of occasions, Mr. Head has testified on behalf of his industry before the United States Congress and other Federal Agencies.

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International Panel

ANTHONY (TONY) WAUGH
International Panel

Anthony (Tony) Waugh was born in Dublin, Ireland.

He is a thirty year veteran of the international moving industry having started when the software company, in which he was a partner, developed computer systems for European Movers in 1978.

His company later re-wrote the systems to work for US Van Lines, which led him to move to the USA from Ireland in 1984. The system was installed at North American International, United Van Lines and Mayflower.

He joined Mayflower in 1986 and became VP of their international division in 1988, a position he held until the company was sold to UniGroup in 1996.

During his tenure he managed a team that created new and innovative services including a Mexico-USA trucking service in 1989 and a well publicized link with the Soviet Union in 1990.

He joined Global Silverhawk in 1996 and held positions as Executive VP and COO until leaving to start a consulting business in 2000.

His writing and speaking experience includes:

A monthly ‘Letter from America’ column to FIDI Focus Magazine
Articles in BAR Magazine, LACMA News, AMA Magazine.
Book of short stories published in 2005.

Speaker at the following conventions and meetings:

i. Household Goods Forwarders of America
ii. American Moving Association
iii. Wheaton World Wide Movers
iv. World Trade Club of Indiana
v. Indiana-Russia Trade Consortium
vi. Mayflower Transit
vii. British Association of Removers
viii. Pan American International Moving Association

Past member of:

i. Irish Marketing Institute
ii. Indiana-Russia Trade Consortium
iii. Indianapolis Mayor’s City Enhancement Project
iv. Chair of India Studies at Indiana University – Development Committee
v. International Center of Indianapolis

Tony resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife Jean. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

 

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SHERRY WILLIAMS
International Panel

Sherry Williams has a unique perspective of the moving industry that can only come after having senior roles within the trade association business.

On top of that she has moved internationally four times which also gives her an interesting perspective on the business of moving from the client's side.

Her career has meant not only lending a sympathetic ear to moving company owners over all manner of real or imagined grievances, from conference bookings to disputes with trade colleagues, but to her immediate bosses too.

For them, it's been a matter of juggling with demands that could at best be described as pure flights of fancy to well, now you mention it, their conference events….

So her career of almost 25 years of serving different masters and mistresses of the moving industry began in 1987 when she joined the Latin American & Caribbean Moving Association. She was there for 14 years during some of the association's most formative years which included launching the Continent's first residential training schools as well as putting LACMA on the map as the first international moving association to have its own website in 1997.

Having served six presidents it was time to move on and she joined AMSA where she was VP of international membership. This also included helping to establish the now widely known RIM program.

She then decided to cross the line and worked for two years in the international moving industry to sharpen up her practical knowledge of a fast changing industry.

Two years later she went to head up the Pan American International Moving Association. Here she is working closely with its board and members to raise the profile of this, probably the youngest trade association for our business.

While she sees change all around her Sherry believes that trade associations have a vital role to play to help bring stability to a hard pressed industry and encourage them to speak with a single voice on some of the pressing issues of the day.

 

EDWARD WONG International Panel

Edward Wong, a native of Hong Kong, has over 35 years of experience in freight forwarding and transportation. He got his start at a local Hong Kong trucking company in 1973 and in 1975 joined Kuehne & Nagel, a German Freight Forwarder, as Operations Supervisor and left as a Marketing Executive in 1981. Shortly afterwards in 1982 joined LEP International, a leading British Freight Forwarding company, as Shipping Manager and transferred to London head office in late 1985 as Shipping Manager for Asia and America traffic department. Relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1988 and worked for Crown Pacific as Inbound Supervisor. In a short span of six months became the Traffic Manager at Crown Pacific. In December of 2000 he joined Royal Hawaiian Movers as Vice President of the Commercial Department and became President of the company in 2003.

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Military Panel MATT CONNELL President and Managing Partner Total Military Management

Matt Connell is the President and Managing Partner of Total Military Management (TMM) located in Jacksonville, Florida. Matt possesses more than 10 years of successful moving industry and military carrier development and management experience.

Prior to founding TMM, Matt began his moving career as an Agency Development Representative with Suddath Van Lines. In this position, he quickly grew his knowledge and understanding of the US Department of Defense (DoD) business practices and was soon promoted to Suddath’s Manager of Agency Development. Under Matt's leadership, the Suddath Military Network experienced significant growth and was awarded several major DoD contracts, including a Move Manager contract under the Full Service Moving Project. He was again rewarded for his accomplishments by being promoted to Director of Business Development.

During his tenure at Suddath, Matt saw an opportunity to start his own military moving business and developed a business model and plan. He subsequently founded TMM in 2003 with two other industry partners. In its short existence, TMM has experienced phenomenal growth. Each year since its inception, TMM has grown exponentially and has worked with SDDC and other industry partners in the development of the Families First program.

As President of TMM, Matt is intimately involved with the new programs that will reshape the future business practices and rules for acquiring and moving DoD shipments. His industry experience and proven business skills will guarantee TMM's success as DoD moving programs evolve.

TERRY HEAD President International Association of Movers

In 1997 Mr. Head became the third President of the International Association of Movers. IAM represents over 1900 companies operating as movers, forwarders and other service providers and vendors in the United States and 165 countries around the world.

Mr. Head began his career in the moving and storage industry in 1969 working as a driver’s helper and packer. He has worked his way up through the industry serving in various administrative, sales and management positions for both moving and freight forwarding entities.

Prior to taking on the reins of the IAM, Mr. Head simultaneously served as President of Victory Van International and Cardinal Forwarding, Inc., two Washington, D.C. area firms that specialized in providing a broad range of warehousing and logistical services; including moving and storage, office and industrial relocations, international shipping of household goods and general commodities, as well as, record and media storage.

Mr. Head was involved in directing the logistical activities of such clients as the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and The World Bank, the US State Department and numerous other Federal Government Agencies and foreign Embassies.

Mr. Head is active in many local, national and international business associations involved in global transportation and world trade. He is a founding member and past Board Member of the International Trade Association, a past President and current Member of the Board of Governors for the Washington Air Cargo Association, served as the Chairman of the Washington Airports Cargo Promotions Committee for over nine years. He serves as both a member of the Board and Executive Committee for the Washington Airports Task Force. He is a member of the Governing Board of Directors for the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ#137) with multiple locations in Virginia. Mr. Head is an active member of the National Defense Transportation Association and the American Society of Association Executives.

Mr. Head represents his Membership and the Industry in attending and addressing various conferences and workshops held around the world. On a variety of occasions, Mr. Head has testified on behalf of his industry before the United States Congress and other Federal Agencies.

STEVE VOCKELL Business Development Account Executive Suddath Government Services (SGS)

Steve Vockell, business development account executive for Suddath Government Services (SGS) is responsible for identifying and developing sources for additional capacity and managing relationships with agents. Additionally, Steve solicits new clients for both the Business Development Alliance and RAC programs. With more than 24 years experience in building businesses through relationship development, Steve is instrumental in continuing the growth and success of domestic operations and government services.

About Suddath Government Services.  For more than 50 years, Suddath Government Services has provided professional moving services to government customers who are relocating both domestically and abroad. As one of the largest professional movers for the Government Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Defense (DOD), SGS relocates more than 25,000 families annually worldwide.

PEG WILKEN President of Government Traffic Stevens Worldwide Van Lines

Peg has been a Stevens’ team member since 1981, currently overseeing all government traffic at Stevens, and managing both the commercial and DOD claims departments and processes. Peg is also a member of Stevens’ Executive Management Team.

Throughout her tenure as Vice President, Government Traffic, Peg has been involved at many levels of the DOD relocation business on corporate and federal levels -- growing the DOD business at Stevens and serving on several committees and boards that have helped change and shape the specialty of providing relocation services for military families and government personnel. Peg has been responsible for DOD agent recruitment, rate filing, and development of training and procedures for the new DP3 program for Stevens’ agent family. Peg has served for many years as an industry resource person on a variety of panels and working groups dealing with the re-engineering of the DOD Personal Property Program, including the original re-engineering programs in the Southeast US in the late 1990’s, the Full Service Moving Program (FSMP), and the Business Process W orking Groups that eventually generated the new DP3 program.

Peg serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Movers and is Chair of that association’s Claims Committee. She also is the Chair of the American Moving and Storage Association’s Government Traffic Advisory Council and is generally regarded as an industry expert in DOD business and a spokesperson for the moving industry in many forums.

Peg is a lifelong resident of Saginaw, Michigan. She attended Delta College in Saginaw, Michigan and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Van Line Panel STEVE HERMANN Vice President of Agency Development Atlas Van Lines

Steve Hermann is currently the VP of Agency Development with Atlas Van Lines. He started his career with in 1978 in HHG's operations. Throughout the years he has had ever increasing responsibility and promotions, which are listed below:

1980-81 Eastern shorthaul manager
1981-82 Manager Shipment Information, Service Assurance Monitoring
1982-84 Western Zone manager
1984-85 Director HHG's Eastern operations
1985-87 Agent Recruiter
1987 Director of Incorporated Carriers, Atlas subsidiary
1987-98 Director of Commercial Truckload Division
                                 1998-07 AVP Logistics
                                 2007-10 AVP Agency Dev 2010-2011 Interim Mgr Smart Move, Atlas Subsidiary
                                 2010-present VP Agency Development

PAT LARCH President UniGroup, Inc.

Pat Larch is President of the UniGroup, Inc. Transportation Services Group with overall management responsibility for United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit.

Pat joined the UniGroup companies in 1980 as vice president of United Leasing, now known as Trans Advantage. He subsequently served as executive vice president and president of United Leasing. In 1989, he was appointed vice president operations for United Van Lines. He later served as president and chief operating officer of United until gaining responsibility for both United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit in 1998. Today in his role of President, UniGroup Transportation Services, Pat is President and Chief Operating Officer of both United Van Lines, LLC and Mayflower Transit, LLC.

Mr. Larch earned his bachelors degree from Wayne State University in Detroit and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Detroit.

DONNA MARTIN Director of Sales & Agency Development National Van Lines

Donna's current position is Director of Sales & Agency Development with National Van Lines based in Broadview Il. National Van Lines is a certified women owned interstate van line founded in 1929 by Frank McKee, the grandfather of the current CEO Maureen Beal. National Van Lines provides household goods moving services across the country and around the world.

Previously Donna spent 12 years with Allied Van Lines, where she held various household goods corporate and field sales positions including Regional Sales Director. Prior to that, Donna had been with Bekins Van Lines for 7 years.

 

FRED McBROOM Vice President of Agency Development Wheaton World Wide Moving

A veteran of the moving and storage industry, Fred McBroom learned the business by working as a summer dispatcher for a large national van line. McBroom joined his family’s business after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Indiana University, but returned to the moving and storage industry a few years later joining Wheaton World Wide Moving in 2000. He lead Wheaton’s successful implementation of the military’s Full Service Moving Program and put in place the infrastructure to grow Wheaton’s military revenue by more than 375 percent.

In 2004, McBroom was named Director of Professional Development. In that role, he developed several comprehensive agent training programs, including a comprehensive packing training program, COD sales program, and policy and procedure training programs. McBroom is now Wheaton’s Vice President of Agency Development and is responsible for agent recruiting, retention, training, compliance and administration.

 

DAN ROBERTSON Vice President & General Manager of Moving Services North American Van Lines (US & Canada)

Dan Robertson began his career with North American Van Lines as a student while attending Loyola College in Montreal, Canada. After university, he joined Westmount Moving, a subsidiary of North American Van Lines in Montreal.

Dan spent the first 15 years of his career running moving & storage companies owned by NAVL in Canada. Starting in operations and later in sales and general management, he eventually became responsible for all the household goods and logistics operations of NAVL Canada before moving to the U.S. in 1991.

Dan has held several executive positions with North American Van Lines including quality, strategic planning, sales, operations and business development. His current role is Vice President & General Manager of Moving Services for North American Van Lines (US & Canada).

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MORRIE STEVENS, JR. Vice President Stevens Worldwide Van Lines

Stevens Worldwide Van Lines is an internationally recognized industry leader, and employs approximately 500 individuals during peak season, which includes its 9 company owned agents, as well as over 400 qualified drivers. Stevens has nine company owned offices, over 500 agents nationwide and more than 700 international agents. Stevens corporate headquarters is located in Saginaw, Michigan, while Stevens International Forwarders, formed in 1980, operates from offices in Columbia City, Indiana and Seattle, Washington. The ownership of Stevens Van Lines is unique, as it is owned 70% by the Stevens Family and 30% is an ESOP.

Morrie attended Western Michigan University and graduated from The Hayworth College of Business with a Bachelor of Science degree in December 1995 where he concentrated on Marketing and Business Management.

Morrie began in Detroit working for Stevens Van Lines, Inc. in 1996 as a COD Sales representative after working seven summers on the trucks during high school and college. Morrie represents the 5th generation of the Stevens family to work in the business. Morrie was based out of the Stevens Detroit location for seven years. During his tenure in Detroit he concentrated on COD, Office & Industrial, and National Account sales. He was promoted to Detroit Sales Manager in 2001.

He relocated to Denver, CO in 2002 where he worked as the Western Region Vice President for Stevens Commercial Agency Division. Morrie was promoted to Vice President in 2006 and was relocated back to Stevens Van Lines Headquarters in Saginaw, MI. Morrie is now in charge of the growth of the Stevens Van Lines Commercial Agency Division. He also works closely with the military department in recruiting new agents.

Morrie is a member of the Saginaw Country Club, the Saginaw Club, and is a member of First Presbyterian Church.

Morrie is a graduate of AMSA's Young Executive Program and a 1999 graduate of AMSA's Mentor Program. Morrie is a past member of the AMSA Marketing Committee. He is also registered as a CMC and is RIM certified.

Morrie is a 2001 graduate of Leadership Michigan, which is sponsored by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. Morrie currently serves as a board member of Junior Achievement of Michigan.

CONRAD SWANSON Sr. Vice President, Agency Development Arpin Van Lines

Conrad Swanson is the Senior Vice President of Agency Development, responsible for Arpin Van Lines’ relationship with Agents as well as the recruitment and training of new agents. Mr. Swanson joined Arpin in 1990 and is a current member of Arpin Group Management Committee. Prior to his current position, he spent a year developing a Service Improvement department at Arpin Van Lines, Inc. From 2001 through 2007, Mr. Swanson served as General Manager of Arpin of Rhode Island, an Arpin Van Lines-owned agency. He started his career at Arpin, working 11 years as a driver and crew chief servicing Arpin Van Lines’ household relocations. Mr. Swanson has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics from Brown University.