PASSION FOR WHAT WE DO IS ALIVE AND WELL AT CII
Partner, Pete Lamy and I from the day we decided to put our money where our mouths were and start CII sixteen odd years ago have always set time aside whether we are quiet or busy to sit down every day and discuss opportunities arising from the challenges facing us. Sometimes it might be dedicated how to best to handle a shipment sitting on our dock or it may be brainstorming on ways to keep propelling the company forward. Whatever the subject of the day is, something that has not changed in our twenty year friendship and business relationship is the passion we share in our work. In spite of so many industry changes over the years (Peter especially, and me to a lesser degree) we are still the eternal optimists.
We will never forget when Ron Labac and Mike Scanlan of FedEx supported and endorsed our application for credit in 1993 and our first schedule had us supporting FedEx to every destination. By the end of 1993 we had secured IATA registration and this allowed us the benefits of expanding our horizons. For the first two years, every night we followed our freight to the airlines to make sure we went home knowing we had done everything possible to ensure the consolidation would ride as booked. We love the challenges that moving over size freight brings. Our very first shipment on FedEx was a forty foot long packaging machine ex Monroe, Louisiana that we shipped to Melbourne. Because of the weight and dimensions it took all our powers of persuasion (and Peter’s intimate first hand knowledge) with the loadmaster to center load the freight with spreaders. We won! The twenty-six tonne machine was three days after dispatch being installed at Coca Cola’s plant.
Fast forward to 2007 and Peter convinced Qantas to divert their freighter into Nadi, Fiji to drop off a twelve tonne spool of cable ex N.Y. to meet a cable laying vessel held up in port eagerly awaiting its arrival. Tony Feist, now our VP Special Projects approached us with his dilemma while working for another forwarder. CII made the impossible happen and while the shipper and consignee were ecstatic that 24 hours later the spool was being loaded on board the vessel in Lautoka, we received not one word of thanks from the forwarder, apart from Tony being over the moon. The rest is history. Tony decided to join a company that put a can do spirit mingled with unbridled passion into everything it does.
When we negotiated with new South Pacific entrant Air Pacific back in 1994, we promoted the service as “Coconut Express”. Back then we had a competitor in the name of Patrick Keelaghan. His life was tragically taken from him some ten years ago and we still mourn his death. Patrick was a character in the truest sense of the word. For a few weeks our twice weekly fax broadcast was full on about “Coconut Express”. Patrick decided he needed to counter this nuisance promotion so he faxed everyone around the airport, “No, we have no coconuts today. If you want some, use the competitor. You can sit under a palm tree in Fiji enjoying eating it while your freight is also stuck there. If you want your freight to arrive as per schedule on a prime carrier better that you ship with us!” Dealing with a competitor whose passion matched ours actually brought so much more fun into our everyday lives. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery and with the one or two motley competitors in the marketplace today, watching and copying our every move, we still yearn for the days of Patrick Keelaghan. Without going head to head with him in those halcyon first five years, that burning desire to provide great service with a passion would not still be in our veins today. What a shame there has been not one competitor to even come close to Patrick.
Our team is a little larger today, but Pete and I rest happy the culture of our company is engrained in every team member. Examples; Graham Burford our VP Global Sales elects to travel Sundays when visiting out of town customers, so first thing Monday morning he sees his first customer. Pete and I don’t expect that of him. That is what he elects to do himself. The man is driven by passion to pack as many productive hours into each and every day. Both Mike Castro, VP Operations and Lyne Enzweiler, VP Admin arrive at work at seven every weekday morning. And they don’t leave at five either. Both will burn “the midnight oil” if there is still work to complete! The same can be said of Greg Melissinos in N.Y. and Christian Calderon in Atlanta. Thanks Pete for helping us build a company we can all be proud of.
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