THE FLORIDA MESSENGER ASSOCIATION LUNCH AND LEARN SERIES

The Florida Messenger Association has had a busy summer with its annual Lunch and Learn series happening throughout the state of Florida.

The Lunch and Learn series occurs each year during the summer months, allowing members and potential members to break away from their busy day to attend an informational, educational networking opportunity. The FMA brings in guest speakers to speak on topics ranging from insurance, technology, safety, compliance and other value-added topics.

Vendors for this years events include Key Software, DRIVV, Budget Truck Rentals and Borne Social. The final two Lunch and Learn gatherings will focus on technology and will include tools and resources to help attendees understand other aspects of technology outside of courier software and search engine optimization. June Hayford and Chris Kane from DRIVV will help attendees understand how to use tools to understand web traffic, as well as technology threats to their websites, among other topics.

The first session was held on June 22nd in Orlando, Florida and it was sponsored by Key Software and Budget Trucks. Patrick Scardilli, Vice
President of Business Development for Key Software, was the keynote speaker for the session. He shared various topics regarding trends in the industry and he specifically focused on the aspect of hand held technology at the driver level. For example, large customers are now starting to require GPS coordinates at both the time of pick-up and time of delivery. Patrick also shared topics which help support the independent contractors’ aspect of providing services to multiple same-day delivery companies, including an enhanced version of the MobileTek application called “MobileTek Titan.” This version can be purchased by an independent contractor to allow him to accept work from multiple courier companies. Patrick also talked about current trends for route optimization, again being driven by customer in the same-day delivery industry. Pat Bronos, owner of Orlando based A.S.A.P. Courier, said, “It is nice to be able to break away from my busy schedule for a couple of hours to network with fellow members of our association to learn about current trends in our industry. I really appreciate all of the valuable information provided to us.”

The second session was held on June 29th in Jacksonville, Florida. The guest speakers for this event were Robert Galmore and Lou Garofalo from the Transportation Security Administration. They updated the attendees on current security trends and helped everyone understand the important role our industry plays in helping keep our nation safe. The relationship between the TSA and member companies in Northeast Florida is very positive and supportive. This can be attributed to FMA member companies and TSA Officers working together to provide the best AND most safe transportation possible. Tim Petty, President of Jacksonville based Pettyco Express, and former FMA President commented, “We are so thankful to have Lou and Robert here in Jacksonville. They are always available to help us with any question or concern we have, and they have been so supportive of our industry. It is clear to us that they want to help contribute to the success of our industry.”

These sessions have received positive feedback from members each year, and, as a result, the FMA has added a session in Atlanta, Georgia, scheduled for later this summer. Some member companies have expanded their operations into Georgia, so the Board of Directors of the FMA decided to conduct a session in Atlanta as an “outreach” across the border. The FMA has received such positive feedback regarding our events and activities, that the Board felt compelled to share the association’s efforts with Georgia based companies by conducting a session in Atlanta on August 3rd. The final session will occur on August 24th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

As the summer months come to a close, the FMA will resume the monthly “Listen and Learn” series, which is a monthly conference call designed to focus on the educational aspect of the FMA. Participants are exposed to various topics similar to the Lunch and Learn series, but allow members to receive more in-depth knowledge focused on one specific topic each month. The monthly Listen and Learn calls are an opportunity for member companies to have additional participants from their companies, like dispatchers, customer service folks, and any other employees who may benefit from the topic for that particular month. The FMA would like to recognize Lance Dearborne, President of Orlando based FastMile Logistics, and FMA Board Member, for his leadership role in the Listen and Learn series.

The FMA continues to provide its members with opportunities to stay connected outside of its annual conference. It strives to create an environment for new business owners to become involved. The FMA presents the Lunch and Learn series every summer throughout the state of Florida, and would like to recognize Harold Boyett, President of Jacksonville based Blue Streak Couriers, former FMA President and
current FMA Board member for his leadership role in organizing and conducting the annual Lunch and Learn series. Please visit
www.floridamessenger.org for more information.