22
F E AT U R E
M ik e G u a l t ier i, Pre sid e nt, ProCour ier
Former president, member of the Executive Board and chair and member of multiple
committees
EARLY INVOLVEMENT
“My first Annual Meeting was in Tampa in 1988. John Storm was the president and it
was the association’s second big conference. There was about 40 people there (quite the
contrast to the Annual Meeting last year where we had over 400). In those early days it
was mostly about networking with others in the industry.
I was really motivated to attend because I wanted to meet others in the industry. I needed
to pick their brains about ways to deal with the threat of an IRS audit about of our use of
independent contractors. The industry was very fragmented at that time. It was a group
of single operators who were really worried about the threat of these audits. Those guys
who founded this organization - John Storm and Eddie Katz – had the foresight to know
that it would be better to fight threats as group. It’s a good thing I went to that meeting.
When the IRS came to Connecticut Courier (the company I co-founded in 1988) we were
prepared. I called on the contacts and resources I learned about at the association’s annual
meeting. After the audit, the IRS auditor told me, “I’ve audited businesses through the
Northeast and yours is one of the few that really interacts with your drivers in a way that
makes them true ICs.” It was because of this association and those I met at that annual
meeting that we got through it that way.What Membership Has Meant to Him
“I feel like I have business contacts, resources and friends all over the US. They have
helped me to deliver for clients all over the country. And I’ve been able to send business
to others I’ve met through the association that has turned into long-term, repeat jobs.
Membership in CLDA makes us all better. It helps us get over the worry about sharing
with competitors. Once you get beyond that you realize that we’re all in this together
and we all can and should help each other out.
What the meetings allow for me to do as a member is to look into the future by talking
to others in the business. No one in this business knows it all. You may think you do,
but you don’t. When you get to the point where you think you know it all it’s danger-
ous. It’s always worth listening and then taking that information to heart. The meetings
open you up to new things. You learn how to adapt to changing conditions and look
at things from different perspectives. You learn about emerging verticals. You find out
what’s working and what isn’t. Our company is in verticals today that we never would
have been in without hearing about them from other members of this association.”
WHAT CHANGES HE’S SEEN IN THE ASSOCIATION
“Bringing on Kellen as a sounding board and central point of communication was an
enormous step in the association’s growth. The level of professionalism they brought to
the table spiked membership and allowed us to do other things than worry about the
administration of the association. After that we could concentrate on becoming an inde-
pendent association serving our industry. And adding a PR firm has allowed us to expand
our exposure to business and supply chain decision makers in a way we never had before.”
Customized Logistics and Delivery Association | Summer 2017