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Newsletter Archives
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Forget Red...
Go Green For Valentine's Day!
1. Giving Flowers? Visit a local Farmers Market to purchase locally grown flowers. Roses are usually flown into the U.S. which is not the best carbon imprint.
2. Sending a card? Save a tree and forget that printed card you always purchase. Send an e-card instead.
3. Giving a gift? Now that you have saved a tree by sending an e-card, give that same tree as a gift. Give/plant a tree and add beauty and oxygen to the planet.
4. Taking your sweetheart out to dinner? Save gasoline and stay home to cook instead. Add atmosphere and romance by having a candlelit dinner...now you are saving electricity too. |
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Water Cooler Trivia
Completely useless but fun...
110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period.
73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, 27% are women.
15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's day.
61 percent of all men say they would like to receive flowers for Valentine's Day from a woman.
About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.
Share your useless trivia
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Greetings!
Industry updates are important to all of us. If you would like to receive an update on a topic not listed in this issue or receive more information on Cornerstone Systems, please contact us at 800-278-7677 or visit our website at www.cornerstone-systems.com.
We are here to help.
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CS Opens New Troy, Michigan Office
Location To Focus On Truck Brokerage
CS is proud to announce the opening of a new location in Troy, MI (#22 on CNN's 2008 Top 100 Places To Live). Heading up the new site will be transportation veterans Derek Crowe and Craig Heglin. Bringing a combined 27 years of logistics experience, the two are a perfect fit for the Cornerstone family. Their focus will be to increase CS's market share by initially focusing on truck brokerage in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Off to a very successful start, the office opened its doors on January 16 and has been moving truck loads since day 1. For more information about the new Troy location, email dcrowe@cornerstone-systems.com. |
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Transportation Industry News Port of Long Beach To Collect Fees, Port Volumes Continue Their Decline, Ship Layups Set Record, New Titusville Intermodal Service, DOT Creates TIGER Team
The Port of Long Beach will begin collecting the $35 per 20' (TEU) Clean Trucks fee beginning February 18. The Clean Trucks Fee is expected to raise about $1 million a day. Collection of the fees will go towards financing the replacement of many of the 17,000 trucks that are a leading source of air pollution in Southern California. Ultimately the payment of the fee will be the responsibility of the cargo owner and must be paid prior to pulling a container from the port. Payment of the fee can be processed via credit card or electronics fund transfer through the official website at www.portcheck.org.
Cargo volumes at U.S. ports are down for the 18th consecutive month according to the NRF (National Retail Federation). Volume for the first six months of 2009 is forecast at 6.6 million TEU, down 11.8 percent from the 7.5 million TEU seen during the same period in 2008. 2008 was a challenging year for retailers and all indications are that 2009 will not be any better. Retailers are only importing what they can sell and the NRF expects that sales will get worse before they get better.
More than 300 ships and a record 800,000 TEU's are now in layup as carriers consolidate services on major routes to combat declining global cargo volume and rates. The Asia-Europe trade has seen the deepest cuts with capacity tumbling 21 percent. Capacity in the eastbound trans-Pacific has fallen 9 percent, and the Europe-Med-North America route is down 4.5 percent.
As mentioned in our last issue, there is a new Intermodal service to and from Titusville, Florida (near the Orlando and Tampa markets) and the details are now in. Effective this month, the Norfolk Southern is now offering accelerated service for both container and trailer freight (by 24 hours) from Chicago to Miami and Jacksonville, Florida. Shipments to Titusville from Union Pacific's Los Angeles terminal began on February 9 and from Atlanta on February 13. Norfolk Southern is working in conjunction with the Union Pacific Railroad as well as on its own lines from Atlanta to Titusville.
The DOT (Dept of Transportation) has created a "TIGER" team (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) to coordinate its role in President Obama's economic recovery program. The team will make sure that funding goes out to states and localities as quickly as possible. The team will also identify and prioritize key highway, bridge, transit, rail, aviation and Intermodal spending, and will develop reporting standards to accurately track the money as it is being spent to ensure that all accountability requirements are being met. |
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Current Fuel Facts The Energy Information Administration reports U.S. On-Highway Diesel Fuel Prices (dollars per gallon) as follows:
2/9/09 Date Released
2.219 Price
(Down) -0.027 Change From Week Ago
(Down) -1.061 Change From Year Ago
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CS First "HealthFirst" Employee Challenge Are You Drinking Your 8x8?
As part of the new CS Wellness Program, the first employee challenge is off and running to focus on employee health and well being.
So here is the challenge...are you drinking your 8x8?
Drinking water is so important for good health. Your body is estimated to be about 60-70% water. Your body needs water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all your organs. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs. You lose water every day through urination, respiration and by sweating. For your body to function properly, you must replenish your water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.
So how much water do you need? According to analysts a good easy rule of thumb or guideline is the 8x8 rule. Drink eight 8-oz glasses of water every day.
All CS Employees recently received an official HealthFirst Water Tumbler. On the back of the tumbler is a mark showing that the tumbler holds 16 oz of liquid. If employees drink 4 tumblers of water each day, they have met the challenge.
Challenge yourself...and challenge your co-workers...are you drinking your 8x8? |
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LifeBlood Visits CS Memphis
Employees Respond to Community Blood Drive
Lifeblood needs corporate community help and 19 CS employees from the Memphis office will be lining up on Monday, February 16th to donate much needed blood to the Mid-South area blood bank. Since 1974 Lifeblood has been the Memphis community's only full-service blood center and is the area's leading provider of blood and blood components to area hospitals. Because Memphis is the eighth largest medical center in the United States and hosts the second busiest trauma center in the nation at The Med, the need for blood is great. Donating blood is simple, takes little time and one blood donation saves up to four lives.
CS is proud to have Memphis employees from the Intermodal Operations, Truck Operations, Rates, Sales, IT,and Administrative departments, along with the Memphis Innovative Logistics office, participate and help out this great organization. For more information, visit Lifeblood. |
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Are You Cutting Costs Yet? Survey Shows 90% of Companies Cutting Costs
Weathering the recession that is gripping the U.S. economy is a pretty tough job these days. According to a survey released from Chicago-based consultant Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., nine out of 10 companies have put cost-cutting strategies into place. Cost-cutting measures included reductions in travel expenses, hiring freezes, cancelations of holiday parties, salary freezes, cuts in workers hours, reduction in or the elimination of year-end bonuses and cutbacks in various perks.
Still looking for ways to cut costs? Analysts suggest these additional areas to consider:
1. Magazine subscriptions - Cut back on those not needed, and check if multiple receivers in the same office location are receiving the same publication.
2. Memberships - Keep key memberships in organizations that have the potential to bring you business or provide valuable exposure. Review all others to determine their worth.
3. Business supplies - Have one person responsible for the supply closet and buy only what is needed. Also, check into recycling toner cartridges which could save some greenbacks as well as help the environment.
4. Make an attempt toward going "Paperless"- save a few trees and print only what is needed. You will save on buying paper and on ink cartridges.
5. Become energy efficient. For example, timers and occupancy sensors can be used to cut off or decrease lighting when areas of your business are not being used. Likewise, lighting upgrades can enable the use of energy-efficient bulbs, and insulation can be used to keep heat or cool air from escaping from the building. Also, be proactive about fixing things that will raise your utility bills such as leaks. | |
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