Greetings,
 
It has been one interesting year, but in retrospect they all seem to be that way.  To our customers I want to thank you for the business you have entrusted us to move and to our vendors I want to thank you for helping us get the job done.
 
On behalf of all of Cornerstone Systems' employees I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Hopefully the second part of that salutation will actually become true in 2010 with a real economic recovery including increased job opportunities, peace in all of the world's trouble spots, and safety for all in harms way.
 
Thanks again to our customers, our vendors, and our employees who day in and day out provide the kind of service that has made Cornerstone a successful company.
 
Regards,
 
Rick

 

Louis Hancock Heads Up New Location

 

Words like Rebound and Turnaround Now Being Used 

 

Rail shippers and carriers also anticipate modest growth in traffic in 2010.  Executives at the conference see a pick up in rail traffic as early as next spring.  International intermodal traffic experienced a modest peak this fall, and the UP RR is optimistic that international and especially domestic intermodal business will increase in 2010, at least compared to 2009, said Brian McDonald, VP Intermodal.

 

In February 2010, volume at major U.S. container ports will break what figures to be a 31-month streak of year-over-year declines, according to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) and IHS Global Insight's latest "Port Tracker" report.  February volume is expected to rise 16 percent to 973,872 TEU's and March to increase 5 percent to 1.02 million TEU's.  "There's not enough data yet to establish a clear trend, but we're hopeful that this is a sign of recovery," said NRF VP for Supply Chain and Customers Policy Jonathan Gold.

 

For more on this subject...click on this Journal of Commerce link to hear Tom Kim (Lead Asia Transport Analyst, Goldman Sachs) discuss the 2010 outlook for the container shipping market. 2010 Container Shipping Outlook

 

The UP railroad has opened a new side track

track on the Missouri River Runner route, and has also opened the Donner Pass Tunnel to double-stack intermodal container freight traffic.  The new $8.1 million, 9,000 foot railroad side track adds capacity and will reduce delays on the route used by Amtrak Missouri River Runner trains between Kansas City and St. Louis.  In California, the UP also opened its Donner Pass route to domestic double-stack intermodal container freight traffic, marking the completion of a twelve-month project (estimated at $25-30 million) designed to move customer products over a shorter, faster and more efficient route.

 

Canadian federal and local authorities have green-lighted environmental plans for the Detroit River International Crossing project, part of a plan for a new proposed bridge crossing between the U.S. and Canada.  The project will link Highway 401 in Windsor to Interstate 75 in Detroit and the C$1.6 billion road and preparation work is part of the plans for an overall C$5 billion bridge project, the Windsor Star reported.  Currently, the two countries are connected in Detroit by the Ambassador Bridge.

 

A five-day strike by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (1,700 train engineers) against the CN railroad ended late Wednesday, December 2 as negotiations resumed between the parties.  As part of the agreement, Montreal-based CN said that both a 1.5% wage increase and a proposal to increase workers' monthly mileage limits have been rescinded.  The CN railway, Canada's largest railroad, acted as quickly as possible to resume normal operations getting all crews, schedules and traffic back to pre-strike pace.  

 

President Obama's multi-layered jobs plan includes spending around $50 billion in additional funds on transportation infrastructure programs, with the goal of obligating that money to specific projects within the next year.  Aides said the project spending would include highways, transit, rail, aviation and water transport systems.  One said it would also set aside a significant amount for merit-based construction such as intermodal projects that draw in investments from other parties as well.   

 

The Department of Homeland Security will not meet the 2012 congressional deadline to screen all freight entering U.S. ports, thus a deadline extension to 2014 has been granted.  Janet Napolitano, DHS secretary stated serious logistical, financial and technological challenges at many ports to be the reason.  "As a result, those challenges make 100% scanning rates unworkable, without seriously hindering the flow of shipments or redesigning the ports themselves," she said.      

 

 

Every year at Youth Villages, the Holiday Heroes program helps to make the holiday wishes of children come true.  Youth Villages is a nonprofit organization that has developed an array of nationally recognized programs and services to offer children and their families their best chance of joyful and successful lives.  Through generous donors and committed volunteers they are working to help each child have a permanent and happy home.  CS employees whole-heartedly volunteered again in 2009 for the Holiday Hero Program adopting 17 children.  Without this important program, many of these children would not have a Christmas.   Once a child is "adopted", the CS employee receives their wish list and goes shopping.  Employees spend $75 per child so each child receives gifts of equal value.  With shopping in full swing, gifts are being wrapped and collected for the December 11 dropoff deadline!  CS is a proud sponsor of Youth Villages and their worthwhile efforts.

 

CS Employees also rallied to the call when the Mid-South Food Bank, along with Action News 5 (WMC-TV), local banks and grocery stores, put out the call for non-perishable food items and donations to help families in need this holiday season.  Food Bank officials say across the Mid-South, the demand for food is up 30-40%.  With cold weather arriving, many people will also have to choose between paying for food and paying to heat their homes.  CS Employees happily pitched in collecting and donating countless boxes of food which will be dropped off today, December 9, during the one-day collection blitz  all across the city.   

 

Happy Holidays!