A PartnerShip Christmas Story

12/19/2013 — Scott Frederick

Continuing our annual tradition, the employees of PartnerShip have once again created a short and fun holiday video in appreciation for our customers and our carrier partners. This year's video pays homage to the holiday classic, A Christmas Story, which was originally filmed in our hometown of Cleveland, OH (in fact, the house in our video is the same house from the movie).

You can watch the video below or you can view it directly on the PartnerShip YouTube Channel. Either way, we hope you enjoy it!

The PartnerShip team wishes you all the very best during this holiday season, as well as a prosperous and successful new year!

Charitable Holiday Gifts from PartnerShip

12/16/2013 — Scott Frederick

PartnerShip continues its annual tradition of "giving back" by sharing our good fortune during the holidays with area organizations that can use our support. In lieu of expensive customer gifts (other than our complimentary 2014 wall calendars), and as we have done in years past, we will be traveling to five local charities this week to make generous donations on behalf of PartnerShip. Our employees feel very passionate about the amazing things that all these charities do for the people in our community and many of us have been touched personally by some of them.

The organizations receiving these contributions are as follows (click on each name to learn more):

• DebRA of America: The mission of Debra (The Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association) of America is to improve the quality of life for all people living with EB, their families, and the caregivers through programs and services while funding research to find a cure and treatments for Epidermolysis Bullosa.

• Purple Lotus Project: Based in Lorain County, the Purple Lotus Project is a non-profit organization that provides education, transition and safety resources to women, teens, children, men and animals that are affected by domestic violence and abuse. Using a wide range of resources to assist those who need help to escape or help someone escape an abusive/domestic violence situation.

• Oaks Family Care Center:  A non-profit, non-political social service agency; Oaks Family Care Center provides support and encouragement to fathers, mothers, teens and all those in crisis. They help families understand their options so they can make educated decisions regarding life issues. Offering support groups and classes, material goods, outreach programs and a help line to anyone who needs support in their life.

• Elisabeth's House: The Prentiss Wellness Nursery (Providence House): The Prentiss Wellness Nursery is a collaborative, innovative solution addressing children's medical needs and family stability to support safe discharge of children from a hospital to an appropriate setting combined with intensive family support services to increase caregiver capacity and stabilize family crises. The vision of the nursery is that children everywhere are raised in safe, loving families free from abuse and neglect.

• Beds for Cleveland Kids: With over 3,000 families coming into the Cleveland Furniture Bank every year looking for basic home furnishing, and many with children who need beds to sleep in, the demand was too high for them to keep up with. Thus Beds for Cleveland Kids was formed in order to obtain donations from the public with the objective being to provide a gently used bed to every child in Cleveland that needs one, so that no child has to sleep on the floor.

PartnerShip continues its long history of generously giving back to the community, through individual fund-raising events and yearly participation in our local United Way drive. Each of the selected charities has touched our employees' hearts in a personal way and holds special meaning to our company. We hope that you agree that these donations will have a great and beneficial impact - after all, these donations would not be possible without the business and support of our many customers.

Thank you and happy holidays!

Tradeshow Shipping: 3 Weather Tips for Exhibitors

12/10/2013 — Leah Palnik

One of the biggest issues that keep exhibitors awake at night during the winter months is a trade show shipment that is delayed due to weather. If you plan on exhibiting at any upcoming trade shows, here are a few quick tips to keep in mind:

1. Build in one or two extra days for shipping, especially for cross-country shipping or shipping into cities that historically are affected by weather.
2. Work with a proactive shipping partner (like PartnerShip) that tracks your exhibit shipment EVERY day, and when issues arise, will work with you to come up with acceptable alternatives.
3. Always have a "Plan B". Most carriers will not honor delivery guarantees to trade shows when delays are caused by weather conditions. So it is important that you have contingency plans in place if your primary exhibit shipment is unexpectedly delayed (e.g., a secondary booth, experienced personnel who can expedite replacement materials, etc.).

PartnerShip has nearly 25 years of experience both as an exhibitor and as a shipper of exhibit materials. We stand ready to help exhibitors with our knowledge and know-how during this busy time of the year for trade shows, expos, and conferences. In fact, earlier this year PartnerShip helped nearly 300 exhibitors overcome nasty weather so they could have a successful CAMEX 2013 show in Kansas City, Missouri. Two crippling snow storms crashed over the Midwest affecting exhibit transportation during show move-in and move-out. Check out the video below to hear what these exhibitors had to say about working with PartnerShip to overcome the weather and still have a successful show.

Got questions? Give our Tradeshow team a call at 800-599-2902 option 3; or click the button below to request a free, no-obligation rate quote on your next exhibit shipment.

Improve Your Website with the FedEx Web Integration Wizard

12/05/2013 — Leah Palnik

Online retailers know how important it is to streamline the shopping experience for their customers. They constantly strive to have a well designed website, a well managed inventory, and a simplified shipping process. That's why FedEx offers online retailers a way to improve their ecommerce space with the FedEx Web Integration Wizard.

The FedEx Web Integration Wizard is a great tool for online retailers that don't have a dedicated developer, or for anyone looking for a simple way to integrate FedEx functionality to their website. Once this functionality is incorporated into your website, your customers can compare FedEx shipping rates and transit times, create shipping labels, and track the status of their shipments - helping to create a more engaging website and improve overall customer satisfaction.

How to get started:

1. Create or locate a page on your site where shipment information will be featured, such as an order status page for tracking.

2. Open the FedEx Web Integration Wizard.

3. Enter your FedEx account information and set up a merchant account profile.

4. Select which services you would like to appear on your website (shipping, tracking, rating, or returns).

5. Answer a few questions about your shipping characteristics.

6. Select a design to match your website needs.

7. Click "Get Code" to automatically generate HTML code based on your input.

8. Copy and paste the HTML code into your website files where you would like the shipment information to appear.

The best part of this FedEx integration is that it can help you save money. Through a PartnerShip-managed shipping program, you receive significant discounts on select FedEx services. If you're not sure if you qualify for one of our small package shipping programs Contact Us and we'll find the solution that's right for you. Also, if you click the button below, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation shipping analysis to determine how much we can help you save on your small package shipping.

FedEx and UPS rates are increasing in 2020! Make sure you know what to expect so you can mitigate the impact to your bottom line. Our free white paper breaks down where you'll find the highest increases and explains some of the complicated changes you need to be aware of.

PartnerShip Receives 2013 Excellence Award

12/04/2013 — Scott Frederick

PartnerShip LLC has been selected for the 2013 Excellence Award amongst all its peers and competitors by the Small Business Institute for Excellence in Commerce (SBIEC). PartnerShip is a freight management company based in Cleveland, Ohio and is a leading shipping solutions provider to small businesses nationwide.

Each year the SBIEC conducts business surveys and industry research to identify companies that have achieved demonstrable success in their local business environment and industry category. They are recognized as having enhanced the commitment and contribution of small businesses through service to their customers and community. Small businesses of this caliber enhance the consumer driven stature that is renowned for.

PartnerShip has consistently demonstrated a high regard for upholding business ethics and company values which is a trait seldom found in its industry. It has more than 20 years of experience developing and managing LTL freight, small package, tradeshow, and specialized shipping programs and services for over 100 association groups and thousands of customers nationwide. Founded in 1989 as subsidiary of the National Association of College Stores, today it has offices in Cleveland, OH, and Irvine, CA.

As part of the industry research and business surveys, various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the selected companies in each category. This research is part of an exhaustive process that encapsulates a year long immersion in the business climate of the transportation and logistics industry. This recognition by SBIEC marks a significant achievement for PartnerShip as an emerging leader within the transportation and logistics industry.