PartnerShip is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year!

01/31/2014 — Scott Frederick

PartnerShip LLC is a leading shipping solutions provider to small- and medium-size businesses across North America, and we're celebrating our 25th anniversary this year! Founded in 1989, today PartnerShip develops and manages full-service shipping programs for over a hundred industry groups, representing thousands of customers across the U.S. and Canada.

PartnerShip was originally founded by the non-profit National Association of College Stores to help college retailers across the country save on their textbook shipping. The program expanded to include additional shipping services, such as general merchandise shipping, inbound shipping management, routing coordination, and consolidated invoicing. Due to the success of the program within the college industry, the concept was eventually expanded to other associations groups, the first of which included the American Booksellers Association and the National Association of Sporting Goods, but then followed by numerous others.

Building on the hallmarks of simple, worry-free shipping, outstanding savings, and exemplary customer service, the company enjoyed rapid growth from 2007 to 2012 in which it tripled in size and expanded operations to two new locations: One in northeast Ohio and the other in southern California. Leveraging its trade association expertise, and forging alliances with national, reputable carriers, such as FedEx, UPS Freight, YRC Freight, and Con-way Freight, the company was able to expand into dozens of new industries to help thousands of more businesses with their shipping.

Today, PartnerShip offers a wide range of shipping services including:

• Less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipping
• Truckload, expedited and international freight shipping
• Small package (express and ground) shipping
• Exhibit shipping for trade shows and events
• Inbound/vendor shipping management
• Easy-to-use online freight management tools
• Storage, moving, packing, and crating services
• Discounted shipping supplies, and more

John Finucane, president and chief operating officer for PartnerShip, has been with the company for virtually its entire existence. John says the company has been fortunate to attract and retain high-caliber, dedicated people over the years. —Today, we have a staff of nearly 50 professionals that work hard to help our customers with all facets of shipping and logistics, each and every day,' said John. —Although we cater to small businesses, in our minds, there is no such thing as a small customer." John went on to add, —We're very proud of reaching this quarter-century milestone ... and in a very competitive and rapidly changing industry, we're looking forward to what the next 25 years will bring.'

The company officially kicks off its 25^th anniversary celebration with a special, grass-roots exhibition and customer-appreciation event at CAMEX 2014, the college industry's largest trade show and educational event.  If you're a PartnerShip customer, carrier, or employee - or simply a fan - be on the lookout for additional news, promotions, videos, and other fun stuff throughout 2014 as we celebrate this milestone event in our company's history. But most importantly, thank you for your support of our great company!

Congratulations to our FedEx Sweepstakes Winners!

01/27/2014 — Leah Palnik

At the end of 2013, PartnerShip customers were encouraged to participate in the $25,000 FedEx Advantage Sweepstakes, sponsored by FedEx. By enrolling and shipping through a PartnerShip-managed shipping program, association members were eligible to receive over 100 prizes totaling more than $25,000. PartnerShip would like to thank the customers that participated in this promotion and congratulate our winners.

Congratulations to the $2,500 first prize winner - NTEA member, Judy from Meridian SV!

Congratulations to the following PartnerShip customers who each won a $100 American Express^® gift card:

• ABA member, Clive from Changing Hands
• NSRA member, Lou from New Balance Charlotte
• NACS member, Coral from Randolph College
• NSRA member, Mark from Shoe Stop
• NSGA member, Rick from Sports World
• NACS member, Kathy from Zane State College
• ABA member, Rebecca from Greenlight Bookstore
• NSRA member, David from Stans Footwear
• ACS member, Chris from Bardwell Farm
• NACS member, Amanda from Arm Pocket
• NAEDA member, Judy from Riceland Intl
• NACS member, Michael from Grandview Ed
• NACS member, Jennifer from Iowa State University
• NSRA member, Loria from Chiapetta Shoes
• ANLA member, Kelly from Garden Genetics
• NACS member, Norm from Umpqua Oats
• MIA member, Lucille 

PartnerShip Employee Goes to Olympics

01/24/2014 — Scott Frederick

PartnerShip LLC senior account representative Mike McLaughlin is looking forward to watching ice hockey games at the Olympics in Russia. But he won't be watching from his office in Westlake, OH; he will be in Sochi in person. Watch the FOX 8 Cleveland news segment for more details - or click here to read the article online.

5 Shipping Tips for Independent Retailers

01/08/2014 — Scott Frederick

For the typical independent retailer that's selling physical products and has an e-commerce presence, shipping is often an afterthought. While shipping is not as flashy or as sexy as creating marketing promotions and campaigns, it does directly affect your bottom line. Retailers that don't adhere to best practices run the risk of lost sales due to higher prices, or lost profits due to higher shipping costs. To ensure you're not leaving money on the table, here are five tips to consider:

1. Manage your shipping supplies expense. Most of the small package carriers provide free, basic shipping supplies to encourage usage of their services. For example, FedEx provides free shipping materials and labels that can be ordered online. For specialized boxes and mailers, shop around a little to make sure you are getting the right quantities at the best prices. PartnerShip is another good source for low-volume, discounted shipping supplies.

2. Consolidate orders to reduce shipping expenses. As a general rule of thumb, one big order ships for less than three smaller orders. That means retailers should consider consolidating multiple orders into a single shipment whenever possible, and always striving to minimize the number of packages it sends. All too often, shipments are arranged as they come in from sales or order processing. However, a little planning and visibility goes along ways towards shipping savings.

3. Look at for multiple carrier options. Different transportation carriers specialize in different types of services, package sizes, and geographies. Selling mainly low-value, smaller products? A service like FedEx Ground or FedEx Express Saver might be the way to go. Selling larger or heavier products? Your best bet is probably to use a reputable freight carrier. Working with a third-party freight management company often allows you to look at multiple carrier and service options through one website. For example, PartnerShip.com allows retailers to compare rates and services across multiple freight carriers and options.

4. Effectively handle customs documentation. International shipments require customs forms that can seem daunting to complete for retailers that only occassionally ship out of the country. Third-party logistics companies, like PartnerShip, can work with retailers that ship international shipments infrequently to ensure all of the needed paperwork is completed so that their cross-border shipments move efficiently and cost-effectively.

5. Use technology to be more efficient. To remain competitive with large retail chains and other e-commerce retailers, online tools and services are available to help independent retailers manage their inventories, consolidate orders, track shipments, and even complete in new marketplaces.  Make sure you are talking to your peers or suppliers through an industry association or local business chamber to find tools and services others are using to gain efficiencies in their business. By leveraging technology, retailers can meet the fulfillment and shipping requirements of every market in which they compete.

Shipping will never be as exciting as product launches, cool promotions, or a new website, but it is a part of the core foundation of a successful independent retail business. Retailers that proactively take advantage of services, tools and technology can significantly lower their shipping costs, become more competitive, and enjoy higher margins.

To take advantage of industry-leading shipping services and discounts, take a look at The Independent Retailers Shipping Program managed by PartnerShip. With 25 years of experience helping retailers with shipping, we are confident we can help you too.