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Passport to Partnership: Partnair & Sea
Established in 1991 by Alain Berekbaum, Partnair & Sea has become AIT's primary strategic partner in France.
During a recent visit to AIT's corporate headquarters location in Itasca, Illinois, Alain Berekbaum sat down with Christine Nicholson, corporate public relations coordinator, to discuss his business partnership with AIT.
Nicholson: Why did you partner with AIT?
Berekbaum: My business relationship with AIT stems back approximately 12 years ago, when I formed a solid partnership with the Pittsburgh location. Through communication, close contact and mutual trust, I am confident that we can continue working together to identify foreign market opportunities and help each other expand business while remaining competitive in the ever-increasing aggressive nature of the global marketplace.
Nicholson: Can you describe any "success stories" you've recently experienced since partnering with AIT?
Berekbaum: Recently, one of an AIT customer's plants in Seymour, Indiana, was in dire need of a part that was manufactured by Philips Lighting in Chartres, France. The plant was about to shut down if they didn't receive the part as soon as possible.
AIT called on Partnair & Sea to collect the 4 small boxes (weighing a total of 42 pounds) from the Philips location in France. Partnair & Sea immediately sprang to action by recovering the shipment and putting it on an expedited Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt, which connected to a flight to Chicago.
Because of our quick action and close business cooperation, the charter flight arrived on time and the freight was successfully delivered to the plant at 11:55 on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.
Nicholson: Describe the size and scope of your company. Does Partnair & Sea specialize in any vertical markets or industries?
Berekbaum: We opened our doors for business in 1991, as Partnair Freight International in Paris. In nearly 20 years, we have grown from an operation of 4 employees and 1 location to approximately 50 employees working out of 5 locations with one representative office in Congo.
In France, we are localized on the main airports: Roissy CDG (headquarters), Lyon, Toulouse, Pau and on the main port of Le Havre. Our international network allows us to design solutions for customers across the globe.
Our scope of services and competencies include consolidation, direct and express air services; dangerous goods shipments; AOG (aircraft on ground) services; temperature-controlled transportation solutions; pick and pack operations; warehousing; full charters for oversized and time-critical shipments; hand carry services for the petroleum and automotive industries, customs brokerage, and FCL/LCL/NCL ocean services.
Partnair & Sea also specializes in niche and project cargo and the energy, oil and gas markets by developing customized transportation models for urgent shipments of pipes or spare parts across France.
Nicholson: What factors do you attribute towards your company's growth and success?
Berekbaum: The team I've selected has been the driving factor behind my company's growth and success. Employees in every single one of our branch offices are incredibly passionate about the business and committed to providing our customers dedicated service.
The beginning of our story begins and ends with trust. When I founded this company in 1991, I was the only product - essentially, I was personifying the company and the services I could offer by putting my face in front of customers. I worked hard to earn that trust, which has since been invested into my employees.
As the Chairman of this company, I've always maintained the following business formula: "You must say what you do and you must do what you say." I strongly believe that as a team, we speak with conviction but also with heart. We follow through on the commitments we make to our customers; we never want them to lose faith in us or the company we've built.
Partnair & Sea was a small company when it was incepted in 1991 and now, by France's standards, we are considered a medium-sized freight forwarder. I look forward to continuing our growth through earning customer confidence and developing strategic overseas partnerships with companies like AIT Worldwide Logistics.
For more information about Partnair & Sea,
please visit http://www.partnairsea.fr/.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the Partner eNewsletter,
please contact Franco Lasagni, Managing Director International. |
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