States Logistics Services Joins Distribution Centers of America (DCA)

Integrated 3PL to Represent Both Arizona and Southern California Regions

Buena Park, CA – January 11, 2010: States Logistics Services Inc (SLSI) has assumed regional representation in both the Arizona and Southern California markets for the national marketing cooperative, the Distribution Centers of America (DCA). Membership in DCA, now celebrating 25 years of national advantage through regional excellence, is a highly coveted privilege, by invitation only and reflects the voted approval of all member companies.

States Logistics is an excellent illustration of that caliber. In a recent ExecDigital online magazine, SLSI is cited for differentiating itself through integrated service, technology, and sustainability initiatives, having earned numerous “Best of the Best” ratings within their customers’ distribution networks.

“States’ mission is to be the best fully integrated provider of 3PL services,” states Ryan Donovan, VP Operations in California. “With so many customers in food manufacturing, we have to stay ahead of the game to survive.”

Sustainability is core to the company’s philosophy and operations, with recent achievements including Silver LEED status for the new Arizona warehouse, achieved in part, by using locally provided products, T-8 lamps and solar panels powering half the 417,000 sq ft facility. Last quarter, States won a U.S. EPA Smartway Environmental Excellence Award for conserving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions in freight and transportation activities, related to SLSI’s B99 Biodiesel fleet – a pioneering joint initiative with progressive customer, ClifBar.


About States Logistics Services, Inc (SLSI):
States Logistics Services provides fuly integrated solutions including contract packaging, assembly, consolidation and import/export management beyond the basics of transportation and warehousing. The company maintains leading edge technology throughout more than 2Mil sq ft of both public and private warehousing capacity in Arizona and Southern California.
For more, contact: AZ: Kirk Hellofs, VP Operations, 623-936-9122, x6101; CA: Ryan Donovan, VP Operations, 714-521-6520, x514 and visit www.stateslogistics.com.

About TeamDCA:
For 25 years, Distribution Centers of America (DCA) has been recognized for service excellence throughout its national network of member companies, together comprising 23 million square feet of warehouse space. Individually owned and operated, each member of TeamDCA is a leader in its regional market, providing value-added warehousing and third party logistics services responsive to the needs of global companies and committed to customer success in that region. Request a quote for service at www.teamdca.com.

Green Shipping Practices

States Logistics is making an impact in the logistics industry by focusing on sustainability and green business practices. With green shipping and bio-diesel transportation, States services have positioned themselves as a leader for fellow businesses. Alternative fuel methods have decreased carbon dioxide emissions, unburned hydrocarbons, the amount of sulfates released and much more. From SCMR, we have found this great article on others forming guidelines to help save the environment and promote green shipping.

Green logistics: New set of guidelines from World Economic Forum and Accenture focus on carbon impact of product transport

One major obstacle to more widespread carbon awareness in the corporate world has been a lack of standardized methods for measuring carbon emissions. Now, an industry group and a consultancy firm are trying to change that.

Jeff Berman, Group News Editor -- Supply Chain Management Review, 2/23/2010

An effort by The World Economic Forum's Logistics & Transport Industry Group with help from consultancy Accenture has come up with so-called standard guidelines for calculating consignment level carbon emissions from logistics and shipping operations.

Entitled the "Consignment-Level Carbon Reporting Guidelines," their objective is to help the transportation and logistics industries inform consumers and businesses about the carbon impact of product transport, and the guidelines were endorsed by the Governors of the World Economic Forum's Logistics & Transport Industry Group at its recently-held meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

These guidelines include principles for defining the scope of emissions to report and how these emissions should be allocated for things like shared transport or backhaul, according to the World Economic Forum and Accenture. They added that these guidelines will also complement broader upcoming and existing product-level carbon reporting standards, including the GHG (greenhouse gas) Protocol Life Cycle and Scope 3 Standards, which they said should be released by the end of this year.

In an interview with Logistics Management, Jonathan Wright, senior executive in Accenture's Supply Chain Practice, said that there were a number of factors that influenced the introduction of these guidelines.

Wright explained that as confidence begins to return to the freight sector, with weak signals of an upturn, or at least stability, conversations among industry executives shift from survival to growth. But in a highly commoditized and convergent market, new growth opportunities require the development of different business models by the sector's firms-from tackling the challenges presented by emerging markets-to embracing renewed demands from customers for granular reporting on sustainability.

"To help address uncertainty around carbon and sustainability in particular, Accenture has been collaborating with the World Economic Forum's Logistics and Transport group for the past couple of years," said Wright. "A year ago, Accenture jointly published the Supply Chain Decarbonization report...[which] outlined the main ways in which the transport sector-both unilaterally and working with the wider supply chain-can begin to take practical, near-term steps to cut its carbon footprint."

In 2009 between the Davos meeting and this year's meeting, Wright said Accenture has seen the demand for product-level carbon footprinting information take off, with many leading global retailers and manufacturers launching their own labeling efforts, which has led to a significant uptick in the number and detail of requests made of freight firms, where accurate product-level carbon footprint data is currently hard to calculate on a systematic and standardized basis.

These guidelines, Wright said, are a set of practical guidelines that the transport industry can use to respond to the increasing numbers of requests from its customers for product-level carbon footprint data.

"The guidelines come at a time when consumer interest in the carbon footprints of the products they buy is growing," said Wright. "For example, a recent Accenture survey found that 90 percent of consumers would be willing to switch to a new product if it was certified as minimizing its impact on climate change, our research shows that transport and logistics operations typically make up 5-15 percent of the carbon footprint of a product's carbon emissions. The remainder of the footprint is elsewhere in the value chain-in raw materials extraction, manufacturing, selling or disposal phases. These guidelines represent a first step towards creating a standard approach for measuring the transportation portion of a product's carbon footprint, which shippers can use as an input to reporting the total carbon emissions associated with the products they sell."

A leading expert on green logistics and supply chains said that these guidelines are very promising in that standardizing guidelines for calculating consignment-level carbon emissions from logistics and shipping operations reaffirms the impact that logistics drivers (facilities, inventory, and transportation) will have on the bottom lines of companies as the Green movement continues to grow.

"Simply trying to compete on price or through innovation is being severely tested by the increasing focus on reducing the carbon footprint of the products companies manufacture and that consumers purchase," said Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and lecturer on green supply chain strategies for a consulting firm. "As we move towards a point and time when most products will have a carbon footprint rating, imagine how even more important supply chain management will become in ensuring competitive advantage in terms of minimizing the carbon rating of products. If consumers are willing to choose one brand over another because of small differences in price, why wouldn't consumers choose one brand over the other due to small differences in carbon rankings?" Ladd also noted that achieving low carbon rating on products is directly related to how well companies manage their supply chain and logistics drivers.

In order for these guidelines to come to fruition, Accenture's Wright said the in order to implement these guidelines logistics and transportation providers will have to invest in process, reporting and IT, which will take some time.

"We recommend the industry take two key next steps: conduct pilot operations on various transport modes and logistics facilities to establish consignment-level reporting at an operational level and assess implementation difficulties; and adopt automated reporting systems and software to increase efficiency and accuracy in reporting and enable automated information transfer to suppliers, shippers, contractors or customers," commented Wright.

Wright also explained that if done successfully, there is often a win-win on cost and carbon for shippers, and both the bottom line and the organization's emissions can benefit from an increased focus on energy usage.

"Quite simply, looking along the supply chain at carbon brings a different perspective that can yield new and previously unseen savings," he said. "One example is PepsiCo's Walkers Crisps, which switched to 100 percent British potatoes to lower food miles and used biodiesel containing 5 percent used cooking oil for their delivery trucks. There are other reasons to pursue carbon emissions reporting and reduction--it can often contribute to improved employee engagement and enhanced customer service, and perhaps most importantly is what many customers want."

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From Inbound Logistics' 3PL Excellence Survey page:

“Each year, in its July issue, Inbound Logistics publishes the most definitive resource on third-party logistics and the outsourced logistics market. If you are already a subscriber, you know that we ask our readers which third-party logistics companies provide excellent service, and publish the results. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can get a list of this year's Excellence Survey winners, as well as the Top 100 third-party companies in the world, by checking the box below.

We're now conducting next year's 3PL Excellence Survey. The results will be presented in the July 2010 3PL issue. Give us your input and we'll express our appreciation by entering you in a drawing for a free 18-carat gold Parker pen, which includes a coupon for free engraving."

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To get more info on States Logistics, green shipping and contract packaging Phoenix Arizona, please visit our website!

Going Green: Responsible Packaging & Shipping Decisions

States Logistics is offers green shipping with bio diesel transportation. It is very important to work towards sustainability in our community. Businesses can take a look at the following article to enhance their packaging practices. Let us take care of the green shipping and transportation efforts!


"Product packaging and shipping practices play a substantial role in a business' carbon footprint. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, product packaging currently makes up approximately one-third of the non-industrial waste produced in most of the developed world. This is of significant importance to anyone that is looking to run an environmentally responsible business. By making green packaging and shipping choices, we can greatly reduce our waste production and encourage our customers to do the same.

So, where do we begin? Let's first look at packing/shipping materials. A good place to start is with the materials that we receive from our own vendors. If you receive books, supplies and other materials that come in less than environmentally friendly packing materials, reusing rather than discarding them is always a wise choice. If the packaging does not suit your product(s), or is not in good enough shape to reuse for shipping, look for other ways to use them. A banged up box may still be good for storing some supplies or transporting products, for example. Recycle and/or reuse what you can. Giving existing materials a longer life is a great way to reduce our impact on the environment, while also reducing costs.

Another environmentally responsible shipping decision is to choose environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional packing materials. When packing items for shipping, you can recycle and save money at the same time by using shredded paper as a padding material. If your a die-hard fan of packing peanuts or bubble wrap, seek biodegradable and recycled alternatives. Staples carries biodegradable packing peanuts made from cornstarch that dissolve in water, as well as recycled packing peanuts made from the remains of other loose fill. As an alternative to the traditional plastic bubble wrap, Bio-Bubble wrap is a 100% biodegradable bubble wrap option that breaks down naturally when exposed to environmental factors. When selecting shipping boxes, you can choose 100% recycled boxes produced from post-consumer waste... .

If you take the time and effort to ensure that your packaging and shipping materials are eco-friendly, be sure to include a small statement about your green shipping practices on your shipping invoice and on your website. Always let your customers know what steps you take to operate an environmentally responsible business. It does make a difference.

Learn more about waste prevention and source reduction via Project Green."

Read full article here

States Logistics Services Wins US EPA SmartWay Environmental Excellence Award

Release date: 10/6/2009
Contact Information:
Matt Montford, Transportation Sales Manager mmontford@stateslogistics.com
States Logistics Services Inc. of Buena Park, California received an Environmental Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency SmartWaySM Transport Partnership for its leadership in conserving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from its transportation and freight activities. States Logistics has been a pioneer in the use of B99 Biodiesel (99% domestically produced soy-based diesel) and has aggressively implemented use of the latest engine and aerodynamic technology. The combination of these “bleeding-edge” practices result in commercial vehicles that far exceed government standards in most measures of emissions.

“Our partnership with SmartWay Transport shows companies can lower their fuel use, save money and help the environment,” said Bill Martin, Director of Transportation. “The partnership provides us with tools and information, and contributes on a daily basis to significant improvements in our efficiency and environmental performance. We urge all of our colleagues in the freight industry to consider joining SmartWay.”

States Logistics Services was one of 37 companies and organizations, from among the Partnerships’ more than 2100 Partners, to receive this distinction. The awards were announced today at the American Trucking Association’s Annual Management Conference & Exhibit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"EPA is pleased to recognize these SmartWay Partners with a 2009 Excellence Award. I commend States Logistics Services for its leadership in promoting sustainable transportation practices through the SmartWay Transport Partnership", said Margo T. Oge, Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, EPA. "These actions demonstrate a commitment to a cleaner environment and more secure energy supply."

SmartWay was introduced by EPA and a select group of fifteen shipping and business leaders in 2004 as an innovative, market-based partnership to reduce fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollutants from the freight sector. Today, more than 2200 businesses and organizations have joined the Partnership, including companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to family-owned businesses, each working to improve their environmental performance.

Together, through the SmartWay Partnership, these companies, including States Logistics Services will eliminate six million tons of carbon dioxide that contribute to global warming, and save more 540 million gallons of diesel fuel – an economic savings of at least $2 billion a year.

For more information about SmartWay visit: www.epa.gov/smartway or call (734) 214-4767.

For more information about the SmartWay Award recipients, visit: www.epa.gov/smartway/awards07.htm

States Logistics Inc.: Going the Extra Mile

This fully integrated provider of third party logistics has used technology and sustainability to stand out. With years of experience under their belts, the management team at States Logistics Inc. knows the significance of smoothly-run supply chain for any company. They also recognize most companies would prefer a single source provider of logistics, warehousing transportation and packaging. These factors alone make the West Coast company a standalone organization in a competitive industry.



States Logistics, Inc. featured in Executive Digital Magazine – http://www.execdigital.com/Magazine.aspx?id=1506

States Logistics, Inc. Partnering with Clif Bar & Company – In Good Company 2009 New Orleans

States Logistics, Inc. has been invited by our business partner Clif Bar & Company to participate in a community initiative called “In Good Company”. Clif Bar & Company supports causes they believe in which has been part of the company’s identity from the start. They know that they have a special role to play in working toward a healthier, more sustainable world, and Clif Bar & Company have learned that their efforts can be even more effective when they partner with others. With this in mind, they reached out to businesses that share our interest in serving our communities––both local and global––to join us in growing In Good Company. The idea behind the program is to bring like-minded, community-oriented companies together to focus awareness on people and places in need through hands-on action. In Good Company is designed to evolve traditional philanthropy into a more active, engaging, personal part of life.

This year States Logistics, Inc. will be sending two associates, Val Itula and Todd Christensen to join with Clif Bar & Company in this exciting project. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the spirit of the people of New Orleans have transcended the distance between communities, making New Orleans local to all of us. This is ideal ground for In Good Company, which promotes community on multiple levels at once by fostering relationships among employees, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and local residents, as well as creating opportunities for collaboration and shared learning among companies.

Partner Organizations in New Orleans
They will be working directly with 3 organizations while they are down in New Orleans, Rebuilding Together, New Orleans Food and Farming Network, and Bayou Rebirth. Each of these organizations is still working hard to restore the community of New Orleans by getting their neighbors safely back into their homes, while also providing access to reliable sources of fresh and healthy food for one and all.


1. Through Rebuilding Together, we have elected to sponsor one home and will be working on a variety of projects together, ranging in levels of difficulty, so there will be something for everyone interested in home restoration.
2. For those who are interested in food and farming issues, they are excited to be working with New Orleans Food and Farming Network and will have an opportunity to work on a range of projects, including completion of several backyard gardens for those who like to get their hands dirty.
3. They also wanted to make sure that we had a broader perspective on the environmental risks facing the area that have been amplified by a combination of regional development and increasingly intensive weather systems that have ravaged the local swamp and marshlands. They all will travel one day east to Big Branch Reserve to work together with local park rangers and experts from Bayou Rebirth on a habitat restoration project that will replant marsh grasses in a very vulnerable area of the bayou.