Global Trade • March/April 2022 • DISPATCHES

Never before has a human set foot on Mars, although Sci-Fi and outlandish theorizers suggest Martians have set foot on Earth (and we’re all related!). Preparations for getting man to Mars in the foreseeable future are in full swing, as evidenced by the 13th Mars Analog Mission Amadee-20 of the Austrian Space Forum, whose official logistics partner was Gebrüder Weiss.

In settings analogous to conditions on Mars, highly trained astronauts have been isolated from their normal environments, enabling them to test equipment and workflows for astronautical and robotic explorations of the Red Planet. Gebrüder Weiss delivered the Austrian Space Forum’s equipment from Innsbruck to Israel.

The simulation was successfully completed this past October. Read and watch video about the project at gwworld.com/mars-mission/.

“Accompanying this Mars mission is like getting a little glimpse into the future of logistics,” says Frank Haas, head of Corporate Brand Strategy & Communications at Gebrüder Weiss. “It’s all very fun and inspiring! We are learning a lot through this partnership.”

The Port of Long Beach (California) was named the Public Partner of the Year by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership in February in acknowledgment of efforts to support business development and create jobs in the Inland Empire, an important link in the global supply chain. … U.S. Coast Guard and Port of Hueneme (California) officials bestowed a Certificate of Merit to the crew of the tugboat Teresa Brusco in February. The President Eisenhower had left Los Angeles for San Francisco on April 21, but the 17-year-old container ship became disabled in the shipping lane after sustaining an engine room fire and began drifting toward the shore. Teresa Brusco crewmembers sprang into action, departing the port to assist the vessel in distress and ensure everyone’s safety. … U.S. Coast Guard officials on the opposite coast presented members of the Port Everglades Unified Command with a Meritorious Public Service Award in February for exceptional support during unified response efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in the Southeast Florida region from March to December 2020. … The Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey inducted into the Maritime Hall of Fame in February: Gary Cross, president & CEO, Maher Terminals LLC; Michael J. DiVirgilio, principal, Michael J. DiVirgilio & Associates; Roger Guenther, executive director, Port Houston; John A. Witte, Jr., president & CEO, Donjon Marine Co.; and, from The Marino Group, Vincent J. Marino, president & CEO, and the late Anthony V. Marino, executive VP … Lynn Fritz, former chairman and CEO of the San Francisco 3PL Fritz Companies, was chosen as The International Air Cargo Association’s 2021 Hall of Fame recipient, it was announced in February. … Urs Grütter, CEO of Stoecklin Logistics, a global provider of material handling solutions based in Roswell, Georgia, was named Rock Star of the Supply Chain for 2022 by Food Logistics. … Cincinnati, Ohio-based Total Quality Logistics, one of the largest 3PL and freight brokerage firms in North America, was named in February to the Forbes’ Best Large Employers for 2022 list. … Logistics Plus, an Erie, Pennsylvania-based provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, has been certified as a Great Place to Work for the fifth straight year. … Meanwhile, in February, Logistics Plus recognized the superior performance in 2021 of its less-than-truckload carrierpartners: Dayton Freight (Diamond Award); Estes Express (Titanium Award); XPO Logistics (Platinum Award); FedEx Freight (Gold Award); Ward Transport & Logistics (Silver Award); and RIST Transport (Bronze Award). … Lily Ley, vice president and chief information officer with PACCAR, a Bellevue, Washington-based designer and maker of high-quality premium trucks, was presented with the Kenworth Industry Impact Award at the recent Kenworth Dealer Meeting in Marana, Arizona. … DHL eCommerce Solutions was certified in January as a Top Employer for the first time in the U.S. since Deutsche Post DHL Group, the world’s leading logistics company, created its Weston, Floridabased division in September 2018. … Tamara Palefsky of United States Cold Storage was awarded the 2021 Global NextGen Award from the Global Cold Chain Alliance, whose honor recognizes outstanding young professionals in the world’s cold chain industry. … The 2022 Supply Chain and Procurement Awards will be presented May 18. You have until April 1 to nominate a company for one of nine supply chain and procurement awards here: tinyurl.com/9spzdckv.

During Black History Month (February), Reta Jo Lewis was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris to become the first Black woman and person of color to head the Export-Import Bank of the United States since its founding 88 years ago. … The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta appointed John C. Driscoll, director and CEO of the Alabama Port Authority, to its New Orleans branch board of directors. … ATA Freight Group, a Garden City, New York-based global logistics and freight forwarding services provider, has promoted Chief Operating Officer Matt Goker to CEO. He replaces C.J. Oguzhan, who continues at ATA as chairman of the board. … OmniTRAX and RailAmerica veteran Peter Touesnard is now CEO of Salt Lake City, Utah-based Pacific West LLC, a leading niche rail and industrial services business. … Craig Turner has been appointed president of FlexCold, a Charleston, South Carolina-based food 3PL. … Jim Campbell has become chief operating officer at CakeBoxx Technologies, a McLean, Virginia-based supply chain engineering services firm for global transportation markets. … Romark Logistics, a Westfield, New Jersey-based 3PL, named Joseph Warakomski its chief information officer. … GoExpedi, a Houston, Texas-based digital supply chain and data analytics solutions company, named Jorge Ordonez as chief financial officer … Former Uber Freight executive Andrew Greco is now global director of Carrier Procurement for CDL 1000, a Chicago, Illinois-based 3PL and tech company. … Former Florida Department of Transportation Manager Dan Fitz-Patrick has filled the newly created position of director of Planning and Project Development at Palmetto Florida-based SeaPort Manatee. … Mona Smith has joined the Utah Inland Port Authority as an environmental engineer to support UIPA’s environmental compliance program. … Todd Pigeon was named vice president–sales over North America-East Coast for Coral Gables, Florida-based PayCargo, which processed more than $10 billion in 2021 freightrelated payments (a 250% increase from 2020). … The Global Cold Chain Alliance, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, has promoted: Brian Lynch to executive VP, Business Development and executive director, Controlled Environment Builders Association; James Rogers to VP, Business Development; Katie Sastre to manager, Business Development; and Madison Jaco to manager, International Programs. … Manish Bansal has pivoted from Amazon to become chief product officer at Willot, a San Diego, California-based Internet of Things pioneer for manufacturers. … Leading the new U.S.-based growth initiative for Shippeo, a French global leader in real-time transportation visibility, are Senior Vice President of International Growth Christopher P. Mazza and Vice President Sales & Marketing, Americas Brian Shultz. … Ocean7 Projects, an international project and heavy-lift carrier, has become a partner in the United Heavy Lift Americas branch office in Houston, Texas, that is managed by Rene Pedersen. UHL is one of the leading providers of ocean transportation services for heavy lift, breakbulk and project cargo. … Elected as new board members to The International Air Cargo Association are: Kai Domscheit (CHI Handling); Dan Sheehan (UPS); Tushar Jani (Cargo Service Center India); Kamesh Peri (Celebi Ground Handling); Roos Bakker (Schiphol Airport); and Massimo Roccasecca (Verona-Brescia Airport). … The Oxnard Harbor District/ Port of Hueneme Board of Harbor Commissioners voted unanimously to make Commissioner Mary Anne Rooney its president.