Jet Forwarding Inc.

History
Jet Forwarding Inc.: Pioneers of Yesterday and Today

"Drive to a residence, pack and load crates. Drive to the warehouse to band, stamp, mark, and weigh the shipment, drive to the nearest railroad, and load the crates into boxcars and xxx." This is one longtime employee's memory of how business was done back in 1958, when Jet Forwarding was founded by Henry A. Pontes. Then, as now, Jet's guiding principle was customer service, building a relationship on trust over a long period of time.

Jet has been an industry leader since its inception. A founding member of HHGFAA, Jet has always recognized the benefits of strategic alliances, high quality standards of service, and shared visions for the future. When the government first began its ITGBL program, Jet's representatives flew all over the world to identify local moving companies who could be future agents. They trained the management in proper packing and shipping, and established the methodology to ensure superior customer service. In many instances, Jet opened offices in these countries to expedite the movement of goods and guarantee standards of quality.

Throughout the years, Jet had international military and commercial operations in Panama, Japan, Germany, Thailand, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Jet also operated a port agency and a flatbed fleet in the United States. The company developed and manufactured its own wooden Type II and fiberglass containers, and was instrumental in developing a military transportation service, which is now called Code T.

Jet's military division possesses the entrepreneurial spirit to remain highly competitive in both the household goods and unaccompanied baggage markets. It has incorporated complete insurance packages and high value security programs which have dramatically reduced loss and damage claims.

Over the years, Jet has been chosen by the U.S. Government to perform in some of the most demanding relocation projects, including evacuations of military bases in the Philippines, Panama, and Cuba, and the drawdown of U.S. military personnel in Europe following the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Jet maintains its flexibility to successfully manage fast growth and contraction in accordance with the fluctuation of business cycles.

Jet reinstated its Commercial Division several years ago, offering to commercial customers logistical alternatives and transportation solutions in the international and domestic marketplace. As commerce expands interactively around the globe, Jet Logistics is there with complete moving packages to provide door-to-door service for household goods and general cargo requiring customized handling.

Jet Forwarding's leadership team reflects a depth of experience. President and CEO Sandra Rowe Maier has been with the company since 1979. She also has provided vision and direction on the HHGFAA board for six years, as vice chairman of the Association and chairman of several committees. She actively participates in interfacing with Congress on the impact of pending legislation, and promoted the importance of commercial activity within the Association, working to bring commercial standards into governmental programs to enhance service to the military.

David Rowe joined Jet Forwarding as vice president in 1985. He has been involved in all aspects of the business, and under his leadership Jet has become a front-runner in the utilization of state-of-the-art technology to efficiently track shipments and store documentation. This system enables the implementation of the "paperless office." All documents relating to the company's business are scanned into the system and from that point onward they are accessed electronically. The document imaging system serves as electronic in/out baskets for moving documents around the relevant department for processing, and enables document transfer and access via the Internet. Mr. Rowe has also been involved with the many special projects Jet has undertaken over the years, contributing his creative expertise to improvements, solutions, and innovative approaches.

Jack Buss has been in all aspects of the industry for over 35 years, and has been with Jet Forwarding since 1979. His expertise has been derived from managing van line operations, local moving and storage agencies, and freight forwarding operations. He maintains a hands-on relationship with Jet's customers and agency network.

Jet Forwarding provides strong leadership and vision with over a century of combined experience in freight forwarding. Sound judgement, stability, and capability with a laser focus on customer service make the company an industry leader that will continue to be a true pioneer into the future.