humanitarianism Archives

Whether it is hunger, wildfires, or a global pandemic, the logistics industry is there for us. On Sept. 21, the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) singled out some of these supply chain heroes with 2021 Humanitarian Logistics Awards. “Today we have a chance to recognize a group of outstanding companies and individuals who exemplify what selfless logistics is all about,” said ALAN Executive Director Kathy Futon. “This year’s recipients have truly inspired us, because when the chips have been down, they’ve repeatedly stepped up to help–all without asking what’s in it for them.” This year’s recipients include:

-CEVA Logistics, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution to Disaster Relief Award for moving multiple shipments of supplies to support Native American tribes and various non-profits throughout the COVID-19 crisis and after the Oregon fires.

-Palmer Logistics, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution to Disaster Relief Award for providing essential short-term storage of hospital beds on behalf of a medical non-profit and for its ongoing support of USAID.

-Core-Mark International, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution to Disaster Relief Award for the long-term loan of two freezer tractor-trailers and driver resources that enabled the Arkansas Food Bank to distribute two million extra pounds of donated food during COVID-19.

-J.B. Hunt Transport Services, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution to Disaster Relief Award for its assistance with multiple compassionate moves during 2020 and 2021, including helping ALAN and the Salvation Army distribute meal kits.

-American Trucking Associations, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution to Disaster Relief Award deploying two of its image show trucks and drivers to deliver numerous compassionate shipments of food, cleaning supplies, PPE and medical supplies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

-Tucker Company Worldwide, which received ALAN’s Director’s Partnership Award for supporting ALAN’s analytical efforts during the pandemic.

-Truckstop.com, which received ALAN’s Director’s Partnership Award for consistently sharing information about freight marketing activities with members of ALAN’s partner network during various crises.

“Each of these recipients is living proof that humanitarianism isn’t just a one-time event–and that true service extends well beyond a single disaster,” Fulton said. “It truly is part of their DNA and personal passion. The world truly is a better place because of all of them.”

Amazon and Total Quality Logistics (TQL) are among the 2019 winners of the American Logistics Aid Network’s Humanitarian Logistics Awards.

Disaster Relief by Amazon earned the Outstanding Contribution Award for leveraging its extensive services, operations and logistics technology to help advance the cause of effective and large-scale disaster relief. For instance, in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, the Disaster Relief by Amazon team mobilized two Amazon Air flights, full of tens of thousands of donated relief items such as tarps, buckets and water containers.

Total Quality Logistics also received an Outstanding Contribution Award for Moves that Matter, a program that provides funding to help nonprofits and businesses defray the cost of humanitarian shipments, as well as for TQL Cares, an in-house initiative that raises millions of dollars and contributes thousands of volunteer hours to various compassionate causes each year.

Nezih Altay of DePaul University received the Research and Academic Contributions Award for being one of the first U.S. academics to recognize the importance of applying operations research and supply chain management to the challenge of disaster relief. His 2006 paper, OR/MS Research in Disaster Operations Management, was one of the first papers to spark research in humanitarian logistics and remains the most cited article in its field.

Author and supply chain resilience expert Phil Palin received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his ongoing work to help government and businesses develop greater alignment when providing disaster relief. Over the years, he has worked closely with federal, state, local and private sector leaders to prepare for and respond to complex wide-area catastrophic events and served in a variety of capacities, most recently as the FEMA team leader for the supply chain Ecosystem Assessment. He has also authored numerous books and articles about supply chain resilience, including Out of the Whirlwind: Supply and Demand after Hurricane Maria.

“Each of these recipients is living proof that humanitarianism isn’t just a one-time event–and that true service extends well beyond a single disaster,” says Mark Richards, board chairman of the American Logistics Aid Network. “It truly is part of their corporate DNA and personal passion. We’re grateful to them for the many contributions they have made, and we are proud to recognize them.”

LOGISTICS HEROES RECOGNIZED FOR COVID-19 AND WILDFIRE RELIEF EFFORTS

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