SHIPPERS? ASSOCIATION SIGNS SERVICE CONTRACT WITH CHO YANG

SHIPPERSÆ ASSOCIATION SIGNS SERVICE CONTRACT WITH CHO YANG    The National Unaffiliated Shippers’ Association, a group of U.S. shippers, has signed its first service contract with Cho Yang.
   The shippers’ association, which started last September, is managed by the Rhode Island Export Assistance Center. The center is part of the John H. Chafee Center for International Business, a joint venture of the state of Rhode Island and Smithfield, R.I.-based Bryant College.
   The NUSA will ship 250 to 400 containers with Cho Yang in the transpacific this year. “Originally the carrier wanted 400 containers as a minimum,” said Stephen Celico, project manager for NUSA at the Rhode Island Export Assistance Center. “But all our members were conservative with their volumes. It’s because we’re just getting started.”
   The shippers’ association has 33 members, including SuperValu International, Sappi Fine Paper, Chemical Products Corp., Converse, Stonhard Corp., Hirum Walker and Global Equipment. Thomas O’Rourke, president and founder of NUSA, is with Dryvit Systems.
   “We’re in the process of looking at a couple of lanes in Europe and one in Latin America,” Celico said. “We expect to sign a few more service contracts by next month.”
   The NUSA has also expanded into imports and has appointed Bill Willis of Global Equipment to import chairman of the group. Willis has many years of shippers’ association experience in negotiating import contracts. He has been a member of the board of the Long Island Import and Export Association for 18 years.