CIFFA 2024 Fall Forwarder

4 THE FORWARDER | FALL 2024 A CIFFA survey on membership satisfaction, sent out in September, revealed that overall, 89.5% of our members are satisfied with their membership, with 36.8% indicating that they were very satisfied. Advocacy remains the most important item that we deliver, and this fall issue of the Forwarder magazine, dedicated to the topic of Advocacy, aims to display for the membership more of what makes CIFFA your Trusted Advisor . In this issue we cover ongoing efforts CIFFA has made over the past few very busy years on the advocacy front, as well as recent updates and efforts on key policy initiatives and contributions. Your association is very active and engaged, and fortunate to work with such a great team of internal and external stakeholders towards recognition of our industry and fluidity in the overall supply chain. CIFFA’s Executive Team was fortunate to have attended the FIATA (International Federation of Freight Forwarder Associations) World Congress this year in Panama. A key feature, aside from the conference, was a tour of the Panama Canal, a critical hub for International trade. Some 12,000 to 14,000 vessels cross the canal each year, and in 2023, the canal handled over 500 million tons of cargo. The cost to cross the Panama Canal can range from $400,000 to over $1 million per vessel, depending on the size and type of cargo. There is an average of 32 vessels crossing per day! EDITORIAL CIFFA Membership survey: CIFFA Executive Director Bruce Rodgers, Director, Policy and Regulatory Affairs Julia Kuzeljevich, President of the Board of Directors Arnon Melo L-R Bruce Rodgers, Executive Director, CIFFA, with Young Logistics Professional Region Americas winner Rashaad Francisco D’Gama Rose, Arnon Melo, CIFFA President, and Marc Bibeau, Vice President, FIATA CIFFA continues its strong tradition of validation of its education programs in Panama at the FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations World Congress. L-R: Bruce Rodgers, Arnon Melo, Stephen McDermott CTDP