Posted on Tue, May 15, 2012
Alaska is a big player in the world seafood market, and Lynden showed its support of the industry by attending the annual Boston International Seafood Show in March. “This is our third year exhibiting our services and products. It’s a great cross-company event,” says Greg Obeso of Lynden International. Alaska Governor Sean Parnell stopped by the booth as well as Alaska Senator Mark Begich.
From left to right: Dennis Mitchell and Kevin Adderson, Lynden International; Ron Beach, Movers; Senator Begich, Greg Obeso, Lynden International; Dan Bonney, Alaska Marine Lines and Alan Hartgraves, Brown Line.
Posted on Thu, May 10, 2012
Lynden International and Lynden Transport employees in Houston had a chance to play Easter Bunny this spring after Business Support Analyst Joyce Teehan responded to a request for help from Montgomery County Child Protective Services and Child Welfare Division. After the Easter Basket Project lost its corporate sponsor, Joyce and Lynden employees volunteered to secure donations then gather and assemble 800 Easter baskets during lunch hours and after work to distribute to foster children. “Everyone at Lynden Houston has been involved,” Joyce says. “I don’t think the organization expected Lynden to collect all the baskets they needed, but they were pleasantly surprised!” says Houston International Service Center Manager Vickie Gould. Below, employees load the baskets for delivery.
Left to right: Leo Rodriguez, Francisco Martinez, Rigo Rodriguez, Angela Black, Cathie Norwood and Lucky Thompson. Front: Romeo Longoria.
Posted on Tue, May 08, 2012
Broken thermometers, frozen brakes and landing gears, and frostbite. These are just a few of the challenges Alaska employees dealt with during the record-setting winter. The record high snowfalls and low temperatures made operations challenging for employees throughout the state. According to John Jansen, Terminal Manager at Lynden Transport in Prudhoe Bay, the challenges on the North Slope were not unique but more extreme than usual.
“Prudhoe Bay doesn’t get a lot of snow, maybe a foot or two a year, but the little bit we do get doesn’t melt for seven months,” he explains. “It just blows back and forth all winter causing extreme whiteout conditions, the strongest of which halts all outdoor operations on the oilfield.”
The winter was so brutal that even ice road construction was affected.
“At 30 below zero, the water they pour to create the ice roads freezes so fast it becomes difficult to form a smooth surface. It’s been too cold this winter to make good 
ice,” says Bering Marine Captain Jack Rasmussen. “It’s also been tough on the hovercraft. We’ve had some 68-below days that became 80-below with the wind chill,” he explains. “Our heaters and thermometers stop working in the hangar.”
The trucks were left running around the clock. “Besides the issues of freezing braking systems and valves, we have the additional challenge of hooking up to our trailers,” John explains. “We do this 20 to 30 times a day and it usually takes three to five minutes. At these temperatures, it can take 30 minutes. Instead of being slippery, the grease on the fifth wheels becomes stiff and tacky. It sometimes takes a blowtorch to warm up the landing gear cranks.”
And equipment isn’t the only thing that freezes. Employees on the North Slope sometimes needed to come inside to melt the frost off their clothes and faces. Dressing the part for these temperatures is serious business. Cell phones don’t always work in remote, frozen delivery areas, so John enforces a policy that employees check in every 30 minutes to let the team know they are o.k. “We are dealing with critical conditions up here and safety is our No. 1 priority for customers and employees,” he says.
Lynden’s oilfield customers enforce safety shutdowns at 35-degrees below or colder for any hydraulic powered equipment used outdoors such as forklifts and loaders. When this occurs, the Prudhoe Bay team spends the downtime organizing and stripping loads to build one-stop and two-stop drops so they can quickly deliver freight to the waiting customers in the short window of warmer weather. “We had a situation this winter where we couldn’t deliver for six days. As soon as it warmed up we had all hands on deck to make as many deliveries to our customers as we could before the temperatures dropped again,” John says. “The whole crew will be glad when this winter is over.”
Posted on Thu, Apr 26, 2012
Lynden celebrated the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day this month by continuing its environmental sustainability efforts. The Lynden family of transportation companies has been an industry leader in reducing its carbon footprint including recent design changes in its truck fleet that have improved fuel economy by 23 percent.
"Earth Day is a perfect time to reflect on the many ways Lynden is committed to protecting the environments where we do business. We were working 'green' before it became so popular," says Alex McKallor, Chief Operating Officer for Lynden Inc. "From innovative containers to equipment that requires less fuel and reduces harmful pollutants, we are constantly searching for ways to save energy and use resources efficiently. Our culture of innovation and efficiency is in harmony with our commitment to reduce waste and be a model of environmental stewardship."
Lynden was the first transportation company in Alaska to gain SmartWay certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to earn the state's Green Star Award. It is on the list of Inbound Logistics' Green Supply Chain Partners and, in 2008, Lynden launched a Green Initiative stating its goals and asking employees for ideas on how to operate 'leaner and greener.' Many of these suggestions have been implemented.
Most recently, Lynden company Brown Line LLC introduced an aerodynamic tractor-trailer design with side skirts and roof fairings that improved fuel economy. The design, plus other changes such as driver training, reducing speeds and new engines and tires, has helped Brown Line drastically reduce fuel consumption and emissions by nearly 25 percent.
In addition to its own green efforts, Lynden supports local organizations in their environmental programs. Lynden transports recyclable paper from Anchorage to Seattle for Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling (ALPAR) and moves aluminum cans from Cordova to Anchorage for recycling in support of Cordova High School's fundraising program. Lynden Air Cargo participates in a back haul program for the Yukon River Tribal Watershed Council to help clean up Alaska's village communities and Alaska Marine Lines transports gillnets for recycling in Cordova.
For more information on Lynden's environmental policy and programs, visit www.lynden.com/about/green/stewardship.html. Lynden is a family of companies offering truckload and less-than-truckload freight to Alaska, charter barges, rail barges, intermodal bulk chemical hauls, scheduled and chartered air freighters, domestic and international shipping via air and ocean forwarding, customs brokerage, trade show shipping, remote site construction, sanitary bulk commodities hauling and multi-modal logistics. Lynden companies are repeat winners in the annual Quest for Quality customer service awards presented by Logistics Management magazine.
Posted on Wed, Apr 25, 2012
Lynden International Account Executive Nanci Ruese and International Manager Colleen Fort averted a crisis for a mining customer last year when a scheduled flight to move oversized magnetic separators from Birmingham, U.K. to Vancouver, B.C. stalled. The flight was overbooked and suddenly there was no space available to the shipper.
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“Three huge drums needed to go to a manufacturing plant in Vancouver for customization and then on to the mine in Platinum, AK,” explains Colleen. “The mine was shut down waiting for these parts.” Nanci and Colleen “beat the bushes” to find another flight and the drums were soon on their way to Seattle. “Talk about heavy,” Nanci says of the 81,000-pound load, “even the forklifts were complaining!”
From Seattle, the drums moved to B.C. via truck and on to the mine in Alaska after customization. “We actually feel our clients’ pain in these situations,” says Colleen. “Forwarders can step in and protect shippers’ interests, and we were happy to do so in this case.”
Photo: Lynden International Account Executive Nanci Ruese is dwarfed by the crate containing 81,000 pound magnetic separators bound for a mine in Alaska.
Posted on Thu, Apr 19, 2012
Milky Way/LTI, Inc. began farm pickup operations for 32 Darigold farms in Montana on Jan. 1. The farms and newly hired drivers are located around Bozeman and Missoula. Some of the milk will be delivered to Darigold in Bozeman and some will be delivered a longer distance to Spokane, Jerome and Billings. “I would like to welcome Gear Lemon and Brandon Barnez back to the Lynden family of companies. These two men worked for Dairy Express in Montana in the 1990s,” says Brad Williamson, LTI, Inc. President.
Posted on Tue, Apr 17, 2012
Lynden Transport was honored in January by the Tacoma Transportation Club as the 2011 Company of the Year for its accomplishments in transportation sustainability. “We are honored to be recognized with this award and will continue to serve the industry with outstanding customer service, on-time deliveries, leading-edge technology and the highest standards of safety,” says Lynden Transport President Jim Beck, pictured below accepting the award with Mike Oliver.
Posted on Thu, Apr 12, 2012
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This February, Lynden International enhanced its European network with the opening of a new service center in Brussels, Belgium, operating under a new company, Lynden International (BE). “We are very excited about this opportunity to introduce the Lynden International name and brand to the Western European market,” says Lynden International President David Richardson. “We have had an agent presence in Belgium for years and understand the local demographics and business needs, but now we are offering our customers even greater opportunities and improved services.” The new location adds a key strategic link to Lynden’s global network and will help meet the increasing demand for transportation and logistics services in Belgium’s medical, pharmaceutical and other growth industries. The new service center is located in Brucargo at the cargo terminal of Brussels International Airport.
Posted on Tue, Apr 10, 2012
Add a six-seat Eclipse 500 business jet to the list of unusual items that have flown inside Lynden Air Cargo’s Hercules. The C-130 was put into service last year when a private aircraft was damaged upon landing in Nome, AK.
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ote spot and down to a repair facility in Henderson, NV,” explains Lynden Air Cargo Sales Manager Bob Barndt.
After investigating a complicated barge route to transport the plane south, Glenn Austin, Director of Quality at the repair shop VNE Jet, Inc., contacted Lynden seeking alternatives. “We had a short window of time to disassemble the plane and design and build a custom crate to transport the disassembled aircraft parts,” Glenn says. “Weight and dimensions were major concerns as well as protecting the aircraft from the environment and added damage.”
Bob and Glenn devised a plan to fly the crated Eclipse to Anchorage via Lynden Air Cargo then transfer it to a Lynden Transport van for a dedicated ride down to Nevada. Lynden crews carefully loaded and unloaded the 8,600-pound crate via forklift at each transfer point: Nome, Anchorage and Henderson.
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aircraft that were repairable only to be destroyed in recovery shipping. “We have scheduled multiple aircraft transports in the past and have a track record of never adding damage, so we were very concerned when choosing a carrier,” he says. “When we uncrated the aircraft, it was great to see that it fared well without even a scratch. We were very happy with Lynden’s service.”
VNE designed the 8x8x32-foot Eclipse crate for strength and versatility. A cable was installed on both ends so it could be winched in and out of tight cargo spaces. Only 260 Eclipse aircraft were produced so it was important to the company to protect this one so it can be repaired and put back into service.
“We used many Lynden resources on this custom move,” Bob says. “If we are asked to do this type of project again, this is the model we will use. Aircraft salvage operations could be a whole new niche market for us. “
Posted on Thu, Apr 05, 2012
Lynden International pulled together a last-minute charter move of oversized scanners for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) late last year. The scanners, weighing a total of 17,000 pounds, were needed at the Honolulu Airport immediately to replace malfunctioning machines used for scanning passenger luggage for explosives.
“They were down to just one machine to scan passenger luggage for explosives at a very busy airport,” explains Juancarlos Cruz, District Manager at the Puerto Rico 
office. The Lynden team chartered a flight from San Juan to Los Angeles, handled all the rigging and packing, and set up another direct flight on a freighter into the Honolulu Airport. “It was a very complex move, but we knew it was a matter of public safety to get the machines to Honolulu as quickly as possible,” explains Juancarlos Cruz, Puerto Rico District Manager. “Our team in San Juan with the help of Daniel Gotham in Houston and Roberta McClelland in Seattle pulled together to get it done”.
In another high-profile move, the Orlando and Newark offices handled the delivery of microphones and other audio equipment for use at the General Assembly of the United Nations Meeting at New York’s Warwick Hotel. Orlando Manager Danny LaVallee received a thank-you letter from customer ProLingo for Lynden’s outstanding service despite multiple last-minute schedule changes, Secret Service screenings and heavy security. “These events require time-sensitive deliveries, as well as good communication. All venues have heavy security and this meeting required several delivery time changes,” LaVallee explains. By keeping in contact between the Orlando and New Jersey offices, Lynden made all deliveries on time. “These deliveries were not easy, especially in a busy city like New York during UN week,” writes ProLingo Shipping Manager Julie Youmans. “Lynden made it seem effortless.”