JCtrans: Hello, Mr. Craig Bailey. Firstly, will you please make a brief introduction of your company?
Mr. Bailey: Established 41 years ago by Mr. Russel Marcoux, The Yanke Group of Companies has grown to be an industry and community leader providing unequalled transportation solutions in partnership with its customers across North America and around the globe.
Yanke operates seven different business units that provide a "one stop" source of transportation services, they include: Yanke Specialized Road Services, Yanke Multimodal Services, Yanke Supply Chain Services, Yanke Global Logistics Services, Aero Delivery and AFI Distribution Group. Yanke is also very proud of the safety record of it's hundreds of Professional Transport Operators.
Yanke offers a wide range of service options including freight forwarding, air cargo, international steamship line containers, Intermodal rail through-out North America, full truckload dry van services, temperature controlled services, and warehousing and distribution
Mr. Russel Marcoux, CEO and founder of Yanke states, "We are very proud of this achievement and attribute our success to the hard work and dedication of all of our employees both in the office and on the road."
JCtrans: Being awarded as Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies, Yanke Global must have strong competitiveness. Then will you please talk about Yanke Global's Enterprise Characteristics?
Mr. Bailey: The 50 Best award is a national competition that recognizes Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies. Each year the program identifies 50 great Canadian businesses that have implemented best business practices and since 1999 the Yanke Group of Companies is one of them.
Why We Should Be Proud:
The 50 Best awards program entails a very detailed process involving many qualified companies. Applications were sent out to thousands of privately held companies across Canada. A shortlist was created and through a very detailed interview process, a mere 50 companies were chosen from across the country, spanning a variety of industries and representing qualities and best practices that set the standard.
In 2005 Yanke is proud to say that we were the recipient of the 50 Best, with induction of Yanke Group of Companies into the 50 Best Platinum Club. The Platinum Club status is in recognition of having qualified in the 50 Best award program for a minimum of six consecutive years. In 2009, we mark our 4th year in the Platinum Club designation.
This award is not about individual achievement - it's about our entire company's accomplishments.
JCtrans: We know in 2007 Yanke Global signed several key agency agreements with various agents in Asia. So would you please talk about what is your advantage of overseas business?
Mr. Bailey: First of all we are very honoured to have developed a working partnership and relationship with so many esteemed companies in China. We truly believe in the value of partnerships, and working together.
Yanke Global Logistics Services was established in 1991, so we have been in the international freight forwarding business for 20 years now. We have a dedicated centralized team located in Saskatoon, SK (the very centre of Canada).
We are very fortunate to have two of our key team members from China, Clara Liu from Guangzhou, and Ying Feng from Nanjing, China. Together with the rest of the team, they provide support to our agents around the globe, but particularly in China. The team has experience in all types of cargo handling, from candy to large project cargo. I am very proud of the team we have in Yanke Global Logistics Services. They are dedicated, committed, and work diligently to meet our customer's needs and expectations.
In May 2011 we will move to our new head office, which will provide us with additional room to grow and expand with our business. We are excited about this next step in our evolution.
What sets us apart from others is the fact that we are seven different companies working together with one common theme, "provide superior logistics services". We are asset based companies, which means we own our own trucks, trailers, containers, warehouses, and facilities. We can utilize all of these to provide creative solutions to our network of partners.
JCtrans: Since Yanke Global was established, through wind and rain, Yanke Global has become an influential company in logistics industry. And you must have your own feelings or experiences of this industry. Would you please share with us?
Mr. Bailey: Personally I have been involved in the transportation industry since I was 14 years old. I started working loading trucks after school in a company my father worked for. Once I graduated, I took a job with Canadian Pacific Railway where I spent 23 years in various positions. In 2003 I joined the Yanke Group of Companies as Director, Intermodal Division. I am now the Vice President responsible for Yanke Global, our international division, Yanke Intermodal, our intermodal division, and Yanke Supply Chain, our warehousing and distribution division.
Change, it is the one word I would use to describe the transportation industries past, present and future. For the first 3000 years the primary mode of transportation or distribution was water. In 1916, there was the first long distance truck load moved from Seattle Washington, to New York, (took 31 days) and the 1950's saw the emergence of long haul trucking.
Since that time we have seen the pace of change speed up every year to the point where it is a challenge just to keep up with all that is happening on the global stage. This is why there is such an importance on building strong partnerships and relationships that work together to enhance each others capabilities and together adapt with the change.
One must see that change is inevitable, it will happen whether we like it or not. It¡¯s like getting older, none of us want to, but we can't stop it from happening. So we must see change for what it is, and then decide how we are going to take advantage of that change. Only by working cooperatively, can we truly channel change in a beneficial way for our organizations.
JCtrans: Though Yanke Global has received so many awards, we are sure it will go on developing steadily. Then will you please talk about your strategic planning in this year?
Mr. Bailey: As I stated previously, one of the realities we face today is change, and the pace of change. This has had an impact on our strategic planning, as we now have a greater focus on "dynamic" strategic plans. These dynamic plans are constantly changing and adapting as markets change or as new information is available. We continually re-assess where we are today, what is happening and what adjustments we need to make.
In addition to the dynamic strategies, we establish longer term strategic goals; let me share a couple of them with you.
The Yanke Group of Companies has made a strategic investment in an initiative called "Global Transportation Hub". We have purchased property in Regina, Saskatchewan and we will be working on developing a global logistics park in this location.
In addition, we truly believe in the value of agents and partnerships and will continue to develop strategic alliances with organizations which have the same strategic vision as we do at the Yanke Group of companies. So the challenge in today's environment is to have long term "foundational" goals, but an organization must also develop the capability to adapt and incorporate change, because if you don't you will be left behind. |
