Visionaire Publishing.  Catherine Newell-Hanson, market editor for V Magazine and VMAN, was desperately trying to get a shipment out that night- and have it delivered in time for a 9:00AM photo shoot in Los Angeles.

There were no commercial flights to be had at such a late hour and the earliest flight the next morning would not land in time to get the package to the photo shoot.  Would Teddy have to break some bad news to Catherine, or could he find a way to make the near-impossible possible?

Meet Eduard “Teddy” Michaud: Client Care Specialist and all-around company sage. The man knows things. He takes our business and our commitment to customer service seriously. So seriously in fact- he will go the extra mile on a Friday night to make sure a client’s’ shipment defeats the odds. But it’s his story so I’ll let him tell it!

I really wanted to get Catherine’s shipment on a flight.  When it started to look impossible,  I told her the best we could do is arrange for delivery by noon.  She was not happy, and told me that the garment would miss the very photo shoot it was to be at the center of.  When I heard how upset she was, I started hunting to find some out-of-the-ordinary solution that could help make this shoot happen.

I called 5 different partners of ours and tried to find some private flights - nothing.  Then I did the unexpected.  I checked with a competitor of ours.  They couldn’t guarantee delivery by a certain time of day on a Saturday, but they did have a middle-of-the-night flight to Los Angeles!  I planned to lodge the shipment on one of their flights and to schedule it to be handed back to FGX as soon as the flight touched down in L.A.

When I rang Catherine back and pitched the idea, she was elated that the clothing would make the shoot.  Meanwhile, I turned the idea over and over in my mind.  Could I successfully get a competitor of ours to land our package in L.A. and hand it back without incident?

I lodged the shipment on the contracted red-eye flight and made preparations for its arrival on the other end. On Saturday morning, the first thing I did was turn on my computer and track the flight progress (with Catherine’s telephone number in-hand).  I had good news!  The flight landed in L.A. at 8:30am and I had a driver ready to collect the shipment and get it back on the move.

The driver beelined-it toward the final destination and arrived at the studio just as preparations were being made for the shoot.  Success!

As you can tell, Teddy has a serious penchant for getting the job done.  Oh, and the timestamp next to the signature on the package?  “9:01 a.m.” I guess an FGX success is even sweeter when it happens on a Saturday! Next time your looking for an international shipping company to do the impossible, give us a ring, and ask for Teddy.  He may create a personalized plan of action- just for you.

X’s and O’s,

Chevon

FGX is buzzing about Earth Week, which kicked of this Monday, April 20th, 2009.   Tell us the latest way you’ve chosen to reduce, reuse or recycle; we’ll enter you in a drawing to receive a sweet giveaway.  Read on for the details!

The best part of Earth Week is the high level of environmental  awareness brought on by a week’s worth of events.  Have you been quietly making changes to the way you use resources like water, paper, or electricity?  It’s time to shout it out!  It all counts and it can help you win our drawing.

How to Enter The ShipGreener Earth Week Contest

• *Scroll down to the bottom of this blog post
• *In the “POST A COMMENT” section, share your favorite  method of reducing your environmental impact
• *Enter your name & e-mail address  in the appropriate fields
• *Enter the Recaptcha Security code as seen in the image.  You can also click the mic for an audio Recaptcha
• *Click the “POST A COMMENT” BUTTON

Don’t worry if your comment doesn’t display immediately on our blog.  When you click “submit a comment”- it’s sent to my inbox for approval first.   I’ll review your comment, approve, and enter your name into the drawing!

Winner will receive:

One FREE “rePETe” collapsible Chico Bag made of  99.9% recycled plastic bottles!

One FREE Origins Gift Card for sixty dollars worth of organic skin care bounty!

After you enter the FGX Earth Week Celebration Contest  you can totally check out other salutes to Earth Day including:

• * Earth Week at The New York Botanical Garden
• *The Earth Fair 2009 event at Grand Central Terminal
• *Earth Day & Arbor Day at the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
• *Earth Day New York’s Resource Guide
• *The “Return to Origins” recycling program
• *The “ChicoBag- Zero Waste” recycling program

  Make it a great Earth , Day, Week & Year.

X’s & O’s,

Chevon

Sometimes FGX has to swoop in and save the day (those green lanes in our logo function just like a parachute;-) Read on to find out how First Global Xpress helps inwork, Inc. keep business moving- literally.

We’ve been an FGX client for 4 years and we’re still amazed by their speed and professionalism. Our company, inwork, Inc. creates professional prototypes, mockups, comprehensives, sales samples and print production solutions for firms like Godiva, Estée Lauder and Johnson & Johnson.

We often ship delicate mockups and samples to our clients and we definitely use First Global Xpress when our package has to get there in a pinch! In one instance, a shipment that we booked with one of the bigger air couriers became seriously delayed at one of their distribution centers.

We simply had to get the package delivered, and time was running out.  We explained all this to the the customer service team at FGX and they assured us they could help.

After learning  the location of the distribution center, FGX arrived on the scene, took possession of the shipment and got it back on the move!

FGX delivered the shipment to our client on time and intact.  Without FGX, our package would have been stuck at a regional distribution center until who knows when.

The customer service team at FGX is exceptional.  They’re knowledgeable and eager to be of assistance.  We’re pleased to say that we use First Global Xpress; especially when our shipment needs to be super-punctual.  Whether it’s international express or premium domestic, FGX is a faster, more reliable option for businesses that ship.

-Lucie Teichmann

inwork, Inc.

There it is.  FGX literally rescued work from another courier and got the job done. It’s sounds so cool.  It kind of makes me want to map the story out “graphic novel” or “comic book” style:

FGX Saves the day (and the shipment)!

Take a look at the latest coverage of FGX in the national and local media! Each reporter interviewed James Dowd and Justin Brown to create stories reflecting the many facets of First Global Xpress. A number of publications also interviewed and included quotes from our clients. Each article is unique, the only commonality is that they all illustrate the stark differences between our approach to serving our customers, and the big boys’ approach. We always make ourselves available when our clients need us. We’re committed to the pursuit of new technologies, and we are always working to add even more value to the services we provide. Below this paragraph are a few interesting reads from the print media. Click the picture and you’ll see the full article. Comments and questions are encouraged!

Cheers,

Chevon

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Growth at First Global Xpress had stalled. And that made CEO James Dowd wonder: Was it time to hand the reins to someone else?

After six years of hard work, James Dowd’s shipping company had 20 employees, revenue of nearly $8 million, and a roster of blue-chip clients such as Coty, HBO, and Time Inc. But by 2007, new growth was elusive. And Dowd was starting to believe that the main obstacle was himself.

On its face, the idea that the founder was a liability seemed absurd. Dowd had nearly 20 years of experience in the industry. But he still couldn’t help wondering if someone else might be better suited to take the company to the next level. The main instigator of those doubts: his star employee, Justin Brown.

When Dowd hired him in 2001, Brown was a tenacious 22-year-old entry-level sales rep. Three years later, impressed by the young man’s drive, Dowd offered him a minority stake in the company. But once Brown became an owner, he started behaving like one. He tried to push FGX in all kinds of new directions. He suggested going after international shipments from large retailers with hefty online sales, but Dowd balked at the cost of the technology involved. Brown recommended refocusing the company’s marketing message on a commitment to environmental issues, but Dowd remained convinced “faster and cheaper” was good enough. His junior partner was growing frustrated. Brown believed FGX could be a $100 million company; indeed, he argued, it could be a $1 billion business — if only Dowd would take some risks.

All these dustups reminded Dowd what it had been like when he was the brash upstart. He recalled the time he pushed and pushed, but his employer refused to take a gamble on the latest new technology: a fax machine that transmitted 14,400 bits per second. The Turning Point

Clearly, something had to be done. Midway through 2007, revenue was 30 percent below projections. And the company’s internal processes, which had developed over the years in a haphazard, ad hoc manner, needed a serious overhaul. Dowd felt he was stretched too thin to attack both problems simultaneously. And the things he did try hardly made a dent. He finally reconciled himself to the fact that the company needed new leadership.

Dowd began looking for outside candidates for the top spot. The half a dozen people he interviewed were seasoned, experienced, and professional. In short, they reminded Dowd of himself and were exactly what he didn’t want. Brown, meanwhile, was spending much of his spare time studying the shipping industry and crafting a new business plan for FGX, waiting for his chance.

Finally, in late 2007, Dowd called Brown into his office and told him what he had been thinking. Dowd suggested that his protégé take over as CEO. Dowd would become COO. The younger man would be the new public face of FGX, responsible for hiring, strategy, technology, and sales. Dowd would focus on cleaning up operations and making the company more efficient. Why surrender the CEO title? All the ideas for change came from Brown. “I knew if I gave him the title, we would be able to make a quantum leap,” Dowd says. “I’d had my shot at it already.” Brown would get more money to match his new responsibilities, but Dowd would remain the majority partner. That was fine with Brown. At long last, he had his chance. Performance Anxiety

Dowd was nervous about informing FGX’s clients and 20 employees. He wanted to make sure they knew that he had made the decision for the good of the company and that they didn’t perceive it as a coup by Brown. He called the troops into an open area on the operations floor and broke the news. They took it in stride. Brown, after all, had long been a force at the company. Soon after that meeting, the new CEO began calling on the company’s clients, introducing himself to those he did not know and touting his ideas for improving service. “We made it a story about how I was going to make FGX better,” he says.

In fact, the only resistance to the change seemed to come from Dowd. Sure, it had been his decision. But surrendering the CEO title was proving a tough pill to swallow. “Every idea, every change, every adjustment, every firing, and every hiring had come from me,” he says. Watching his protégé assume those tasks wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be. That ambivalence was not lost on FGX staff members. “Deep down inside, James is a salesman, and he’s always going to want to be out there talking to customers,” says Eduard Michaud, the customer service supervisor. Indeed, the former CEO seemed to be dragging his feet when it came to his new operations tasks. Instead, he continued to leave the office and meet with clients.

Brown, meanwhile, had quickly gotten to work. He began retooling sales protocols and writing detailed job descriptions for staff members throughout the company. He hired a researcher to interview existing clients and potential new ones to find out if FGX’s oft-stated mission of providing cheaper, faster service was sufficient. He launched a sustainability initiative.

But Dowd remained reluctant to let go of the reins. He frequently made little calls that should have gone through Brown, frustrating his new CEO. Communication between the two partners rapidly deteriorated. Things came to a head when Dowd purchased 20,000 cardboard boxes printed with the company’s longtime logo — even though Brown was in the middle of designing a new logo to reflect FGX’s new green image. Brown was angry. “I felt like I needed to micromanage the majority shareholder,” he says. “It was a very odd dynamic to be in.” Stepping Aside

The incident prompted Dowd to commit to his new role. He hauled his desk out of his private office and onto the operations floor. It was a symbolic gesture, but it also put things into stark relief. He noticed that when the company’s lead driver came into the office, employees would go to the driver with questions. “He had an air of leadership about him,” Dowd says. “I recognized that he was a lost asset on the road.” Dowd put him in charge of logistics. More tweaks followed, including rearranging the workspace to increase collaboration. “I’m not a big feng shui guy,” Dowd says, “but we had guys with their backs to the rest of the group.”

Brown’s initiatives, meanwhile, were beginning to bear fruit. The market research revealed that customers chose FGX for its ease of use. That helped justify a $500,000 investment in technology to help clients track shipments. The overhaul of FGX’s image helped the company land meetings with social responsibility teams at major corporations. A year after the transition, revenue was up to $10 million.

To address the breakdown in communication, the partners agreed to meet weekly with a business coach. “James and I have a marriage,” says Brown. “I mean, I spend far more time with him than I do with my wife. And sometimes you need help.” The coach’s assessment, that the two were succeeding in spite of themselves, was encouraging.

Dowd, meanwhile, is becoming more at ease with Brown’s new role. “It was an unwinding leadership process with him that I did need to be sensitive to,” says Brown. For months, Dowd had been hung up on the fact that his work life wasn’t going to be as exciting as it had been when he was building his business. But diving into operations has had its own rewards. “As the company grows, I can go back out and meet with clients,” he says. “But my goal now is being able to cultivate the rising stars in the organization, and that’s fun.”

This article was published in March 2009 by Nitasha Tiku of Inc. magazine. Click here for the original article.