With the upcoming holidays, household goods shipments may be delayed. To ensure your employees receive their shipments on time check with your household goods shippers for standard holiday delays and allow extra time for shipping.  A number of Paragon’s clients utilize AGS International Movers which issued the following advisory about shipping to Russia during the holidays:

As a result of the Russian New Year holidays, congestion can be expected at POE St. Petersburg. Therefore please take note of the following:

• Sea shipments: Rates and quotations provided to you previously will NOT BE VALID if the vessel arrives at St. Petersburg port between December 15 2010 and  January 11, 2011.
• Road shipments: We will not be able to accept any road shipments arriving in Moscow between  December 29, 2010 and  January 11, 2011.
• Air shipments: Do not send air shipments to AOE Moscow for arrival between  December 24, 2010 and  January 11, 2011.

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Paragon wishes you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!

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In response to the discovery of suspected explosive devices aboard cargo flights, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has enacted the following additional security measures:

Effective November 8, there is a minimum 30-day full ban on all U.S.-bound cargo designated as “elevated risk” which, according to the International Association of Movers (IAM) includes:

• Shipments described as “personal effects” or “household goods” either in the master air waybill,  the house waybill,  the manifest or where the commodity information is determined to be missing or inaccurate.

• Shipments paid for by cash or personal check or shipped cash on delivery.

• Shipments from a shipper not having an established business relationship for less than 30 calendar days, not having an established shipping address and not having an established billing address.

• Shipments from an International Air Transport Association (IATA) registered agent not having an established business relationship for less than 30 calendar days, an established shipping address and/or an established billing address.

• Cargo accepted from a foreign air carrier’s direct employees or authorized representatives.

• All shipments to the U.S. destination must also be accompanied by a written acceptance statement issued by the Issuing Agent on a separate document (this part of the requirement applies to shipments delivered as of November 15, 2010).

• A full ban is in effect for all high capacity toner and ink cartridges over 16 ounces.

• A full ban is in effect for all cargo originating in Yemen and Somali

How this affects you?
The ban, initially in effect for a 30 day minimum, has the potential to extend beyond 30 days. It would appear that this ban applies mainly to passenger airlines, creating a demand for air freighters to bring in household goods shipments, resulting in premium pricing.

These new measures will undoubtedly result in substantial delays in shipping times, reduced cargo capacity as well as possible increases in fees.

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Paragon Relocation, a leading provider of global relocation solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anna Waters as Director, Global Business Development covering the north central United States plus much of Canada.

“Anna brings a wealth of human resources experience and knowledge with her into this new position. We are very fortunate to have someone with her global mindset on our team,” said Glenn Chapman, Global Vice President of Business Development with Paragon Relocation.

Waters has more than 11 years of experience partnering with mid/large-sized, multinational organizations to identify and develop global human resource strategies. As Director, Global Business Solutions with Shepell·fgi, Anna spent almost seven years specializing in global health and productivity solutions for international clients. She also worked as a consultant for Hewitt Associates LLC where she focused on linking people strategies to business objectives, as well as initiating and managing consulting engagements on a project by project basis.

Waters has a Masters degree in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota and is fluent in English and Spanish and conversant in Italian, French, and Danish. She lived abroad in Europe for 18 years and holds dual citizenship in Denmark and the United States

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Paragon Relocation, a leading provider of global relocation solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Williamson as Manager, Global Business Development covering the southern United States region.

“We are excited and proud to bring Scott on-board to focus on expanding our reach throughout his territory. His knowledge of the area as well as his background in the industry will no doubt prove instrumental to our success,” said Glenn Chapman, Global Vice President of Business Development with Paragon Relocation.

Williamson brings 25 years of sales experience and has relocated over 2,000 customers by serving in various capacities in the mortgage, real estate, van line and corporate relocation industries throughout the span of his career.

Williamson has an undergraduate degree in Marketing from West Georgia College. He holds the Certified Moving Consultant (CMC) designation from the American Moving and Storage Association, the national trade association for the professional moving industry, as well as earned Texas licenses as a REALTOR® and as a loan officer.

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