Hello my CLDA and Industry colleagues,
As you may know by now, the CLDA is holding it’s Final Mile Forum in Phoenix, Arizona this year May 8th thru 10th. It was a short 19 years ago at the Wigwam Resort right here in Phoenix, Arizona that I attended my first CLDA event. While I grew up doing every job imaginable for my dad’s courier company, I had only been working full time in the industry for a few years at the time, but was urged to run for the Board of Directors. I was lucky enough to have been escorted around the property by a “seasoned” industry veteran who took me under her wing. She introduced me to several Board Members who now are on our list of Past Presidents, all the while instructing each of them that they were to vote for me for the board. With her support I was voted on the Board of Directors and that started hundreds of personal and professional relationships that have helped shape the last 19 years.
I know many of our members have similar stories, some from well before I joined the board and some from recent years. I hope everyone comes and joins us in Phoenix this year to create more stories, learn from the excellent educational programs offered, mingle with your peers to gain insight from their trials and tribulations, and, of course, share your own stories with others.
Be one of the estimated 16 million visitors to Phoenix to enjoy the unique culture and outdoor beauty of the southwest at this year’s CLDA Final Mile Forum.
Welcome to Phoenix!
I have to give credit to Charlie Wolfe who came up with the idea to introduce our members to the local culture and history of his home city of New Orleans last year prior to our event there. It is a privilege to be able to introduce you to the amazing beauty and history of the southwest over the next 14 weeks.
You will get to know a little bit about the history of Phoenix, places to eat and drink, and things to do. You will learn about the must see sights and also a few off the beaten path that you might not venture to otherwise. You will learn about the history of Arizona and how it earned the title of the wild, wild west. I hope over the next few weeks you will come to love and appreciate the beauty of Arizona and visit us at the CLDA Final Mile Forum in May.
For those of you that follow the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, take a moment to enjoy the splendor of Arizona and all it has to offer.
https://www.movoto.com/blog/opinions/photos-of-arizona/
In closing, I will leave you with a fun fact about an old Arizona Law. Please ensure while you are here in Arizona that you do not allow a Donkey to sleep in your bathtub. You might ask yourself, why we have a law prohibiting donkeys from sleeping in bathtubs? It dates back a few years before the law was passed in 1924. There was a certain rancher who lived near Kingman Arizona with a donkey that enjoyed sleeping in an abandoned bathtub on the rancher’s property. This may not seem like such a crime, but the problem arose when a dam broke and flooded the town. When the flood reached the rancher’s property, it took his donkey and bathtub for a wild ride down the wash and into a basin. As the story goes, quite a bit of the town’s resources and manpower were wasted trying to rescue the donkey from the bathtub. Not long after the event, the law banning donkeys from sleeping in bathtubs was passed.
I hope to see everyone in May, and just remember to remove your Donkey from your bathtub before going to bed.
Tim Cocchia
Xcel Delivery Services, Inc.
Phoenix, Arizona
