Professional Logistics Group, LLC

Graham began his transportation career at Burlington Northern Railroad, performing operational and financial analysis in the areas of asset deployment and utilization, network optimization, and yield management. He later served as a Trainmaster at the Chicago, St. Louis, and Ft. Worth terminals, where he developed and implemented new management methods for terminal operations, including authoring the company’s first yardmaster operations manual.

Graham went on to serve as District General Manager for America’s largest bulk truck carrier, Quality Carriers, where he started and developed the multi-state Chicago District. In addition to full sales, marketing, operations, P&L, and safety responsibilities, he also started and managed new rail transfer and warehousing operations in Minneapolis and Chicago, and developed the company’s Standard Operating Procedures for bulk truck drivers handling plastic resins. Graham also opened and managed Canadian National Railway’s Chicago CargoFlo bulk transfer facility, and he helped CN implement new transload facilities in Detroit and Hamilton, ON.

Graham is a graduate of the University of Iowa.

Mike has spent his entire career with Sunoco, Inc. and its predecessor company, Aristech Chemical Co. As Sunoco’s Regulatory Transportation Manager, Mike was responsible for overall compliance for the company’s nine divisions, which included six refineries, six chemical plants, and multiple owned and contracted distribution and terminal sites, ensuring compliance for DOT, IATA, USCG, EPA, OSHA and TDG regulations. Mike developed and implemented Sunoco’s regulatory training programs for DOT, IATA, TDG-Canada, USCG-PIC, and Hazardous Waste Manifesting, as well as audit programs to qualify motor carriers, bulk liquid terminals, transportation cleaning facilities and railcar repair facilities to ensure performance and compliance with regulations and company standards. He also developed and implemented the Hazardous Material (HM-232) Security Plan for six company divisions and was appointed as the Company Expert for Hazardous Materials, Transportation of Dangerous Goods in Canada and Mexico, Transportation of Dangerous Goods-Air, USCG regulations for Marine Transfer facilities, and Hazardous Waste Transportation.

Under this responsibility Mike was charged with the duty to train, implement and oversee Sunoco’s Carrier and Terminal Audit Program and lead the company’s Marine Transportation Security Act (MTSA) requirements implementation and audit program for compliance and performance. The programs Mike implemented at Sunoco for assessing carriers and cleaning facilities were recognized as “Industry Best Practice” in an independent audit by the American Chemistry Council, and from 2001 through 2005 his transportation safety programs resulted in annual “Shipper of the Year” safety awards from the Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, CSX, BNSF, and Canadian National railroads.

Mike is a former member of the American Chemistry Council Truck Modal Security Team and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Security Taskforce. His professional certifications include DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations, RCRA Training, IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, United States Coast Guard PIC Training, and ISO 9001:2000 internal auditing. Mike earned a BS in Logistics Management and an MBA from Robert Morris University.

Jean began her career at Burlington Northern Railroad and quickly rose to director level positions in operations, customer service, and network planning and analysis. As Director-Operations Services Jean built and managed the Northern Region’s operating and capital expenditure budgets, introducing productivity and asset utilization improvements across the system. Later while leading the Network Planning and Analysis group, Jean led all industrial engineering activities and directed all train-related operations analysis and physical plant planning across the carrier’s $6B asset base. Following her significant accomplishments in Burlington Northern’s operating department, Jean led sales and marketing efforts within the Merchandise Business Unit, including responsibility for a $1B portfolio of business serving key regional and commodity markets.

After the 1995 merger that created the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, Jean was promoted to successive AVP and VP posts and played a major role in the integration of the Burlington Northern Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. This included integration and roll-out of the new information management system that would control all combined train, crew, customer service, and data reporting functions as part of her Field Operations Support and Systems organization, consisting of a 720 person team and a budget of $42MM. Once successful merger integration was achieved Jean was named Vice President-Network Support, responsible for customer service, operations support, train crew management, and car location management and work order technology systems. Heading a team of 1,200 employees and with a budget of $72MM, Jean led the development and execution of major technology, business process redesign, and cost reduction strategies.

After leaving BNSF in 2000, Jean enjoyed a successful independent consulting career on behalf of several national and regional railroads, focusing on operations analysis and technology investments. In 2002 her experience led her to RR Donnelly Logistics/APX Logistics, the third-party arm of the major printing company providing package transportation and logistics services, including TL, LTL, intermodal and air transportation and warehousing, distribution, consolidation, and order-fulfillment services to a wide range of consumer goods companies. As Director-Customer Solutions and Network Management, Jean reorganized the customer service group and developed and implemented new technology and systems that achieved 11% in revenue increases and 23% improvement in customer satisfaction performance.

Jean is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she earned a dual-major degree in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering/Operations Research. Her continuing executive education includes The Aspen Institute’s Executive Leadership Seminar and the Executive Program on Negotiation at Harvard University.

A primary focus of Mr. Bercovici’s work was in the area of rail transportation. He participated in substantially every major rail regulatory proceeding before the ICC and STB since 1970, and he was involved in rate and service litigation, both before and after the Staggers Act of 1980. He was been an active participant in railroad merger cases, representing numerous parties in the CN/IC merger, Conrail acquisition, UP/SP merger, BN/SF merger, and in the aborted IC/KCS merger. Mr. Bercovici was actively involved in the UP service meltdown following its merger with SP, involving both the STB’s Emergency Service Order proceeding and in representation of clients in prosecution of damage claims.

Mr. Bercovici counseled clients on rail transportation agreements and relationships, including short line railroad affiliates and trackage rights agreements. He represented the four petrochemicals producers participating in San Jacinto Rail Limited, the entity formed with BNSF that successfully secured second-carrier railroad access to the producers’ facilities in the Bayport, Texas industrial area.

Mr. Bercovici has been a frequent speaker at conferences and programs on rail regulatory issues and has authored opinion pieces published by the Journal of Commerce and Rail Business. Before joining Keller and Heckman, Mr. Bercovici clerked for the Honorable Joseph C. Waddy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri (B.S.) and earned his J.D. from New York University.

Jeff’s particular expertise is in rail, truck and barge operations and contracting, as well as warehousing and distribution network optimization. Jeff’s professional experience includes senior logistics management positions with Mobil Chemical, BASF Corporation, and ExxonMobil. Most recently as the America’s Transportation Sourcing Manager following the Exxon-Mobil merger, Jeff was responsible for the consolidation, negotiation and management of all domestic rail and truck transportation contracts.

Additionally, Jeff was responsible for the leasing and procurement of ExxonMobil’s significant U.S. rail car fleet. As Manager of Supply and Distribution at Mobil Chemical, Jeff led the supply chain organizations for the one billion-pound Polystyrene Business Group and then the two billion-pound Polyethylene Business Group. Projects during these responsibilities included Supply Chain Optimizations, identifying optimum production scheduling cycles and inventory targets, and network rationalization and freight savings opportunities. With BASF, Jeff managed Logistics for five polymer plants with multiple compounding, packaging and distribution centers throughout the NAFTA region.

Jeff’s information systems experiences include implementation of SAP R2, focusing on the order entry, warehousing/terminals, and inventory control modules for BASF Polymers. His experience also encompasses planning and implementation of logistics operations for new facilities in Mexico and Saudi Arabia for BASF and Mobil Petrochemical, respectively.

Jeff graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Industrial Engineering and has had ongoing education and training in Total Quality Management, ISO9000, SAP, and Sales and Operations Planning.

Mike’s professional career began at Swagelok Company, a global industry-leading manufacturer of fluid power components. Following positions in materials and operations management, Mike became North America Logistics and Distribution Manager where he was responsible for two domestic and four international distribution sites, a $16 million global transportation budget, and management of the company’s import/export compliance program. Mike was later promoted to Senior Business Manager—Supply Chain where he developed the firm’s global logistics strategy and optimization initiative that achieved annual savings to the company of $3MM through consolidation of international distribution operations. In 2003 Mike joined Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. in a senior logistics management capacity, where he developed and implemented an import container model utilizing third party logistics (3PL) solutions for the company’s annual flow of over 18,000 TEUs.

Mike earned his MBA Beta Gamma Sigma at Cleveland State University, where he also has served as an adjunct professor in operations and supply chain management. His continuing education includes a Logistics Professional Certification received from Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain & Logistics Institute. Mike is a member of the American Production Control and Inventory Society (APICS) and Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

Ben began his career with the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad in 1973 as a Project Engineer and Designer, working on numerous mainline, branch line, and industrial projects on behalf of the Union Pacific predecessor railroad. In 1987 Ben moved into the private engineering services field, continuing work in rail design and engineering, and in 2001 he was named rail division president of a major civil engineering firm.

He has been the principal engineer on nearly 100 railroad design, engineering, and construction projects throughout the United States and involving Class I main line, short line, and private industrial plant trackage. Ben’s expertise also extends into the civil engineering areas associated with railroad development and construction, including wetland delineation/mitigation, storm water management, flood plain issues, public grade crossings, and roadway design. Ben’s experience in managing private industrial trackage development includes work in sensitive HSE environments, including chemical, agricultural, industrial, and mining facilities, as well as on behalf of NASA as the principal engineer for a custom track design at the Cape Canaveral, Florida launch complex.

Ben attended Marquette University where he earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering and also attended the Track Maintenance Management program at the University of Wisconsin. He is the Chairman of the Wisconsin Economic Development Association’s Railroad Transportation Subcommittee and is a member of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association and the American Railway Development Association.

Farid joined PLG after six years of supply chain consulting experience at IBM Global Services, where as Managing Consultant he identified, designed and implemented supply chain/operational strategies and improvement plans within a wide array of industries. His engagements included complex enterprise system solution selection and implementation, cost reduction strategies, operational efficiency programs, transportation rationalization efforts, on-demand supply management, and service lifecycle management.

Farid began his career as Manager-Technical Product Development for Ryder-USA, where he orchestrated the design, development, and rollout of logistics outsourcing solutions encompassing warehousing, transportation management, and logistics network design. He later moved on to Exel Logistics as Manager-Supply Chain Services to spearhead integration of supply chain technologies and business processes.

Farid holds a PhD and MS in Operations Research from Carnegie Mellon University. After obtaining his doctorate he spent six years as an assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. At Stern, Farid conducted research and taught MBA and graduate level courses as well as developed Stern’s MBA program focus in Operations and Logistics Management. Farid is affiliated with the Council of Logistics Management, The Supply Chain Council, The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS). In addition to English he is also fluent in French and Arabic.

Adam began his career after college in international business development, including startup and management of a business outreach program in the Russian Far East for the World Trade Center. His business development and international business skills were further honed at Brightpoint, Inc, one of the largest global distributors and logistics service providers for the wireless industry. Adam was assigned to Brightpoint’s European headquarters for two years to lead the global rollout of their propriety ERP system and subsequently support the global business and warehouse operations.

Adam moved to Chicago in 1999 to join financial service leader Northern Trust as lead business analyst for the development of a propriety global trading system. Through this experience and subsequent management experiences Adam acquired the requirement gathering, process redesign, and change management skills to become one of the organization’s top project managers.

Adam earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University. He also earned his MBA at University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business in Strategic Planning and Entrepreneurship. Adam is proficient in the Russian language.

Gordon led Sunoco’s introduction of ethanol into the Sunoco gasoline distribution network, implementing ethanol as an oxygenate additive utilizing Sunoco’s Midwestern and eastern terminal networks as well as development of three new rail-to-truck intermodal facilities. He has continued to work extensively in the logistics of renewable fuels during his consulting career, including design and start-up of multimodal terminals specializing in biofuels and advising the financial community on ethanol logistics infrastructure investments.

Gordon is a member of the Council of Logistics Management (CLM), National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), and a former Director of the American Plastics Council - Transportation and Logistics Committee. He is an experienced presenter of logistics business issues to members of the US Senate, House of Representatives, and the Surface Transportation Board, and has also made numerous presentations to industry groups such as NITL and CLM. Gordon holds a BS in Business Administration from Rider University and has had continuing executive education through the Northwestern University Transportation Center.

In 1996 Roger founded and became President and COO of North American RailNet, Inc., one of the largest short-line holding companies in North America. Under Roger’s leadership, NAR grew to six railroads, 2000 miles of track, and 125,000 annual carloads operating in eleven US states and Canadian provinces before the successful sale of the company in 2005.

During his career Roger served as Executive Director of the American Short line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and is a past director of the Association of American Railroad Superintendents. Roger earned a BA and MA from the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated summa cum laude.

Melba began her career with Uniroyal Inc. in South America, later moving to the USA global headquarters where she held positions in international purchasing and transportation operations with an emphasis on trade lanes to/from China, Turkey, India, the Middle East, and South America. She rose to become Global Manager International Transportation Operations, overseeing a transportation budget of $90MM annually. During her 14 years with Uniroyal, she was responsible for transportation procurement, global export operations, ocean carrier contract negotiations, and the implementation of global supply chains for hazardous specialty chemicals.

In 1998, Uniroyal Chemical, Inc. became Crompton Corporation and Melba became its Manager International Logistics Imports and Exports. With responsibility for the $2.2 billion specialty chemical company’s 3,000 annual imports and 20,000 annual exports, she reduced transportation costs by 28% through aggressive negotiations, cross functional outsourcing efforts, systems implementations, and standardization of international logistics processes. As a result of its 2005 merger with Great Lakes Chemical Corporation, Crompton became Chemtura Corporation at which time Melba became the Global Transportation Director for the combined companies. Tasked with integrating the logistics of the combined companies, Melba developed standard procedures and performance metrics, reduced head count, leveraged combined volumes, and achieved over $1 million in savings plus a 10% reduction of fuel charges on multiple transportation contracts.

Melba earned a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration and English from the Centro Colombo Americano of Business Studies in Colombia. During the course of her career she became a certified Six Sigma Black Belt in addition to achieving certifications in international trade, export management, management grid, business ethics, and business negotiations. Melba is fluent in English and Spanish.