"Together Talks" feature # 98: TEAM Concept Printing presented by KLS, freight company
Some Background on TEAM Concept Printing
Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the opportunity to interview TEAM Concept Printing and Tony Rouse, Founder. When professionals need a resource for the highest-quality print materials they come to TEAM. Their presses run 24 hours-a-day so they can deliver on the tightest deadlines in the industry. Their experience, knowledge and attention to detail enable them to produce outstanding finished products even the most discriminating clients are proud to show as their own. Best of all, their wholesale direct pricing allows print brokers, agencies and designers to offer one-stop custom print and mail capabilities at a competitive rate. Your business needs partners who can enhance your ability to serve your customers. For a printer, that means speed, flexibility, robust capability and the attention to detail to bring it all together. That's what TEAM Concept Printing strive for every day.
Printing Start
The beginning of Tony's career started back in high school when he took a vocational class. He fell in love with it and soon after got involved with a commercial printing company. From there he transitioned to on his own selling business cards and letterheads. This was still prior to digital printing being as mainstream as we are used to today. Tony realized that he constantly found himself envisioning a better corporate environment. He noticed that there wasn't a cultural bond. He kept imagining running a dynamic printing company but he specifically wanted to focus on one thing.
Team.
Vision for a team
Tony set out to curate his vision of what a team would be under this dynamic printing company. Culture was important, empowerment and learning, but also contributions outside of the scope of work. One area he was sustainability. The company is FSC (Forest Steward Council) certified. They purchase carbon offsets which is another large component of their efforts. The company wanted to leave the world a better place than where they found it from their inception. Ultimately they created what is now known as their TEAM legacy which is their contributions to local charities and nonprofits.
And 25 years ago that is how TEAM Concept Printing was formed to create for the better.
Partner with KLS
KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.
Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
Commitment to detail
TEAM Concept Printing is one of the nation’s largest commercial printers. They thrive with their versatile and dynamic work under one roof. Rarely does the company have to outsource, the commit to a one site project. Over the years they have acquired smaller companies or pieces of equipment to further increase their ability to meet consumer demands. Tony also shared how on top of the quality of work and level of creativity he is most proud of the tenured seniority across the board of his TEAM.
Tony said that their vast supply of in-house equipment is one of their greatest strengths. That was increased when they completed an acquisition of a second Kimori machine, one of the best for large scale printing. A 7-figure investment, Tony explained he had the option to delay the purchase, but ultimately went through with it. While he had some apprehension, he couldn't deny he had in the vision for his company and the growth due to his TEAM.
The company also excels because of relationships. They have such a vast network of connections due to their longevity and partner relations. Often times customers keep coming back because of the focus and attention to detail the TEAM company provides. Their newest addition is TEAM Mail Plus, which is a new program creating print projects that are fully integrated omni-channel marketing campaigns. It is another way that TEAM is handling from A-Z and taking all the work off of their clients hands.
When we asked Tony what makes TEAM the right choice he said it comes down to their commitment to quality work regardless of the size of a project. 99% of the print related projects are done on site by them. They are able to provide hyper custom local level attention while also providing nationwide programs. Tony once again echoed the culture and the TEAM stating that their low turnover is well above industry norms. Lastly, they pride themselves on relationships, both within the company, their various partners and all of their clients.
Bullish during Covid
When Covid hit many companies came to a screeching halt. Tony did the opposite, he pushed all his chips in. He was bullish on how they would come out of the pandemic once it ended. He had expansion ideas on the horizon pre-covid, and was not going to let it deter him. During Covid they nearly doubled their size at the time. Just a remarkable accomplishment during that period of time.
Tony stated how much he enjoys being able to celebrate the victories of the company with his TEAM members. They are consistently on the NAPCO list and have been moving up showing their growth. Tony credits everyone who makes excellent contributions to continue to expand what they can offer to clients without sacrificing their level of quality. Tony commented on one of his proudest moments, nearly 15 years ago, when they moved from their location in Addison to Carol Stream. Taking that leap was a huge risk, but it has paid off and he credits his entire TEAM. Tony said the most important thing for him in his career has been a life-long approach to constantly learn and remain curious. Not being afraid to fail is another component. By always wanting to learn it allows him to not suffer from paralysis analysis. He closed with, "Seeing our people thrive as individuals both personally and professionally is the most gratifying. Our group leaves a positive impact and it allows us to pay it forward. This was the vision I had when I wanted to first create TEAM."
Piece of Advice
Our chat with Tony ended with him sharing his piece of advice.
"It is not all about dollars and cents when looking at a business relationship. People look past first transactional relationship to be successful. Look past and find where both businesses can benefit is most crucial. Put extra attention initially, because in the long run it pays off. So many things we do for non-profit, in the long run it pays out for both sides."
Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?
KLS is booking our upcoming schedule now!
Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.
Weekly we provide 2 companies our platform to expand their reach courtesy of our campaign. Let's collaborate!!!
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Tony Rouse, Founder, of TEAM Concept Printing for today's "Together Talks" feature. Keep up to date with TEAM Concept Printing by following their blog on their website, check it out here. Follow along for the TEAM Concept Printing journey with their social handles below!
Klimson Logistics Solutions - Together Talks with TEAM Concept Printing feature # 98
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, freight company, is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign, "Together Talks". If you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands of freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.
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