Supply Chain Disruption – World Moving Forward

Presenter

Donna Mullins

In June 2020, Donna opened the USA offices of Kale Info Solutions, a division of Kale Logistics Solutions based in India. Kale is a next-gen solutions provider with in-depth domain knowledge and technical expertise. Kale has created a suite of comprehensive IT enterprise systems, including UPLIFT, our Airport Community System single window platform. Kale’s community and enterprise solutions cater to a wide network of Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) who have strengthened and improved their operational and business capabilities globally.

Donna still serves as President and CEO of Mullins International Solutions, LLC and Mullins International Academy.

Prior to starting Mullins International Solutions, a compliance training and consulting firm for the international trade industry, Donna served as Branch Manager for the Atlanta office of CV International. Prior to joining CVI, Donna was President and CEO of Alpha Sun International an independent freight forwarder and customs broker. She had the company for 7 years before merging. In March 2010, Donna merged her company, Alpha Sun International, Inc in with CVI.
While owning Alpha Sun International, Donna led the group through C-TPAT certification and assisted many customers in obtaining C-TPAT certification.

Donna has served in the international transportation community since 1982, where she began as an importer of wholesale merchandise. Upon leaving the import side of the trade, Donna started her career in the brokerage and transportation arena.

Donna’s list of nationally recognized service positions is the leading indicator of why MIS is the choice in compliance training and Kale is the choice for logistics enterprise systems. These affiliations have put her in the position to help set the course of the logistics industry. Because she is there on a national level communicating the policy changes and working hand in hand with CBP, BIS, FMC, TSA and others, she is well versed in the regulations and the other government agencies that can be involved in what seems like the most straightforward of transactions but in fact is very complicated.

In 1990 she received her US Treasury Customs Brokers License. Donna also holds a Certified Customs Specialist and Certified Export Specialist accreditation from the NCBFAA Educational Institute and is a Certified Logistics Technician by MSSC.

Ms. Mullins has held various volunteer positions including President and Chair of the AIFBA (Atlanta International Forwarders and Brokers Association); President and Chair of the AACA (Atlanta Air Cargo Association); Board of Director for the AMA (Atlanta Maritime Association); and currently serves as the Air Freight Subcommittee Committee Chair for the NCBFAA Transportation Committee where she also serves on the TSA ASAC Air Cargo Sub-committee; she was most recently NCBFAA Area 4 Director for eight years. Donna is the current chair for the Airport Congestion Committee and a previous board member of the AfA (Airforwarders Association), the TCA (Transportation Club of Atlanta) and the World Trade Center Atlanta.

Donna has held an Adjunct Professor position with Clayton State University where she was involved in the Logistics and Supply Chain Management and teaches the ABC’s of Customs Brokerage as well as other international classes and courses. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Logistics and Supply Chain Business of Collage at Clayton State University and Atlanta Technical College.

Ramsey Khalidi

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Ramsey H. Khalidi possesses a 40 year career of design-build oriented jobs, projects, real estate development, natural and man-made resource reclamation, manufacturing, construction, energy conservation, historic preservation, sustainable sourcing and the use of reclaimed building materials, commercial and industrial development ever since the beginning of the oil embargo of 1973.He has worked as/for (successfully), beginning in 1967,a production manager of an expandable poly-styrene packaging plant, plant maintenance engineer for a foundry ,journeyman machine repairer for the General Motors in Livonia Mich. , power plant and distribution trouble-shooter, and equipment design for a mining company southern Saudi Arabia, shipbuilding-repair Thunderbolt Marine, Georgia Power at Plant Hatch nuclear power plant thru outages (vessel upgrades) , 1980 began as distressed properties builder /developer evolving currently into $30M of assets owned , managed and occupied by diverse range of credit tenants including True Blue (Labor Ready), Paper Tigers, Urban Outfitters, Marc Jacobs, SCAD Student Film Department, Royal White Cement ,US Port Services BD Drayage and Trucking, and up to several 100 student housing units owned and restored by RK Construction and Development, materials re-manufactured and supplied by Southern Pine Co. of Georgia, a 32 year resident of Savannah GA, sitting and serving on several boards of directors for King Tisdall Foundation,Founding Board member of  Emergent Structures, Coastal Area Minority Business Assoc, Harambee House, Gatorball Academy, Savannah Technical College Advisory Board, Chatham County Historic Preservation Advisory Board and contributors to many other non-profits.

Rick Priester

Rick Priester has been an active importer since 2008 when he started “Arcade Factory”, a manufacturer of commercial and home use arcade gaming equipment. He has worked with the most desirable intellectual property in the business including Lucas Arts, Marvel and Universal Studios. His team works with game developers to create tight integration of hardware and software to bring rich gaming experiences to the arcade.

In 2019, he became an investor and managing partner in Sustainable Logistics, a start up 3rd Party Logistics and warehousing provider headquartered in Savannah. Sustainable Logistics owns and operates warehouses in Savannah, Statesboro and Lexington County SC near Columbia.

When COVID restrictions prevented international travel and significantly impacted the cost and capacity of ocean shipping, Rick began exploring the possibility of manufacturing in the US; specifically in Georgia. Using the resources and space available through his involvement with Sustainable Logistics, by the end of 2020, Arcade Factory was no longer dependent on container imports. In the last 12 months, all products have been manufactured in and distributed from Georgia.

Rick holds a BS in accounting from Clemson University and an MBA from Georgia Tech.