Last fall, UPS launched a new air freight container called PharmaPort 360 specially designed for transporting very delicate, temperature-sensitive therapies and medicines like vaccines. A few days ago, UPS’s healthcare team satisfied some of my “behind the cabinet” curiosities and gave me a peak at one of their first logistical feats transporting this new container.

It was a critical mission: safely and securely transport pharmaceutical products destined for a clinical trial from our customer’s location in New York to Tianjin, China, and preserve them at a delicate range of 2º to 8º Celsius the entire way. That’s not an easy task for an almost 17 hour airplane ride, traveling more than 7,000 miles across the globe and undergoing extreme air temperatures as low as -9ºC (or about 16ºF).

The PharmaPort 360’s ability to keep these pharmaceuticals within a specific temperature range in-transit is really important. If the container’s contents experience what’s called a “temperature excursion” – and I don’t mean a tropical vacation – there could be serious consequences such products spoiling and potentially causing a delay in a clinical trial.

Door-to-door it was a three-day trip to deliver the container, during which time it was transmitting important tracking information such as its location and temperature data in near-real time. I learned that through our UPS Temperature True service, UPS personnel were on the other end of the data, tracking the shipment 24/7 like a hawk.

The shipment included trucking the PharmaPort 360 container from our customer’s door via UPS Freight to the JFK airport gateway. Then it was screened by TSA and carefully loaded onto an airplane for takeoff. After a layover in Seoul, Korea, and a thorough customs clearance process in China, the product was delivered safe and sound to a facility in the city of Tianjin.

And I thought keeping my leftovers cold in time for lunch was hard!

At the end of the day, we understand companies are putting the highest trust in UPS to take care their products. We don’t take that responsibility lightly. We could be shipping a vaccine that wards off the flu, storing tissues for a skin graft in a UPS facility, or dispensing diabetes pumps directly to patients – we have a role in handling medicines and therapies that are making a difference in patient’s lives.

And well, let’s face it – we also “geek out” over a good logistical challenge. We think it’s kind of cool.

Before moving to the International Support Group in 2009, Candy worked as a technician with the Hub and Feeder Control System, where she met a co-worker, Ernest Green, who caused her to want to help in a different kind of way.  “I worked with Ernest and thought he was a great person,” Candy said. “He was always happy, helpful, upbeat and enjoyable to be around. My heart went out to him when I found out that he was fighting for his life.”

Ernest was on the waiting list to receive a kidney transplant. Even when she was no longer working in the same department as Ernest, she continued to check on him and felt a calling to try to help in some way.

“I always thought you could only donate an organ to a family member,” she said. However, at a UPS Health Fair in 2010, representatives from the Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates sponsored a booth and she decided to ask if she could donate a kidney to someone that she was not related to. Candy was thinking about Ernest while she was talking to the KODA representative.

“I hadn’t talked to Ernest to tell him what I was thinking about doing, but he was my inspiration and I wanted to try to help in some way. “In November 2010, I talked to Beth Tingle, a representative from Jewish Hospital’s Living Donor program and told her I was interested in giving a kidney to a friend who was on the transplant list. I went through physical and psychological tests to make sure I was healthy enough, but it was determined I was not a match for Ernest,” Candy said. “I still felt that God was leading me to do something to help someone else. I was approved in February 2011 to donate a kidney. After my second conversation with Tingle I had this overwhelming sense of peace that I was doing the right thing.”

Candy decided to wait a few months before she moved forward because Ernest had received a kidney from another donor in March. She wanted to see how he was and how that went before she made a final decision. “Once I knew he was doing okay, I had to decide when to have surgery and I thought December would be great because it would be a wonderful Christmas gift. The hospital couldn’t work it out to happen after Christmas, so it was scheduled to take place before the holiday.”

On Dec. 20, 2011, Candy donated her kidney to a stranger — James Baines. She met him the day after the surgery and said he is a wonderful person and is glad she was able to help him. “I am healthy and can have a good life with one kidney,” she said. “I encourage others to consider organ donation. The surgery was not bad and I was never in the pain I thought I would be. It all went very smoothly.”

According to UNOS.org, a total of 112,859 people are on the national list waiting for an organ. A new name is added to donor waiting lists every 14 minutes and approximately 18 people die each day waiting for an organ donation. For more information about kidney or organ donation, visit donatelife.net or trustforlife.org.

Most of those flowers come from South America through Miami. As the largest air cargo carrier at Miami International Airport, UPS plays a big part in delivering Valentine’s Day. Learn more in the attached video about what it takes to deliver all those flowers fresh and on time.

If your love comes in the form of homemade goodies, check out the #HGEATS Twitter chat on February 8 at noon ET. The UPS Store will join Kimberly Moore (twitter.com/hungrygoddess) as they share tips for packing and shipping food. With sweet thoughts on our mind, we created the following infograph to celebrate one of the sweetest holidays on the calendar.

(click on infographic to see full size)

For the second time in 10 months President Obama visited a UPS facility to commend us for our innovations and commitment to sustainability. “UPS deserves extraordinary credit for being the best in its space,” he said. “One of the best businesses we have in the United States. But the reason is because it’s got such outstanding workers constantly figuring out how to make things better.  And so you guys all need to be congratulated for everything that you do.”

Prior to President Obama’s arrival, UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis delivered a speech to the assembled crowd of more than 500 employees, legislators, community leaders and customers. He emphasized UPS’s commitment to sustainable business practices and how alternative fuel vehicles are an increasingly important part of our large fleet. Scott also spoke about our involvement with the Ontario-Las Vegas natural gas corridor, and how the public and private sectors can work together to advance our nation’s energy security and improve our environment.

Las Vegas Feeder On Road Supervisor Joe Mueller, a 25-year UPSer, introduced the President. The crowd went electric with fellow UPS employees roaring their appreciation. “It was very exciting to introduce the President today,” said Joe. “It’s truly a once in a lifetime experience.” 

President Obama talked about the increasing importance of putting more alternative fuel vehicles on our nation’s roads and acknowledged UPS for our involvement in helping to create natural gas corridors along our highways.

The President’s decision to deliver his speech at the UPS Las Vegas facility exemplifies UPS’s reputation as a global leader in sustainability. Having already amassed more than 200 million miles driven by an alternative fuel fleet, UPS was praised by President Obama for being among the first to respond to an Administration’s call last year, to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Because “That’s how they roll,” said President Obama.

For the more than 850 entrepreneurs who convened at this year’s Growth Conference, there was an undeniable feeling of optimism and determination to learn and grow their businesses.

I admire entrepreneurs. I know many in my own life and career. Each of The UPS Store franchisees is an entrepreneur in his or her own right. What they do is truly amazing. It takes an enormous amount of courage to chart a path, not knowing where you’ll end up in the end.

The conference kicked off with a keynote address from entrepreneur and small business expert Chris Brogan. I was fortunate to sit at a table with one entrepreneur who was hoping to glean some motivation from the speakers to help her get started with her business.

When Chris took the stage, I knew we were in for a fantastic day of learning and growth. Chris spoke about the hard lessons of being an entrepreneur and what you can do to focus on growth in your business. Being the social media buff that he is, Chris spoke about the importance of focusing on relationships versus transactions within social media, becoming a relationship-minded business. (Watch the complete video of Chris Brogan’s keynote.)

The rest of the day was packed with great content and networking opportunities. Several leading entrepreneurs and small business experts hosted workshop sessions that helped attendees learn how to raise capital to start a business, increase productivity and output, use social media to market to consumers and create consumer passion for your brand. One of our very own franchisees, Gary Williams Jr., was also featured in a panel discussion during one of the workshop sessions.

The highlight of the day was the awards luncheon, where Entrepreneur magazine and The UPS Store awarded the winners of the Entrepreneur of 2011 contest. The most inspiring one came from winner Lee Rhodes, a cancer survivor who founded glassybaby. Lee donates a significant portion of the company’s revenue to help fund treatment to cancer patients. Her goal is to donate 10% of revenue.

Check out the highlights from the entire day.

Five decades. Half a century. 436,800 hours. It’s a long time.

It’s also the years of safe driving that UPS Feeder Driver Ron “The Big Dog” Sowder has just racked up. (Feeder trucks are the big semis that you see rolling down the highway. “The Big Dog” is a cool nickname for someone who’s good at what he does).

Before crossing the finish line Wednesday at UPS’s facility in West Carrollton, Ohio, just south of Dayton, Ron was escorted for the last few miles of his milestone trip by Ohio State Troopers. He was then greeted by a blast of confetti and an enthusiastic welcoming committee at the building.

UPS takes their safety seriously, as anyone who has ever set foot in one of its facilities can attest, and an achievement like this means a whole lot to the company. (In fact, UPS invested $175 million in safety training in 2011). On Thursday morning, several special UPS guests from around the country were on hand for a formal celebration at the facility.

A native of Springboro, Ohio, Ron was fresh out of the Navy when he joined UPS in 1960. Since then, he figures he’s driven more than 4 million miles; transported more than 22 million packages, and climbed into a UPS truck more than 12,000 times. Just last year he was featured on the show “American Trucker” on the Speed Channel.

According to Ron, the greatest benefit of being a UPS driver is “The future. I like that this company is always growing – Never stagnant. It’s great to be a part of an organization that is always looking ahead to what comes next.”

So now what’s next? Well, more great service and safe driving from “The Big Dog.”

You can count on that.

As for me and many Singaporean Chinese families, it’s all about coordinating the timing for each activity. It used to be so much easier before I was married. I just follow the schedule as set out by my parents on who to visit and when.

Even then it was complicated, because timings are highly synchronized and we have multiple relatives to visit. Now, there are however, a few families that we must visit at very précised time. These are more senior family members, who are also visited by many other relatives at that time. In logistics terms, I guess these are “hub” families.

If we miss the timing at any of these “hub” families, it means that we won’t get to see those other families and we will have to make an extra trip in order to meet them during this Chinese New Year.

Now that I am married, things get even more complicated. I need to take into consideration my parents’ schedule and my in-laws’ schedule. We have to plan and prioritize so that we can accommodate as much as we can. This reminds me of network planning at work.

Oh, there is more, with the addition of two kids in the past three years the planning has become even more complex. Keeping everything on track and on time will be a constant challenge, but this is once a year. This is about family and it is definitely worth it.

Wishing everyone a prosperous new year!

This weekend, millions of Chinese will travel afar to spend their New Year in their home town. I might find myself traveling away from my home town of Hong Kong and on the road in China.  Two years ago, my family and I drove straight through wealthy and industrious Guangdong province and deep into the less developed and mostly agricultural Guangxi province. There, we saw the hauntingly beautiful karst mountains along the Li River near Yangshuo and the Longsheng Rice Terraces near Guilin.

However, this blog entry isn’t about what I saw around Guilin. You can see for yourself in the photo collage I’ve provided here!  Rather, I was most impressed by the 1,800 kilometers of road and expressways that took us to our destination and back home.

Clockwise from top left: firecracker debris strewn all over this village along the Li River; a small town between Guangdong and Guangxi provinces; narcissus flowers and candy boxes filled with traditional Chinese sweets; karst mountains along the Li River; Cheri Chow on a boat ride along the Li River

Since we took off from Hong Kong on the last day of the lunar calendar, the traffic was extremely light.  So light that the brand new expressway was empty of vehicles and looked impressively like the long stretches of expressways in North America.  For hours, there wasn’t another car, motorcycle or truck in sight.  Most of the toll booths were closed.  Rural China was resting.

As a result, it took just 10 hours to get from Hong Kong to Guilin. Just a few years ago and prior to the existence of the new expressways, it would’ve taken more than double the time to get to Guilin by road. According to the China Economic Weekly, China’s highways increased from just 16.3 thousand kilometers before 2001 to 76 thousand kilometers between by 2010 – more than quadrupled!  This newfound road mobility leads to a plethora of development opportunities in various industries, including from tourism, automotive, manufacturing and even logistics.

Compared to air travel, road travel has its advantages too.  It gave me the rare chance to see rural and undeveloped China.  Compared to Guangzhou and its satellite cities of brilliant neons and grating sounds, the scene in sleepy neighboring Guangxi was startlingly different. The villages were dimly lit. There was actual smoke spiraling out of chimneys. Farm animals were let loose wandering.  And there were lone people walking between villages on long stretches of the highways.

Our drive back to Hong Kong from Guilin took place late into the night of the first day of the lunar New Year. But rural China was awake again, celebrating the New Year with an impressive display of roadside fireworks and streets were littered with red debris from long strings of firecrackers.  All I could hear was boom boom pow and think that beyond the dazzle of the Pearl River Delta, the rest of Southern China is catching up fast. Soon enough, the quiet highways will be bursting with cars, motorcycles and trucks.

They are also blessed not to have the serious natural disasters common around the world. Typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc…

The country has also known relative peace and tranquility over time. But, in recent years the political divides and ethnic differences has lead to militants in the south, terrorist in the north, religious upheavals in the middle belts resulting in thousands of deaths.

Certain parts of the country now also suffer from extreme poverty and underdevelopment. Add to that, the country now suffers from droughts in the north, heavy downpour resulting in flooded cities, hunger and deprivation, serious ethnic and religious strife.

Since 2007, the Logistics Emergency Team (LET) has been responding to disasters and there are now more than 100 people trained. Working with partners from UPS, Agility, TNT and Maersk, the UN World Food Programme has developed an exploratory program called the Logistics Capacity Assessment (LCA).  The compiled LCA would enable the humanitarian community and emergency responders to build scenarios and make accurate logistics plans in case massive assistance may be required for any part of the country.

This program is designed to prepare Nigeria, in the case of disaster humanitarian aids becomes inevitable. During our recent planning/training we developed contingency plans for the movement of goods and supplies into and throughout the country.

As someone who lives here and watches these events unfolds on a daily basis, I believe this LCA is long overdue.