Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Perry Mandera’s Three Decades of Entrepreneurial VIsion and Leadership


With more than three decades of experience, Perry Mandera is an established leader in the transportation industry. In 1980, at the age of 23, he established his first entrepreneurial venture and four years later he accepted a position as Republican Committeeman for Chicago’s 26th Ward. Throughout his four-year term, he held distinction as the youngest individual ever to serve as a Committeeman.

Mr. Mandera established his current Northlake, Illinois, firm The Custom Companies, Inc. in 1986. The innovative transportation provider offered "first of its kind" integrated solutions encompassing truckload and less-than-truckload shipping, local and dedicated contract cartage, and airfreight forwarding services to (and from) domestic and international locations. To this day, The Custom Companies continues to fulfill its core mission of delivering goods on-schedule and in perfect condition. In particular, the firm maintains exceptional customer/vendor relationships through a customer service center that provides accurate shipment tracking and pickup scheduling services, as well as real-time access to documentation and rate quotes.

The expansion of Perry Mandera’s firm from two trucks to a dedicated fleet in its early years led to his selection as the Italian American Executives of Transportation’s "Executive of the Year" in 1991. Five years later, he was elected to the Illinois Transportation Association’s (ITA) Board of Directors. In 2000 he was notably named one of the ITAs "Top 100 American Transportation Executives of the Millennium."

Mr. Mandera’s involvement as a Chicago community leader has extended to numerous charitable commitments over the decades. His firm notably provided supplies to victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, transporting more than 40 truckloads to affected areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. Perry Mandera additionally played an instrumental role in establishing the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Custom Cares Charities, which focuses on children’s causes.

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