First Call Accepted into Sustainable Business Leaders of Boston Program

First Call Trucking & Courier is proud to announce it’s acceptance into the Sustainable Business Leaders Program of Boston (www.SustainableBusinessLeader.org).  The Sustainable Business Leaders Program (SBL) helps local business to operate more efficiently, to lessen their carbon footprint, and to make their offices more sustainable.  We’re excited to be included in this group as membership should afford us some valuable resources regarding our aim to convert our truck engines to operate on veggie oil.  Presently we are sending out letters to local restaurants requesting their participation.  A copy of the letter is included and we would greatly appreciate it if the letter could be forwarded along to any contacts you may have in the restaurant or food production industry.

 

Keeping with the green theme, we’re happy to announce a new service that First Call will be offering: PAPER RECYCLING. We’ll provide the bins (for waste paper) and pick-up free of charge.  If interested, please contact us so that we can get a bin out to you as soon as possible.

Letter to Local Restaurants

If anyone has any contacts in the restaurant or food production industry, please pass this letter/message along:

Dear Restaurant Owner/Manager,

 

We know that most restaurants are paying to have a company remove their cooking oil. If you are one of these, how would you like a company to remove it for free and then use it in an environmentally friendly way?

 

As the cost of gas continues to rise, we at First Call Trucking have decided to change the way we operate to be more efficient and kinder to the environment. With this goal is mind we looked at the benefits of cooking oil as a proven alternative fuel source and decided it made sense. Therefore, we are converting one of our diesel engines to run on this oil.

 

This is where the benefits for you come into play. We would like to offer you the opportunity to remove your cooking oil for FREE, and then use it to fuel our trucks!  You’ll save money and help the environment at the same time.  It’s a win-win situation!

 

I will follow up with you in the next week to explore this opportunity and see if this is something of interest to you. In the meantime, feel free to contact me directly at 617-330-5100, or toll free at 1(800)HAS-SKID or via email at nancy@firstcalltrucking.com

 

I hope to hear from you soon.

 

Best,

 

Nancy DeFazio
First Call Trucking
12 Channel St.
Marine Industrial Park
Suite 503
South Boston, MA 02210
work: 617-330-5100
fax: 617-330-9309
cell: 617-590-3721
www.firstcalltrucking.com
www.firstcalltrucking.wordpress.com
www.myspace.com/firstcalltrucking

We Want to Hear From YOU!

Greetings fellow “Truckies”/”Truckie” Customers,

 

As I’ve previously mentioned, First Call Trucking & Courier has entered the blogosphere, and this week I’m asking for help with the content.  I’m looking for stories about your work/company to include in the blog.  This can include funny happenings, new hires, acquisitions, or anything that has been going on with YOU!

 

Also, since this week’s newsletter is about a two-way conversation, we want to know what we can do to improve our services.  We want to know where we have erred and also (hopefully) where we have succeeded.  What are we doing right and/or wrong?  If you’re happy, we’re happy; so your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

 

Finally (and on a more personal note), I have been encouraged by members in my ICE (Inner City Entrepreneur’s) class to share with you my first professional publication.  It appeared in February’s edition of Lola magazine (a new rag from the Boston Globe media companies).  I won’t include it here, so as not to bore those of you who are not interested.  But if you are, drop me a line and I’ll be sure to send it out to you. 

Rally to Protest Rising Fuel Prices Today at Gov’t Center

I’ve just been informed that there is a rally at government center going on this afternoon at 4:00 to protest the rising fuel prices.  Apparently the local news stations will be there, as well as some prominent politicians.  I am going, and I encourage you and anyone else who’s fed up with the rising cost of gas (which really is everyone, regardless of industry because the cost has a trickle down affect) to attend.

 

In case you haven’t heard, First Call Trucking & Courier is going green!

 

• Owner, John DeFazio, drives a Lexus RX400h – Lexus’ hybrid SUV.
• We print all our documents on 30% post-consumer recycled paper.
• We are a member of Boston’s Sustainability Network (SBN) and attended Boston’s Green Summit on Friday May 16, 2008.
• We have applied for membership with Boston’s Sustainable Business Leaders Program (SBLP).
• We are working with Save That Stuff to implement a recycling program, not just in our office, but in our whole office building.
• We are actively researching alternative energy sources we can use to fuel our trucks.
• We encourage our drivers to drive at a constant 62-65 M.P.H. on the freeway as it conserves energy and is less wasteful.

As mentioned above, we are in fact actively researching alternative fuel sources, namely, waste oil from local restaurants.  So far, we haven’t been able to find any downside to such a conversion; in fact, we’re a little perplexed as to why this technology has not caught on yet.  Our idea is to retro-fit one of our trucks, and if successful, offer retrofitting and/or consulting services to anyone else that is interested.  Our goal is to have one of the trucks retrofitted in the next couple months. 

We believe that by approaching the government with our proposal, we may be able to get and offer subsidies for converters.  But we have to get the word out to prove that this is a viable alternative and to show the government that people would be interested, and that it won’t be a waste of their time or money.  Please, if you are interested, contact us and let us know. 

More new services

I want to make you all aware of a couple new services First Call will be offering.  The first is auto shipments.  Due to a new partnership, we will now be able to ship cars to and from anywhere in the United States and Internationally. 

Secondly, we will also be providing reefer services – refrigerated trucks and vans. 

Please be aware of these new services and pass the world along to anyone you feel might need them.

First Call Implementing Recycling Program in Office Building/Warehouse

One of the projects I’m working on right now is to implement a recycling program here at 12 Channel Street in the Marine Industrial Park district of South Boston.  Our landlord is the city: BRA/EDIC (The Boston Redevelopment Authority/The Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Boston), and in my opinion, the public sector should be setting the example for the private sector on issues of sustainability.

 

For the past few months I’ve been filling up cardboard boxes with recyclable waste from my office, and then lugging the boxes back to my apartment in Brighton on Wednesday nights for pick up Thursday mornings (trash day in my neighborhood).  The hassle of this process, combined with the fact that the dumpster area of our building is always overflowing with trash and other odds and ends that won’t fit in the dumpster (think computer monitors, furniture, old exercise equipment, etc.) finally led me to the idea that this issue had to be addresses. 

 

A chance meeting at Boston’s Green Summit last Friday with Erik, the owner of Save That Stuff, made me realize that this issue can easily be rectified.  I have contacted Anthony Verani  at BRA/EDIC.  He seems amenable to the idea so hopefully we can get this ball rolling soon. 

 

If your office or place of business is lacking a recycling program I encourage you to contact Erik or Adam at Save That Stuff as well.  Their contact details are as follows:

Save That Stuff

617-241-9998

erik@savethatstuff.com

adam@savethatstuff.com

www.savethatstuff.com

New Offers & Updates

              First Call Trucking & Courier

12 Channel Street, Suite 503

Marine Industrial Park

Boston, MA 02210

 

Dear Friends,

 

We would like to make you aware of a new offer we have for present clients:  if you refer a friend/colleague/business associate etc, you will get 50% off your next order with us.  Just make sure the friend references your business name and please try and remind us next time you call (we’ll be sure to write it down but a friendly reminder is always helpful too).  Additionally we are offering first time customers 25% off their first order.  Overall it should be a win-win for everyone!

 

Also, we just want to make everyone aware that we do offer hazmat services.  Our drivers are hazmat licensed and the trucks are properly marked.  We are trying to break into this market a bit more so any referrals for hazmat work are greatly appreciated.

 

Please be sure to check out our new First Call blog: www.firstcalltrucking.wordpress.com,

MySpace page: www.myspace.com/firstcalltrucking,

and updated website: www.firstcalltrucking.com (with more changes coming soon).

 

Finally, we are updating our client contacts.  Please send in business cards and any additional contact info to be entered into a drawing to receive a bottle of wine (type to be determined by the winner).

 

As always, we thank you for your business.

 

Best,

Lucky, Nancy, & Dingo DeFazio

Overview of First Call - Scope and Services

              First Call Trucking & Courier

12 Channel Street, Suite 503

Marine Industrial Park

Boston, MA 02210

 

 First Call Trucking & Courier is a family-owned and operated logistical services company available for ALL your delivery needs including: same-day, rapid, rush; scheduled and routed shipments, air-freight pick up and delivery, warehousing and distribution,  and all forms of courier services.  We operate locally in Greater Boston, throughout New England and even across the United States.

 

We are located in South Boston’s newly developed Seaport District, in the heart of Boston’s Marine Industrial Park, and about a mile away from Boston’s Logan International Airport.

 

Father/Daughter team, John and Nancy DeFazio, are both born and raised in Boston.  Their adept knowledge of the city combined with 20+ years experience in the industry is what makes First Call the best at what they do.

 

Big enough to serve you.  Small enough to know you.  Make your first call to First Call!

 

 

 

FOR ALL YOUR TRUCKING NEEDS PLEASE CALL:

(617) 330-5100

1 (800) HAS SKID

(617) 330-9309 (f)

www.firstcalltrucking.com

Warehousing, Distribution, and Freight Forwarding

luckyfct@aol.com, (617) 590-3719

nancy@firstcalltrucking.com, (617)590-3721

Why should you choose First Call?

First Call Trucking & Courier                              

                                    www.firstcalltrucking.com

         

• Our specialty is time sensitive deliveries.  Our drivers are dispatched immediately and sent from pick up location to desired destination directly—on time every time.

 

 

• We take pride in the quality of people we employ.  Our drivers are neat, courteous, and professional.

 

• Our fleet is comprised of cars, station wagons, vans, sport utility vehicles, and 2007 24ft CDL box trucks with lift-gates to suit all of your shipping needs.  New vehicles = reliable service—minimal delivery problems, no breakdowns, etc.

 

• We operate throughout New England and across the country, with LTL service, as needed.

 

• Our regular office hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday and we are on-call 7 day’s a week, 24 hours/day.

 

• We are fully licensed, and insured.

 

• Our drivers are CDL licensed and equipped with state of the art Nextel two-way radio systems and pagers, insuring prompt attention to your most critical needs.  Drivers’ cell/direct connect numbers furnished upon service for your added convenience.

 

• Our office is equipped with multiple loading docks, freight elevators, electric jacks, and 1700 square feet of storage space for your warehousing needs.

 

• Very conveniently located in South Boston’s Marine Industrial Park—less than a mile from Logan Airport, all major Massachusetts highway pickups, and directly across the street from the new Boston Convention Center.

 

• Our drivers are hazmat certified and our staff is multi-lingual: English, Spanish, Cape Verdean, Creole.

 

We have been serving many of New England’s leading companies since 1992 with professional, prompt and personal service.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by any means listed below.

                                                                                                                 I.C.C. # 591040

Sincerely,                                                                                                 DOT  # 539445

John Defazio: luckyfct@aol.com, (617)590-3719 / (617)330-5100

Nancy DeFazio: nancy@firstcalltrucking.com, (617)590-3721 / (800)HAS-SKID

The Sustainable Business Network of Boson

The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston is an organization of business leaders committed to promoting high ethical standards in business, a multiple-stakeholder business model, productive and fulfilling workplaces, and environmentally sustainable business practices.  We aspire to share lessons learned regarding best practices both in the workplace and in relation to our greater communities.

SBN is Greater Boston’s chapter of a network of organizations across the U.S. and Canada called the Business Alliance for Local living Economies (BALLE), which promotes business practices that support the needs of all stakeholders. SBN’s focus is on Eastern and Central Massachusetts. 

In 2006, the Responsible Business Association of Greater Boston (RBA) changed its name to the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston. This is more than simply a name change, our new name reflects an evolutionary change in the strategic direction of our work and in the programs in which we’re involved. 

One major shift is a stronger orientation toward bringing together businesses who promote sustainability.  We have noticed that the number of businesses committed to sustainability has grown in Greater Boston to the point where there is a critical mass. The major emphasis of SBN is to organize and bring together business leaders who want to change the world through their businesses. SBN continues to welcome for-profits, business non-profits, cooperatives and individuals to join in supporting this important work.

SBN has recognized the opportunity to make significant progress toward a sustainable world, and we have hired an executive director, Steve Jones-D’Agostino (see our home page), to help us grow this work. We are in the process of expanding her work and bringing in other staff in order to maximize our ability to reach out and impact businesses in Greater Boston.

SBN has also ramped up our work in promoting sustainability in the Greater Boston business community. We are involved in a number of important initiatives that we think are making a significant difference in our world and in our community and include:

Business Summit for a Sustainable Boston

This series of meetings brings together representatives from the City of Boston with business and non-profit leaders who are all committed to building a sustainable Boston.  One of the highlights of this work is the establishment of a City of Boston Green Business Award.  You can check out the excellent work that is being done by going to the Sustainable Boston web site.

Local First Campaigns

SBN has played an important role in seeding Local First campaigns in the Greater Boston area.  Cambridge Local First is a strong, thriving network and Somerville Local First and Worcester Local First are gaining major momentum. 

International Symposium on Spirituality and Business

SBN is an active co-sponsor of this annual event.  March 23 will be the 10th symposium, which is sponsored by Babson College.  This event features successful business leaders who place values at the forefront of managing their business.

Annual New England Conference on Socially Responsible Business

For almost 20 years, SBN and its predecessors have hosted the longest-running local conference on socially responsible business. This year’s conference will again focus on sustainability and features well-known and innovative business, government, and nonprofit leaders who are working to make a more sustainable and just world. 

Educational Programs

SBN/RBA has a long history of providing cutting edge educational programs addressing critical issues of our time. Our annual program with Boston College is just one of the many programs we hold each year to bring to light the new, innovative business practices that will help change the world. 

Specific Programs and Suburban Community Programs

SBN is moving forward on creating specific action teams of members who have a particular program that moves us toward a sustainable economy.  We welcome SBN members to start an action team that will promote sustainability.  SBN is also organizing businesses in various suburban communities — for example, a group of Metrowest businesses is in the process of formation. 

By being a member of SBN, you are supporting the important work of building a strong business community committed to economic justice and sustainability.  The benefits include:

1.  Complimentary or discounted SBN programs

2.  Listing on the home page of our website

3.  Listing in our online Marketplace directory

4.  Being a part of a sustainable community of businesses in Greater Boston

Please encourage your friends and associates to join SBN today and help us build this important community.  It’s a real value and it’s easy to join by completing the application either online or on paper.