5 Minutes With Chris MacKrell
By Vincent Brennan
Just minutes after being officially sworn in as the president of MCAA, Chris MacKrell, of Custom Courier Rochester, N.Y, sat down for a short interview. He spoke of the MCAA's health going into 2011, predictions about future concerns and developments in Washington, D.C.
Courier Magazine: Give your assessment, so far, of the 23rd Annual MCAA Convention.
Chris MacKrell: The convention is going very well. Attendance is just shy of 400, which is a little bit up from last year. We have a very strong educational process focused on KPIs (key performance indicators), and the industry is changing fairly significantly. The focus is on teaching and informing people on what issues professionals need to watch out for on a day-to-day basis to make sure their business is going strong. A key cornerstone (of the convention) happened earlier this afternoon with the Courier Round Tables. Folks from around the industry were invited to sit around a table and share their ideas about what they are doing.
CM: Talk about the health and stability of the MCAA.
MacKrell: The MCAA is very, very strong. Even though our revenue is at the highest level that it has been (opposed to recent years), we also have a substantial amount of money in the bank to support us in the event of any type of hard time. We have a very strong, seasoned board, and the membership has stayed consistent over the years. The organization continues to be strong, and it has a big upside looking forward. We're going to be re-energizing the industry from a couple of perspectives to bring people in going forward. We were successful when we merged with the NTLA (National Transportation and Logistics Association), and that consolidated the industry a little bit more, but we are working with other associations for the common good of the industry.
CM: What is a big issue with which you and the MCAA will have to deal in the coming year?
MacKrell: Two big issues that I see over the next two years are the continued efforts to defend the rights of the industry so business owners can use the models they choose at both the federal and state level. I've been involved in that (process) for the past seven years as a member of the government affairs committee. So, I believe, over the next two or three years, you'll really see that come to a head.
The other challenge is working with industry participants as the industry changes. Banking has gone on the wayside with Check 21, and home delivery is becoming even more important; more and more companies are doing that. As a result, it's going to change the shape of the industry and the profile of the members.
CM: There’s been a lot of talk about the employee versus independent contractor issue at the convention. How do you see that issue playing out over the next few months and years?
MacKrell: In a perfect world, I see (the courier industry) getting some type of a definitive answer from either the federal or state governments. One of the things that we are going to focus on over the next 12-18 months is a “Bright Line Test.” We plan on submitting that to interested parties so they will be able to give clear definitions on whether someone is operating correctly as an independent contractor.
On the employee side, the pressure for instituting the “card checkers” and other types of labor laws makes it challenging from our perspective … If a guy is out doing a route and pulls off to the side of the road at 3 o’clock in the afternoon for a 15-minute break … how do you verify that? How do you do all those types of things? No matter which model that you use, there is a lot of legislative and administrative challenges that anyone in the business is going to be facing.
CM: The MCAA does a lot of federal advocacy with its Lobby Days. Where do you see the importance of those types of events impacting the future?
MacKrell: It’s critical over the next number of years that just about every state or region in the country has a grassroots or localized association. We’ve seen the development over the last year, thanks to John Banko, and we’ve made this a focus of the association and one of the key components of what we wanted to accomplish. In the last year, we’ve had Vermont, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas and Arizona and a lot of other state groups that are starting to get energized. It’s a two-prong battle. We may be able to be successful at the federal level, but the states are where the rubber meets the road. Massachusetts (for example) and other states have some major challenges. Those local associations are going to be key to sustainability.
Vincent Brennan
Editor
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