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Today, the shipping industry provides a vital service to its customers. It moves goods from Point A to Point B. Those goods usually arrive on time, in good condition and at the proper location.
But, shipping can be expensive; it can quickly take a big bite out of a small business' budget.
Larger companies usually enjoy price breaks due to the tremendous amount of volume they ship. That tends to leave the small guys holding the bag.
Well, there is another option for small businesses to consider. A company called UniShippers says it can save its customers up to 30 percent of the amount they would pay another carrier.
"We're a consolidator," explains Mark Ware, the local franchise owner of UniShippers.
"By recruiting a large group of customers and putting them under our umbrella, they can receive those preferred rates because they are now part of a large organization. In other words, they are get-' ting volume discounts based on the volume of the entire group."
Ware describes his company as a "reseller of transportation services."
Because of an arrangement with Airborne Express, Ware is able to resell the freight carrier's services at national account rates.
"So our customers really can save money by going through a consolidator like us," he says.
"Nationwide, we've grouped together 250,000 businesses, making UniShippers Airborne Express' largest customer. That's why our customers receive this price break."
Molly Putnam, office manager at Environmental Insurance Services Inc. in Birmingham, says her company has used UniShippers for years...