60 Seconds with Robert Martichenko of American Logistics Aid Network
Modern's editor sat down with Robert to discuss different efforts by ALAN to help disaster relief efforts.
- Robert Martichenko
- American Logistics Aid Network
- Title: Chairman of the board
- Location: Sarasota, Fla.
- Experience: Four years as ALAN board member. Seventeen years as CEO of LeanCor Supply Chain Group. Two years as chair and co-founder of TrailPaths Inc.
Modern: First of all, congratulations on becoming chair of ALAN’s board. However, not everyone has heard of the group despite all the great humanitarian disaster relief work the group does. So, if you would, tell us what ALAN is and why it’s important.
Martichenko: For nearly 20 years, ALAN has been a conduit for moving, storing and distributing humanitarian aid from lift trucks to pallets of water, food and other supplies to U.S. locations recovering from disasters ranging from hurricanes to earthquakes. And it does all of that at no charge to the organizations it helps.
Last year, ALAN responded to 15 disasters, supporting more than 60 other non-profits. ALAN, alone, was responsible for coordinating the delivery of more than 800 pallet loads of supplies worth almost $2.5 million. It was a busy year, and the pace of our activities is not likely to slow down any time soon.
Modern: Doing that kind of work obviously takes money. How does ALAN fund its activities?
Martichenko: Being a 501(c) (3) non-profit, ALAN is mainly funded by financial contributions from generous corporate and individual donors. We keep our costs low by relying on in-kind donations from businesses to support our activities. All told, it means that we can deliver large volumes of humanitarian aid at no cost to disaster survivors and the non-profit organizations providing on-the-ground assistance.
Modern: While it’s easy enough to think ALAN sits around waiting for the next disaster, what really happens behind the scenes?
Martichenko: We break this into two lanes: Blue Skies and Gray Skies.
Blue Skies are the efforts by ALAN executive director Kathy Fulton and the staff to establish relationships and working partnerships with national, regional and local disaster relief agencies. The list includes FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) as well as a range of for-profit organizations from across the breadth of the supply chain community and non-profit organizations such as members of the National Voluntary Organizations Active In Disaster.
ALAN also has 37 association partners including Food Shippers of America, MHI, the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA), Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), and the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA).
Gray Skies are the efforts ALAN undertakes to respond to a specific disaster. This is when we activate our network to find and deliver aid to where it does the most good. Last year, ALAN helped provide 23 different types of disaster relief items—everything from food, to shelter, to technology—across 15 different disaster activations. Getting that done meant those supplies moved a total of 42,000 miles to their destinations.
Modern: Beyond managing actual disaster relief efforts, what do you want to accomplish in the next two to three years?
Martichenko: Since every disaster is a one off, we’re always working to get better at how we deliver relief supplies. We also want to scale up our capabilities and contributions. And we want to help more people understand the importance that logistics plays in disaster relief efforts in general.
It’s critical for everyone to remember that even though disasters do happen, the story of the communities they hit doesn’t end there. Good people always show up to help—and their efforts do a world of good. I’m really pleased to be part of ALAN’s efforts to ensure people and places are not overlooked or forgotten. Disaster relief is never ending.
