Interview with
Mr. Sean Betts
President
First of all Sean, tell us about your own logistics career leading up to becoming president of Veritas in Idaho?
This is a question that I could answer a couple of different ways. Officially I started my career in logistics in 2000 working as a warehouse receiving clerk for a newly merged consolidator that you have probably heard of Vanguard Logistics (DCL, Conterm, Brennan). But really my logistics career started much earlier than that. My Mom, Donna Betts, was one of Charlie Brennan’s (Brennan Int’l) first hires and become a key component to the company’s success. From the time I can remember, forwarding has been in my life and so you can say I grew up with a logistics spoon in my mouth. I worked many summers as a kid pulling files and doing odd jobs for Charlie and others at Brennan. I learned a great deal about shipping in my formative years and I believe that has helped me throughout my career.
In 2001, my Mom, my brother and I started a new forwarding company, Allison Shipping International, Inc based in Long Beach, CA. This is where I truly learned the nuts and bolts of the NVOCC/Forwarding world. My focus was on learning Project and OOG cargo movement and that quickly became my favorite sector to work in. I also learned all other facets in international logistics, FCL, LCL, Cross-Trade, Air Freight, L/C processing, etc…
In 2015 after moving out of California the vision for Veritas Global was formed and the rest his history.
Could you elaborate a bit on the history and ownership of Veritas?
Veritas Global Transportation Inc. was formed in 2015. The owners are myself and my wife Patricia Betts. Veritas was formed with a specific goal in mind: to provide honest, trustworthy, and reliable transportation services. Veritas is Latin for “truth,” and it is the standard we set for our company. We are a Christian company and we operate our company under the guiding principles found in the Bible which teach us to operate all business with honesty, integrity, and diligence. Proverbs 16:11 says, “The Lord demands accurate scales and balances; He sets the standard for fairness.” Our ultimate aim is that every client feels taken care of and has a complete peace of mind when doing business with us.
Idaho is an inland state in the US so I assume that you have plenty of experience moving cargoes inland in the US. Provide us with some examples and could tell our readers about some of the most difficult jobs you might have undertaken?
We have moved many projects throughout the US and Canada, most of which were either being exported or were part of an import job.
18 x OOG Truck loads moved of Oil Baskets from Port of Houston, TX to Monroe, LA.
1 x OOG Farm Tractor moved from Holgate, OH to Port of Baltimore for final destination Sihanoukville, Cambodia (photos attached).
1 x OOG Corn Harvester moved from Weston, OR to Port of Oakland for final destination Xingang, China (photos attached)
1 x MD500 Helicopter moved from Mesa, AZ to LAX Airport for final destination Bratislava, Slovakia (photos attached)
We just finished a difficult project at the end of 2019. Our UK client purchased a section of a Paper Plant in St Laurent, Quebec, Canada. We were hired for the job strictly because of our expertise in projects but also on our reliability that we could get the job done on time and on budget. The project consisted of 2 x 40’ Flat Rack loads and 8 x 40’ HC OT containers. The challenge was this – the client was flying in from the UK to the job site on December 19th and everything had to be out of the warehouse by December 23rd so our client could fly back to the UK to have Christmas with his family. In addition to this, the client was not registered in the Canadian Customs system so we had to arrange this as well to ensure the cargo could be exported in compliance with Canada export regulations. We got the job done on time and on budget and the customer was very pleased.
If cargo is destined for Idaho which ports would generally be entry ports on the West Coast?
Seattle is the best port of discharge for Idaho.
Do you handle projects nationwide or are you mainly active in the western part of the country?
We handle projects nationwide. We have clients in all parts of the USA and the world so our projects span from New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in between.
Do you belong to any networks currently and if so, why?
We belong to the following networks:
Cross Ocean, WCA and Africa Logistics Network.
We joined Cross Ocean Air & Sea Project Network recently because it has many active project forwarders.
I have a long history working with the WCA and know many of the advantages of being part of their network so we felt it a good fit for us.
The ALN is a network we wanted to become a part of because we have a heart for Africa and feel that there is significant growth potential there. Africa has always been a difficult region to find good agents so we wanted to be a part of a network that focuses strictly on that.
How do you view the competition currently, in other words, are there many competitors out there? What is your take of the prospects in 2020?
Competition is always there, and since the COVID-19 epidemic it has become more fierce as the cargo pie has gotten smaller and companies are dropping their rates to move whatever they can. We try not to focus on our competition too much but rather on what our clients need. If we are doing the best job we can for them, we believe they will be loyal to us, and most are. A recent client gave me the following feedback after we went above and beyond for her:
”And that, my friend, is why I don’t even let other brokers try to quote my business. You ARE THE BEST!
Thank you so much.”
Stacie MacKay
Sales & Marketing Manager
As far as 2020 goes, it is a presidential election year, and it never fails that things always go a little haywire – and now you throw in COVID-19. We trust, however, that our core principles of business will allow us to be prosperous. Again, we can only focus on the main thing – which is the customer and that they are happy with our service. We try not to waste our energy on the unknowns that we can’t control.
Idaho, I can see from the internet, is a beautiful state in the US. Tell us about a few spots that you could recommend people to visit that are perhaps NOT overcrowded by tourists generally.
Idaho is a great state, it has been the best move I’ve ever made. Following are some great spots to visit, crowds here are not like other USA destinations so you don’t have to worry too much about intense crowds:
Capital City of Boise – great place to visit. Beautiful city, lots of accommodations, great food and the city of trees. In the fall the whole city is yellow, orange, and red.
Sun Valley – great place to hike in summer and fall and ski in the winter.
Snake River – world renowned river for fishing, probably top 5 in the world.
Coeur D’Alene – beautiful wilderness surrounding a crystal clear lake. Great place for a family vacation.
Overall Idaho is a great place to raise a family and if you like 4 seasons then this a perfect place to be. It was the #1 state people moved to last year in the USA so the secret is out.
How to get in touch with you?
Veritas Global Transportation Inc.
Sean Betts | President
T: 208-473-2364 | F: 208-473-2394
sean.betts@veritasglobaltrans.com
www.veritasglobaltrans.com
