Speed and Diligence of Local and International Companies Aided This Ambitious Yet Important Effort
One of the most valuable commodities in this pandemic has been a computer. However, for thousands of Washington State children, a computer was a luxury their families couldn’t afford. This dilemma created a modern-day crisis: how can children continue to learn virtually and safely if they lack the basic resources needed to logon every morning?
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee recognized this crisis and decided to use $24 million from its CARES ACT Stimulus money to purchase computers for students in a distance learning setting. With this commitment came a logistics challenge.
How could the next round of 20,000 Evolve III devices be shipped from Hong Kong to Washington in a timely and efficient manner?
With the governor’s announcement, an Australian company, Evolve III, stepped up to fulfill the ambitious order. But the large quantity was only the one of the obstacles. All 20,000 needed to be shipped overseas, arrive in Washington and then distributed to thousands of students by end of the year.
Another company emerged to overcome the next challenge of bringing the devices statewide. Pegasus Logistics Group, who happens to be our partner and client, worked diligently and tirelessly to create an International Domestic Spin Solution in 3 weeks from Hong Kong to Washington State School Districts.
This is where our team became part of the story. Pegasus asked CTE Logistics if we had the bandwidth and capability to solve the remaining part of the logistics puzzle: moving the 20,000 Evolve laptops to each of their school district destinations across the state of Washington.
The answer, of course, was a resounding yes. We are committed to excellence and values. Our core values on the wall that we achieve daily – work, team, humanity, reciprocity and honesty – and we knew this was a mountain that we wanted to climb. Our team was at the ready mode and we were ready to get to work the moment the laptops arrived to the CTE facility in Sumner, WA.
“As a parent of two teenagers currently in the virtual learning environment; Kimm and I know firsthand how important these devices are to the current learning situation of these students,” said President Todd Lytle.
Pegasus and CTE worked together on the domestic solution to execute on-time deliveries, routing optimization and execution. Since many of the schools slated to receive the deliveries were rural, CTE tapped long time regional trucking partner Peninsula Truck Lines to ensure timely deliveries.
As soon as the devices arrived in our Sumner facility, our team hit the ground running. They worked nonstop to unload, sort, scan serial numbers and organize shipment containers so they were ready to go to each school district. The task called for excellent communication, an all-hands-on-deck mentality, leadership and immense organization – all of which we achieved in order to meet the governor’s commitment.
“We are honored to be a small link in getting them where they need to be quickly and efficiently,” Lytle said. “Our Team worked fast and long hours during the holiday weeks to make the deadline.”
A special thanks to those who made this story possible: Evolve III, Pegasus Logistics Group, Peninsula Truck Lines, Director Sales Jonn Bowersock at Pegasus Logistics, International Project Lead Carmen Fernandez at Pegasus Logistics, Domestic Project Lead Jim Horkey at Pegasus Logistics, VP Solutions David Cannon at Pegasus Logistics, COO Matt Rollins at Evolve III and VP Sales Charles Franklin at Evolve III.