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Duane Hilghman, Service Transport, Inc., Federalsburg,
MD
Who is STI?
We started our business on Dec. 12, 1991, and today serve as a privately
held licensed property broker, which arranges and oversees the transportation
of general commodities. While we deal with all types of food products,
STI specializes in temperature-sensitive, high-value items such
as seafood.
Who are your customers?
We have more than 400 customers, including Central Seaway, Ocean
Garden Products, Red Chamber, H & N Fish, Rymer International,
Meridian Products, Ore Cal, and Sea Snack to name just a few.
Why did you start your company?
I can honestly say we created our company as a result of the growing
demand for shrimp in the United States. Accordingly, we founded
STI because we saw a need for a company like ours. There are not
many companies that do what we do, because of the risk of transporting
high value items such as shrimp, lobster, crab meat, etc. and the
work required to transport such items.
How important is imported shrimp to your business?
We would never have been able to start a business such as ours –
let alone prosper and grow – if it had not been for the demand
for imported shrimp. Transporting imported shrimp presently accounts
for approximately 65% of our $10 million business. We work with
over 200 carriers, and train them about the nuances in seafood transportation
to haul our customers’ products.
Why did you join ASDA?
ASDA represents all that is important to our customers in being
able to continue free and fair trade of seafood. Our customers depend
on imported seafood for their livelihood. Any disruptions could
mean lost jobs. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t
for our customers. They helped us get started; what affects them
affects us. I have always felt that being in a service business
like ours means understanding the needs of our customers, not in
just what we could do for them, but understanding the problems and
issues they face in their operations. Continued free trade in seafood
is important to us all.
Any interesting facts about your company you’d like
to share?
We are rated in the top 8% of licensed property brokers nationwide.
We’re also members of the World Food Logistics Organization,
National Fisheries Institute, and Transportation Intermediaries
Association.
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