BKA Logistics partners with Orphan Grain Train to deliver "Mother's Touch" kits to a prison in Kyrgyzstan

(Washington, DC --) July 27, 2006 Critical supply kits for women inmates who have just given birth are arriving this week to a prison in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, courtesy of the Orphan Grain Train, a Lutheran-based humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization, and the expertise of logistics provider, BKA Logistics, in Washington, DC. BKA has arranged for 951 of these "Mother's Touch" kits to arrive in Bishkek so that new mothers will have necessities to care for their infants.

Mark Millard, executive vice president at BKA, said, "We have worked with Orphan Grain Train for over five years now, and I'm constantly amazed at their unique humanitarian programs. To Kyrgyzstan alone, they have shipped a 53-foot mobile hospital tractor-trailer, medical supplies and now these kits for new mothers in prison. Their humanitarian aid outreach programs have been very successful, and we are glad to play a part to get their shipments delivered to those in need in remote areas of the world."

Bishkek is the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, one of the poorer areas in Central Asia since the collapse of the old Soviet Union in 1991. It is also one of the first areas targeted for aid by Orphan Grain Train founders Rev. Ray S. Wilke and Mr. Clayton Andrews, both of Norfolk, Neb. Through a network of volunteers across the United States, Orphan Grain Train relief shipments are compiled and distributed both domestically and internationally. Last year, they celebrated their 1000th shipment worldwide since 1990.

The "Mother's Touch" supply kits contain a variety of items new mothers will find helpful, items that are not readily available to women inmates. Each kit contains feeding bottles, nipples, blankets, clothing, teethers, rattles, cloth diapers, and a small gift for the mother. The kits were packed into a 40-foot container weighing 12,638 pounds, and departed from the Port of NY/NJ on June 6th.

"With the assistance of logistics experts BKA, we have been able to fulfill our mission of providing aid to those in need, wherever they may be," said Clayton Andrews, co-founder of OGT. "Certainly the new mothers in Bishkek prison have limited, if any, resources, so these kits will provide basic necessities to help them care for their infants."

Orphan Grain Train (OGT) has distributed aid supplies to nearly 30 countries overseas as well as disaster relief supplies domestically. Its first major relief effort was a response to Hurricane Andrew in 1992. After the September 11 attacks, OGT sent many semi-loads of groceries to groups that served hungry people in downtown New York; and they routinely send groceries, clothing, quilts and medial equipment to the Navajo Reservation and to Christian missions along the Texas-Mexico border. Over 20 million pounds of supplies to aid those in need have been collected and distributed by OGT as of September of last year. For more information see their website at www.ogt.org.

BKA Logistics LLC is a fully-licensed International Freight Forwarder providing expert documentation and logistics services for its varied humanitarian assistance, commercial and food aid clientele. Based in Washington, DC, the company offers a full array of services, including trucking and warehouse consolidation, customs clearance and expert advisory services.

BKA Logistics Works with Hermandad and Water Security Corporation to Provide Potable Water in Dominican Republic

(Date: June 1, 2006 Washington, DC) BKA Logistics, working with Water Security Corporation and the U.S.-based charitable foundation, Hermandad, has arranged for transport of a space-age water treatment system to the Dominican Republic that will be used to purify contaminated water sources in poorer regions of the country. The system is expected to be operational by the end of this month.

Created using technology developed by NASA to assist with manned space missions, the new water treatment system is compact as well as efficient. Officially named the Discovery 4GPM Water Disinfection System, once online it will eradicate not only harmful bacteria and viruses, but also iodine and other impurities typically found to be problems in third world populated areas.

"This is the first water system of its kind to be transported to the Dominican Republic," says Jim Mead, president of BKA Logistics. "We routinely handle the logistics for food aid and other humanitarian cargoes shipped across the globe. We are very excited to be a part of this project as this technology will have a positive impact on the lives of local residents for years to come."

The Discovery Model WCS4 can be operated as a stand alone system or ganged together with additional Discovery systems to provide higher throughput. Its 4-gallon-per-minute output and 30,000 gallon capacity provides an ideal solution for rural water disinfection applications. The unit weighs 611 pounds and has a volume of 70 cubic feet.

According to the Water Security Corporation, more than one billion people worldwide do not have consistent access to clean water. Approximately 10 million, a significant percentage of them children, die each year as a result of waterborne disease. Efforts to provide purified water to those in need are often thwarted by contamination during transportation and subsequent storage, making this new technology an ideal solution long term.

George Gerardi, Executive Director at Hermandad said, "We are very excited about the long range prospects of this new technology for developing countries in general, and Dominican Republic in particular. I personally visited the remote and very poor village of Sabana San Juan in the Dominican Republic about 18 years ago, and finally we are able to fulfill our promise to bring to them potable water for the first time in their history."

Located in the southwestern Dominican province, Sabana San Juan has the Sabana Yegua Dam situated nearby. However, long-term output from the dam is unfortunately threatened by high rates of sedimentation that limit its storage capacity by more than one percent per year. Nonetheless, its electricity, irrigation and domestic water services provided are also critical to the economic development of this area

Hermandad, based in Long Beach, NY, has worked to improve the lives of those living at or below the poverty level in Central and Latin America since 1975. They work with poorer communities to both improve the standard of living and encourage self-reliance and sustainable development. In addition to technical solutions, they also provide ongoing support for projects such as establishing seed banks, providing building materials, and creating revolving loan funds.
More information can be found at www.hermandad.org.

Sparks, Nevada-based Water Security Corporation has developed the system of filters and cartridges donated to the Dominican Republic that is capable of killing harmful parasites and removing impurities. Originally conceived by NASA for use in manned space missions to Mars and the moon, the technology they created for a conceptualized model has been transformed by Water Security into a practical and effective product. The systems range in size from 0.5 gallon per minute units to 4 GPM, enough to provide clean, drinkable water for an entire village. For more information visit: www.watseco.com.

BKA Logistics LLC is a fully-licensed International Freight Forwarder providing expert documentation and logistics services for its varied humanitarian assistance, commercial and food aid clientele. Based in Washington, DC, the company offers a full array of services, including trucking and warehouse consolidation, customs clearance and expert advisory services. For more information visit: www.bkalogistics.net.

BKA Logistics sends first Wild Alaskan Salmon donations south with pilot RFID and GPS technology in place.

(Date: March 17, 2006 Washington, DC--) School children in Guatemala City will taste canned Wild Alaskan Salmon for the first time as part of a U.S. government Food Aid program to provide school lunches for impoverished children in developing countries. Another "first" is that one of the donated containers of fish is outfitted with new RFID technology, donated by Franwell, Inc. in Norwalk, Conn., and ISR Systems as part of a larger project designed to increase Food Aid shipment accountability, delivery, confirmation, security quality and safety. BKA Logistics, key logistics provider for USAID, is arranging all modes of transport and clearances needed to get the donated canned fish from Alaska to Guatemala and Bolivia.

"We routinely handle donated food shipments for USAID, " said Jim Mead, president of BKA Logistics, " but this is the first time one of the containers has cutting edge RFID technology to track not only the container, but the individual pallets inside," said Jim Mead, president of BKA Logistics.

The container marked for tracking is being delivered to a warehouse in Guatemala this week, and from there the RFID tagged pallets of canned fish it contains will be distributed by truck to different schools in Guatemala City and more remote locations.

"The container also has sensors that alert us each time the container doors are opened," said Mike Nicometo, director of Special Projects at Franwell, Inc. and director of Global IS for the Cool Chain Group AG. "This way we can make sure the container is only opened at times when it should be, and not during transit or at unscheduled stops along the way."

This new project is being underwritten by the State of Alaska's Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, along with local Alaska fishermen organized under the Cordova District Fishermen United. Their intention is to have the state-produced and canned salmon become a regular component of the U.S. Government's Food Aid programs.

Also joining in this project are the University of Florida, Research Center for Food Distribution and Retailing, as well as ISR Systems, the company that provided the ocean container GPS tracking devise, the door open sensor, communications infrastructure, a web site for map and satellite tracking of the container, alerts for door open status and a full set of support resources to make this happen, all with a very short time frame.

"We couldn't have found a better GPS tracking system that integrates to RFID structure, and I doubt if there is another company that could have implemented the solution in the time frame with which we had to work," Nicometo remarked.

Brought in to validate the study and to provide professional analysis and proper publishing of results is the University of Florida's Research Center for Food Distribution and Retailing (CFDR). Dr. Jean Pierre Emond and Dr. Jeffrey Brecht, CFDR Co-Directors, will provide project overview and analysis. A graduate student will travel with a Franwell technician to Guatemala City for the unloading of the container.

During unloading, the graduate student will test the localized portable computer systems, reading the RFID UHF tags, and the RFID temperature sensor tags. Field notes on all aspects of the operation will be recorded. All data and field reports will be analyzed by CFDR. Drs. Emond and Brecht, working with their staff, will supervise a formal report on the results, as well as possible concepts for future projects or implementation of digital technology to increase the authenticity of security, delivery, safety and quality for Food Aid shipments.

When Franwell first met with the Commissioner of the State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, William C. Noll, three basic questions were defined:

1. How can we implement technology to insure Food Aid shipments arrive intact at destination?
2. What technology is available to authenticate confirmation that the contents of the Food Aid
shipments were complete (at origin and destination)?
3. Can we increase food safety and quality by using RFID temperature sensors and data loggers?

The underlying requirement is to enable the use of state-of-the-art technologies at locations where typical technical/RFID infrastructure is not available. To accomplish this, Franwell, Inc. developed software that could be used with a handheld computer and portable RFID reader-antenna equipment. The system was tested with RFID UHF tags in Franwell's laboratory to determine that the canned Alaska Wild Salmon was RFID UHF-friendly. Then Franwell went to the Kent Warehousing & Labeling (KWL) facility in Kent, Washington to put labels on individual cases and pallets, capturing the data with the portable system during loading of the container.

For the third challenge, Franwell, Inc. provided portable equipment and software to program KSW temperature monitoring and data logging RFID tags. One tag was placed on each of 20 pallets, at the KWL facility just prior to container loading. "We are excited about participating in the Alaska Food Aid project, as it represents the best of American people as they generously give billions of dollars of support to the needy around the globe," stated Chris Terry, Universal's ISR Systems Vice President.

"We at CFDR were pleased to be asked to help out in the Alaska Food Aid pilot project," said Dr. Jeff Brecht. "Dr. Jean Pierre Emond added, "The tracking, environmental monitoring and security systems being used in this project are at the forefront of perishables distribution technology. The application of this technology to international food aid can bring untold benefits to future aid recipients in natural disaster and other scenarios."

Results of the project are planned to be presented in April at the annual USDA Food Aid Conference in Kansas City. After that, other interested Federal Government and logistic industry parties will be provided limited access to project data and results on a request and approval basis.

"This project is a milestone in the use of technology with regard to aid shipments," stated Bruce Schactler, State of Alaska Fisheries Expert and project leader.

Franwell, Inc. is a Florida based technology company with more than 20 years experience providing unique software solutions and services to meet diverse business requirements. Over 12 years has been dedicated to emerging RFID technologies for real-world business processes. Franwell's expertise in research, development, consulting, and support of RFID projects is represented across a wide spectrum of commercial enterprises, with special emphasis on the food, pharmaceutical, and cold chain industries. www.franwell.com

Universal Guardian's Systems Group, ISR Systems Corporation is a global provider of integrated and interoperable asset tracking and systems for global supply chain applications, inter-modal transportation, and seaport security. www.ISRsystems.com

The University of Florida Research Center for Food Distribution and Retailing is the first Research Center of its kind worldwide to focus on perishables distribution and retailing. Located at the University of Florida in Gainesville, the CFDR includes more than 25 faculty researchers plus associated students and staff involved in research and development covering the entire perishables distribution system from product source to retail shelves. http://cfdr.ifas.ufl.edu/

BKA Logistics LLC is a fully-licensed International Freight Forwarder providing expert documentation and logistics services for its varied humanitarian assistance, commercial and food aid clientele. Based in Washington, DC, the company offers a full array of services, including trucking and warehouse consolidation, customs clearance and expert advisory services. www.bkalogistics.net.

AMERICAN SHIPPER: SEPTEMBER 2005 LOGISTICS

Logistics behind a helping hand
BKA Logistics focuses on humanitarian assistance cargo.
BY ROBERT MOTTLEY

Handling humanitarian cargoes is a specialized logistics discipline. U.S. freight forwarders in that niche tend to be based in Washington, D.C., or keep offices there to be near government agencies involved in such shipments. BKA Logistics Inc. (BKA) is one of the few freight agents in Washington to be licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission as a freight forwarder. "About 80 percent of what we do is humanitarian assistance cargo in general. Of that, the largest piece of the pie from the standpoint of volume - 75 percent - involves food aid, meaning the movement of food," said James B. Mead, BKA's president.

Read full article here

St. Kitts & Nevis names BKA Logistics official logistics service provider

(Date: October 28, 2005, Washington, DC--) BKA Logistics, LLC will now serve as the official freight forwarder for the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis effective immediately. The company will be responsible for the logistical coordination of goods and materials moving between the U.S. and the twin-island nation of St. Kitts & Nevis located in the northern section of the Eastern Caribbean.

"We are certainly pleased with this appointment, and believe that our unmatched experience in the movement of relief supplies internationally will also benefit St. Kitts & Nevis," said Jim Mead, president of BKA. "They are guaranteed a ready resource for use in disaster relief planning as well as in post-disaster recovery support."

Additionally, BKA Logistics will work with the Federation to provide logistical coordination of projects and materials in support of the island nation's vital import programs, including those surrounding and supporting a growing tourism industry.

"Our company takes an active interest in furthering the development of St. Kitts & Nevis' social endeavors as part of our service commitment," Mead continued. "We'll make our contacts available to them for sourcing funds and materials to further the Federation's domestic programs."

St. Kitts was Britain's first colony in the West Indies with the founding of a settlement in 1623. In 1983, the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis gained independence as a two-island nation within the British Commonwealth. An increasingly popular cruise and vacation destination, St. Kitts & Nevis features white sand beaches, low humidity and a yearly temperature averaging 79 degrees. The twin-island nation is located approximately 1,300 miles southeast of Miami, Florida.

BKA Logistics LLC is a fully-licensed International Freight Forwarder that offers expert documentation and logistics services for commercial, food aid and humanitarian assistance clients. Based in Washington, DC the company supplies essential services such as trucking, warehouse consolidation, customs interface and expert advisory consultations. For more information, visit www.bkalogistics.net.

BKA Logistics and World in Need Deliver First Mobile Hospital Van to El Salvador

(Date: August 25, 2005, Washington, DC--) El Salvador will be able to boast its first fully mobile lithotripsy van compliments of the World in Need International organization and its logistics company, BKA Logistics, LLC in Washington, DC. The van is fully self-contained with its own generator, x-ray machine and lithotripsy device used to shatter kidney stones with shock wave therapy in a completely non-invasive procedure.

"This mobile hospital will travel to remote locations in El Salvador to treat those who may not have access to a medical facility or the resources to get this procedure done," said Dan Carpenter, president and founder of World in Need International, Inc. "We specialize in organizing volunteer doctors, nurses and dentists to go into villages and neighborhoods to conduct free medical and dental clinics and to offer training in good health practices."

BKA Logistics has worked with the World in Need Organization the past three years, serving as their logistics arm in the movement of donated equipment and other 501(c)(3) cargoes around the world. Getting this 46,000 pound, 40' mobile hospital van to El Salvador requires overland transport from Sacramento, California to Houston, TX where it is loaded onboard a containership for transport to Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala. The Government of El Salvador takes possession of the van in Santo Tomas and will drive the vehicle back to El Salvador.

"We are always gratified to assist in these kinds of projects when you know that the recipients of the freight truly benefit from its safe arrival," said Jim Mead, president of BKA Logistics. "That's one of the reasons BKA continues to work with 501(c)(3) organizations, PVOs and USAID in addition to our commercial clientele. Our experience and contacts strengthen globally as a result."

El Salvador is the smallest Central American country in area, but ranks third in terms of population. Most Salvadorans live in central El Salvador, the country's agricultural and industrial heartland. San Salvador, the capital and largest city, lies within this region, where more than half the people are farmers. Their new mobile lithotripsy van will be able to access farms and outer villages to provide diagnosis and treatment for individuals suffering from the painful condition of nephrolithiasis, or renal stone disease.

World in Need International, Inc. is an American non-denominational, non-sectarian, non-profit organization is based in Angleton, Texas. The organization spearheads all-volunteer programs to combat illness and promote good health practices in even the most remote regions of the globe.

BKA Logistics LLC is a fully-licensed International Freight Forwarder providing expert documentation and logistics services for its varied humanitarian assistance, commercial and food aid clientele. Based in Washington, DC, the company offers a full array of services, including trucking and warehouse consolidation, customs clearance and expert advisory services.

BKA Logistics arranges Cuba Shipment for Sovereign Military Order of Malta

(Date: February 3, 2005 Washington, DC--)BKA Logistics has completed all arrangements for six full containers of USA long-grain milled rice to sail for Cuba out of Gulfport, MS today on behalf of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM). Federal Association, based in Washington, DC. The containers are sailing to Cuba aboard Crowley American Transport's vessel, GOTHICA, and are expected to arrive in Cuba on or about February 6. BKA serves as logistics arm for SMOM which maintains a tradition of serving the poor and the sick around the world.

"For this particular project, we identified the rice sellers, negotiated the purchase price, contracted for the ocean freight and prepared all the necessary documentation and export approvals to get the rice to Cuba," said Jim Mead, president of BKA Logistics. "Since the Order has a service mandate that spans the globe, we have to be nimble and prepared to complete projects like this on a regular basis."

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, known more commonly as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a lay religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. It dates back to the eleventh century, the time of the Crusades. The order remains true today to its original mission of serving the poor and the sick, sending millions of dollars worth of food, medicine, and relief supplies around the world each year.

Service to the poor is rendered through international group activities (such as disaster relief), local group projects, and individual acts of assistance to the poor, the sick, and those with disabilities. This recent shipment to Cuba will assist those on the island nation without food following the particularly severe hurricane season endured in 2004. SMOM enjoys sovereign and diplomatic status with Cuba.

BKA Logistics LLC is a fully-licensed International Freight Forwarder providing expert documentation and logistics services for its varied humanitarian assistance, commercial and food aid clientele. Based in Washington, DC, the company offers a full array of services, including trucking and warehouse consolidation, customs clearance and expert advisory services.

BKA Logistics readies shipments to Angola for Humpty Dumpty Institute to fund HALO Trust's mine-clearing efforts

(Date: December 29, 2004 Washington, DC--) BKA Logistics has arranged for the transport of nonfat dried milk to Angola this week that will ultimately result in the clearing of landmines in 2005. The company made all arrangements for the loading of 250 MT (550,000 lbs.) of product, or 10,001 bags into 15 containers in Houston, TX that depart for Luanda aboard the SL VOYAGER and arrive in Angola January 21, 2005. This completes the second of two shipments totaling 500 MT of product sold by the Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI) to fund mine clearing efforts by the HALO Trust.

"We have worked closely with the Humpty Dumpty Institute on this project to make sure they receive what they need, when they need it, "said Mark Millard, executive vice president of BKA Logistics. "It's gratifying to know that our efforts play a part in the removal of land mines in Angola and in other countries that suffer the aftermath of war."

He added that the company was selected by the Humpty Dumpty Institute to serve as their logistics provider in May this year, and that they routinely handle logistics for government sponsored Food Aid and Relief Assistance groups around the world, in addition to their commercial clients.

This particular project entailed close coordination between BKA and HDI, as well as between HDI and the Angolan government. Daniela Kempf, HDI's program officer for Mine Action, and Bill Rigler, HDI's executive director, traveled to Angola in November to meet with HDI's in-country staff, coordinate with local and national Angolan officials, and meet with the U.S. Ambassador and embassy staff in Luanda. They also visited HALO Trust's operations in the Huambo Province, where they inspected the areas to be cleared with the funds from the sale of the nonfat dry milk,.

"Training of 29 local manual deminers started in December and will be finalized at the end of the month," said Kempf. "They will work with HALO's RTR (road threat reduction) systems which consist of a truck equipped with a large mine detector up front, and a trailer device behind designed to set off any anti-tank mines. It's dangerous work, but it's the only way the people of Angola will be able to reclaim their agricultural land as well as the infrastructure to support production."

The HALO Trust
The HALO Trust is a non-political, non-religious NGO (nongovernmental organization) that specializes in the removal of the debris of war. Halo is funded by a number of donors, including the governments of 13 countries (U.S. among them), various trusts and funds, such as the Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, and numerous private donations. Today, the HALO Trust has over 5,500 mine clearers in 9 countries, with ongoing surveys into new regions.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute
The Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI) is a results-oriented nonprofit organization forging innovative public-private partnerships designed to solve specific international problems. The worldwide landmine problem is among the Institute's top priorities. Over the past several years, the founders of HDI, working through and with other organizations, laid the groundwork for a series of public-private partnerships focusing on international mine-clearance activities and generating awareness of the landmine problem among the American public. Unique public-private partnerships have been forged by HDI to fund projects in Angola, Armenia, Eritrea, Lebanon, Mozambique and Sri Lanka. These partnerships have raised millions of dollars for landmine detection and clearance operations.

BKA Logistics
BKA Logistics LLC is a fully-licensed International Freight Forwarder providing expert documentation and logistics services for its varied humanitarian assistance, commercial and food aid clientele. Based in Washington, DC, the company offers a full array of services, including trucking and warehouse consolidation, customs clearance and expert advisory services.