Board of Directors

United Shipping’s Board of Directors consists of seven (7) members, elected by the shareholders. Election to the Board is not limited to shareholders, but can be any representative of any Partner, in good standing. Two Directors are elected to a three-year term at the annual shareholders meeting held each calendar year. The Board of Directors elects the officers of the corporation. Officers are elected for a one-year term. The Board also elects a Chairman, who presides over the Board meetings and all shareholders meetings.

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Peter Vasilopoulos

Chairman

Peter Vasilopoulos is the President of Alfons Koester & Co. GmbH in Germany

Peter Vasilopoulos

Peter Vasilopoulos is the President of Alfons Koester & Co. GmbH in Germany, a global logistics provider. Together with its 160 employees in various branches throughout Germany and the Czech Republic, Alfons Koester is focused on international sea- and airfreight, as well as project cargoes.
In 1983 he started his apprenticeship with a container haulier in the free port of Hamburg, and studied two years at a private forwarding academy beside his daily work. After various changes within the forwarding industry in Hamburg, he decided, in order to get the experience for the whole forwarding business, to go to Moscow, Russia.
Mr. Vasilopoulos worked there from 1995 – 1997 for an American Swiss shipping line, the leading shipping line for any kind of agricultural commodities from / to Russian with Panamax vessels in the their own fleet.
Then from 1997 – 1999 he acted as Managing Director for the German Belgian joint venture Eastlog bvba in Antwerp, before in 1999 he joined Alfons Koester & Co. GmbH, and started his career as head of the CIS department. Since then he developed his position and career, and in 2009 he was promoted to president of Alfons Koester & Co. GmbH.

Peter Vasilopoulos is a member of the Hamburg Freight Forwarders Association and holder of the FIATA CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE.
James W. Swift

President

James W. Swift is the President of United Shipping, a licensed Customs Broker.

James W. Swift

James W. Swift is the Secretary of United Shipping, a licensed Customs Broker and President of McClary, Swift & Co., Inc., a customs broker and freight forwarder located in San Francisco, California, since 1972. BA, 1965, and graduate work in business administration at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Jim is the Chief Operating Officer of Glomato.com, an on-line service provider to the international shipping community, founding member and director, United Shipping, Inc., a worldwide network of international logistics providers, since 1988. He is also a former president of Mercury Parcel & Drayage, Inc., former director of Interocean Insurance Company, former director of Peninsula Association of Retarded Children and Adults. IATA Cargo Agent, FMC licensed forwarder, member of the Northern California Association of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders, Bay Area World Trade Center, World Affairs Council of Northern California and the Commonwealth Club.
Yugo Hirano

Vice President

Yugo Hirano is a Director of Taiun Company Ltd. in Japan.

Yugo Hirano

Yugo Hirano is a Director of Taiun Company Ltd. in Japan. Taiun Company Ltd. is a Total logistic company that offering not only freight forwarding (both Air and Sea) but Warehouse Business, Custom Brokerage, Insurance agent, Warehouse Management System (WMS), and IT solutions for all kind of logistics. He started his freight forwarding career in 2010. He received his Bachelor of Art, Business Management, degree from Colorado State University in 2002. He has 3 years of work experience at one of the major Japanese commodity manufacture as a sales representative. In 2009, he received Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. He has one year of work experience at Japan External Trade Organization in LA, CA. Yugo became a Board of Directors of United Shipping in Feb of 2012.
Brent Hall

Secretary

Brent Hall is the Vice President of Fred Hall & Associates, Inc in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

Brent Hall

Brent Hall is the Vice President of Fred Hall & Associates, Inc in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. He started his career in international logistics in 1996 and has previously worked for two multinational firms for a collective 8 years, before returning to the family owned business in 2006. He oversees the daily operations of the business, as well as works with overseas partners in securing and moving new and existing business. Brent has also served on the Board of Directors for the North Texas Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association. He is married and has a set of twins; born in 2014, a boy and a girl.
Tom Lazzaro

Treasurer

Tom Lazzaro is the President of Midwest Transatlantic Lines, Inc in Ohio.

Tom Lazzaro

Tom Lazzaro, President of Midwest Transatlantic Lines, Inc., a 30-year United Shipping Partner, began his career in 1994 with MTA on the loading docks. Tom’s tenure with MTA has taken him through the Export operations, time as a Sales Associate, Sales Manager and now President. 2021 Midwest Transatlantic Lines, Inc. became an Employee-Owned Company where Tom also sits on the Board of Directors. Tom maintains active memberships with several local Cleveland freight associations and works with Cleveland State University’s GlobalTarget program as an educator. When not engulfed with moving cargo around the world, Tom enjoys coaching fitness classes, backpacking, cycling, mountain biking, snowboarding, snowshoeing etc.. Encompassing all nature has to offer with his family and German Shepard, Otto.
Edwin Roos

Director

Edwin Roos is the CEO and Owner of Vabix Logistics. Vabix is one of the founders of United Shipping.

Edwin Roos

Edwin Roos (45) is CEO and Owner of Vabix Logistics. Vabix is one of the founders of United Shipping and part of the ACH Group in The Netherlands. Vabix Logistics is a full logistics service provider that offers Freight forwarding (Air and Sea), Warehousing and Custom Brokerage. The ACH group has 30.000 m2 of Foodgrade, 6.000 m2 of Chemical and 6.000 m2 of General Cargo Warehouses in the Port of Rotterdam. Allround Cargo Handling (ACH group) was founded in 1992 by his father and during his high school and college years he worked in the warehouse and office. Edwin received his Bachelor in Economics and Logistics from Rotterdam Business School in the mid 90’s. At that time he started his career in IT. He started as EMEA account manager and through the years he developed to a Global Sales and Logistics Manager with a major trade firm. In 2008 his father requested him to come back to the family business and in 2009 he bought the company. Allround Cargo Handling is a full logistics service provider in Rotterdam specializing in food logistics. In 2017 he took over Vabix Logistics to be able to offer a wider range of service. Currently the whole group has over 100 employees. He is advisor to the Board with two manufacturers in the USA and advises trade associations in The Netherlands.
Eric Hromada

Director

Eric Hromada is the President of Saratoga Forwarding Co. in Boston.

Eric Hromada

Eric Hromada joined the United Shipping Board of Directors in 2023. He is the President of Saratoga Forwarding Co., Inc, a family owned Boston based freight forwarder and customs broker established in 1948 and founding member of United Shipping. He earned his MBA from Babson College in 2006 and graduated with honors. He earned his US Customs Broker License in 2001.

Eric started working for Saratoga Forwarding as a teenager and grew up with freight forwarding a part of his everyday life. Aside from working at Saratoga Forwarding he has worked in the footwear industry as an Import logistics coordinator. He is experienced in all aspects of the industry from import and export air and ocean freight forwarding, sales, to US Customs brokerage.

Board of Directors

Peter Vasilopoulos

James W. Swift

Yugo Hirano

Brent Hall

Tom Lazzaro

Edwin Roos

Eric Hromada