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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Marino Ballo

Chairman

Marino Ballo began his career as a forwarding agent with an apprenticeship at Danzas Zurich.

Marino Ballo

Marino Ballo began his career as a forwarding agent with an apprenticeship at Danzas Zurich. To improve his use of the English language he worked for LEP Birmingham/England for two years and for his French language 4 years for Panalpina Geneva. During these periods he experienced all sort of Forwarding as: deep sea, airfreight and road transport in export and imports. He returned to Zurich where he worked for Union Transport Zurich before establishing Bonatrans in 1977. Bonatrans today has a staff of 50 people with offices in Zurich and Basel with logistic services and bonded warehouse facilities. Thanks to his membership in United Shipping since 1990, Bonatrans offers world-wide services to his customers. Marino is the President and sole owner of Bonatrans Switzerland and is also on the board of the Zurich Forwarding Association as well as on several committees of the Swiss Forwarding Association.
William J. Hromada

CEO & Executive Vice President

Bill Hromada is the Vice President of United Shipping.

William J. Hromada

Bill Hromada is the C.E.O. & Executive Vice President of United Shipping and C.E.O. of Saratoga Forwarding Co., Inc., with offices in New York and Boston. Upon completion of his education and active military service, Hromada began working in the transport business. Starting as a dispatcher for an ocean container trucking company and working up to terminal manager positions with national chemical carriers and HHG carriers provided him with a solid background in motor carrier and rail operations. In 1972 Hromada joined Seatrain Lines becoming Manager, Equipment Control, Atlantic Services. His duties included overseeing equipment availability and positioning throughout the continental U.S and Carribbean. His next appointment was as Seatrain’s Port Captain for Boston and Bridgeport. In Boston, he took advantage of an opportunity to become Vice President for Max Gruenhut International, a respected multi-national forwarder also representing Meadows, Lehman, Mory, and Savino del Bene. Next, Bill was recruited by a well known chemical trading company, Sobin/IMC, to be their International Traffic Manager where he was able to draw upon his past experiences, but he found that he truly missed the challenges of the forwarding business where every day brought exposure to different companies and commodities and transportation problems needing solutions. In 1979 Hromada joined with Steve Goodwin to buy and incorporate the well established Boston forwarder/broker, Saratoga Forwarding Co., Inc.
Judy Piercy

Secretary

Judy Piercy is the Secretary of United Shipping as well as the Vice President of E.R. Hawthorne in Houston, Texas.

Judy Piercy

Judy Piercy is the Secretary of United Shipping and Vice President for the Hawthorne Global group of companies. She is the U.S. Customs license holder for E. R. Hawthorne & Co, Inc. During her career in International Logistics, she has experienced a variety of work experiences from her beginnings at a small local mom and pop shop to the largest customs broker in the United States. At Fritz Companies, she was the regional Import Manager for the Gulf Region. While Fritz Companies was perhaps her favorite employer, the company sold to a large corporation who wanted to enter the international arena. After several years with the new organization, she had the opportunity to return to the Houston area and work with Hawthorne Global. At Hawthorne Global she could once again share her knowledge and experience with her clients, focus on customer service and guide new importers thru their initial experiences with imports.

Judy serves on the Board of the Houston Customhouse Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association (HCBFFA). She is a Certified Customs Specialist and chairs the HCBFFA/Customs and Broker Protection Committee. Her current responsibilities with Hawthorne Global include International logistics/transportation, customs brokerage, freight forwarding as well as sales and customer service for all Hawthorne Global Companies. Customer service and sharing her knowledge and experiences with her clients and potential clients is a passion.
James W. Swift

Treasurer

James W. Swift is the Treasurer 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

Director

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.
Peter Vasilopoulos

Director

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.
Brent Hall

Director

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.

Board of Directors

Marino Ballo

William J. Hromada

Judy Piercy

James W. Swift

Yugo Hirano

Peter Vasilopoulos

Brent Hall