50 Business View - November 2015
LOGISTICS
Meanwhile, Cliatt stresses that PHL currently operates
“in the newest, cleanest, and safest yard of any short line
railroad in North America,” and that it is “one of the most
technologically advanced railroads, which is evident in
our locomotives and the amount of funds which have
been extended to upgrade our fleet.” In addition, Cliatt
states that “PHL is a veterans-friendly company. We were
recognized in 2013, by the State of California, as one of
the best companies for hiring veterans in the state. Ap-
proximately 25 percent of our work force is veterans.”
Finally, Cliatt points out the importance of PHL’s associa-
tion with the largest port facility in North America: “The
state of California comes in around number eight or nine
in the overall GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the world
economy,” he says. “And on that same world, GDP list,
the L.A. basin, which includes the Port, falls at number
twelve. So this is one of the most, if not the most, criti-
cal locations when we speak of the global economy. For
goods and shipments coming in from Asia, to land their
goods here in the Port of L.A./Long Beach, we reduce
their transit time by five to seven days over landing any-
where else in the U.S., and that’s time that can’t bemade
up. And PHL plays a critical role in making that happen as
we are the first and the last mile of the global commerce
that comes in and out of this Port.”
While some companies assert that they will go the “extra
mile” for their customers, only PHL can claim that it goes
the first and last ones.
