The 2007 IARW Annual Convention, which took place in Phoenix (Arizona, USA) from the 21^st to the 26^th of April, was rated as one of the best ever by the almost 650 participants. The program featured presentations on topics like leadership change, reducing energy costs, automation, international cold chain development, lift truck batteries and transportation. The event also featured a large trade show and offered ample opportunity for networking.

Among the new officers and directors of the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) and the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO), an education and research foundation affiliated with IARW, who were elected at the IARW-WFLO-IRTA Annual Convention are Ray Tarnowski (Philadelphia Warehousing & Cold Storage Company, Philadelphia, USA) as IARW’s Chairman and Larry Laurin (Conestoga Cold Storage, Canada) as IARW’s Treasurer, as well as Don Schoenl (Nordic Cold Storage, USA) as WFLO’s Vice Chairman, Derk Van Mackelenbergh (Eurofrigo, Netherlands) as WFLO’s Treasurer and Hans van Leeuwen (Frigolanda, Germany/Netherlands) as member of the WFLO Board.

On the other hand, this year’s Annual Convention served as the launchpad for an important new venture – the Global Cold Chain Alliance. The Alliance is the culmination of years of development and evolution by the four Core Partner organizations – IARW, WFLO, IRTA (International Refrigerated Transportation Association), and IACSC (International Association for Cold Storage Construction). Bill Hudson, President and CEO of the four Core Partner organizations, said: “It is important that we connect links from manufacturing, transportation, warehousing and logistics to retailing.” In the end, GCCA’s goal is to unite partners in order to facilitate communication, networking, and education for the perishable food industry.