Welcome back to our #FirstFriday, with Philly PR Girl! Our highlight for March is one who understands the true meaning of Brotherly Love! While his business was booming, he noticed the decline of other service industry businesses and decided to employ service workers who had lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What a way to find positivity and good-doing in an unfortunate situation like a global pandemic… right?!
Meet Brian Antar, the CEO of Shipmate Fulfillment. Shipmate is a Philadelphia based fulfillment center that helps businesses transition to e-commerce brands, aid in PPE supply shipping, and discover new digital business opportunities.
Philly PR Girl: Hi, Brian! Congratulations on the success of Shipmate. Could you say a little about why you and your family decided to start this business?
Brian Antar: Our family has a long history of handling and shipping products. After years of importing, wholesaling, and selling online, we decided to pivot into 3PL services and offer our experience and warehouse space to companies that need it.
PPRG: We’re still in a global pandemic and although stores are open, some people still prefer to shop online. How has this affected Shipmate?
BA: I think this pandemic has imposed a hard reset on our society in general. It reminds me (and probably many others) of how 9/11 shaped our country almost overnight. The everyday norms that we were all used to are shifting again and our society has had to make swift changes to meet the new demands. Logistics is one of those industries that was affected immediately. Across the industry, carriers and other logistics providers like Shipmate Fulfillment experienced an unanticipated overnight surge in demand as many people were locked down in quarantine and started ordering everything online. It takes an enormous amount of human power and resources to get products to doorsteps. It still amazes me how it all works. Shipmate Fulfillment had to urgently hire many new employees so we could continue to do our part in the logistics process and ship people their products as soon as possible.
PPRG: Earlier in the pandemic while businesses were shutting down, Shipmate decided to help Philadelphia locals in need of work. That is amazing! How important was it to you to provide jobs to those facing unemployment who had lost theirs?
BA: We felt a sense of duty to those who lost their jobs and to our city. While we were grateful that we were allowed to stay open and operational, we knew there was a lot of suffering happening around us in Philly and we needed help to continue to deliver our services. We specifically targeted those who were laid off in the service industry (ie. restaurant staff, bartenders, hotel staff, etc.). Because the service industry can be fast paced and tough, we found that those employees fit very well into a warehousing environment.
PPRG: Do you think eCommerce shopping will die down once the pandemic is over?
BA: Absolutely not. The pandemic brought millions of people to eCommerce for the first time and millions more ordering on a frequent basis. We have seen 10 years of eCommerce growth in just a short time of 6-8 months. While I don’t think the explosive growth of 2020 will continue, you can bet on the fact that eCommerce is now exponentially larger than it was in 2019 and that’s here to stay.
PPRG: So I understand that you started a YouTube channel that is taking off doing very well with over 250k views! What prompted the idea of starting a channel?
BA: We have reached over 1.2K subscribers and are approaching 300K views now. We started the channel as a new way to reach a broader and different audience. We wanted to provide education based on our experience in retail, wholesale distribution, eCommerce, and logistics. We felt that our varied backgrounds in those fields would influence our weekly stories and content in a unique way. It’s also really fun!
PPRG: How does Shipmate help businesses transition to eCommerce? Do you have to be a certain size to have your business’s products shipped out by you?
BA: We have the tools and infrastructure in place for a company to transition or expand their online presence. We train each new client on how it works and offer our knowledge on how to create more value on an ongoing basis. Our YouTube channel is also a great resource for companies exploring the online space. We don’t have minimums for companies to get started with Shipmate Fulfillment, but we always think it’s best for a smaller company or a startup to be shipping about 5-10 orders/day before looking into working with a 3PL.
PPRG: Lastly, we know you’re a Philly guy. Why did you decide to open your business in Philadelphia?
BA: I was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and went to school here. My family has been in Philadelphia for over a hundred years. It’s my hometown. It just made sense!
If you’re looking to turn your business into an eCommerce business or need help with shipping services, Shipmate Fulfillment is the way to go! Visit ShipmateFulfillment.com for more information on their services, or check them out on Instagram.
*Shipmate Fulfillment is a client of Philly PR Girl
