State of the Association: 2025 Mid-Year Executive Update

A Message from the CEO

I joined GCCA as President and CEO in September 2024, and appeared onstage days later at our 133rd GCCA Annual Convention in Bonita Springs, Florida. At the time, I positioned myself as GCCA’s incoming “coach” – invested in the best possible outcomes, using the best possible team.

Essentially, we want a winning season. Halfway through 2025, we have refined and refocused our key priorities to position ourselves to win – and that means setting a high bar for member value.

To lead the industry, we must know the industry. GCCA is building back and expanding our data, benchmarking, and market intelligence activities, because we know that we need to be THE authority on the state of the temperature-controlled supply chain.

We are investing in updated technical guidance, market data, and best practices. Your association must serve as your primary resource for the answers to your pressing cold chain questions. Our increased research and technical guidance efforts mean building trust and reliability, both within our membership and with external stakeholders – ultimately, all links of the chain.

Leading with Data: Launching the GCCA Center of Excellence

As part of our focus on leading through facts and data, we will be building a Center of Excellence in the Temperature Controlled Supply Chain (GCCA CoE). The new Center will utilize our experts and Council of Scientific Advisors (CSA) to deliver much-needed industry reports and benchmarking, as well as industry-leading best practices and technical guidance in third-party cold chain logistics and supply chain. This data will help our members make informed decisions that will move your business forward, and will speak to the current state of the cold chain.

We are actively working on a new strategy to begin robust collection by the end of Q4, releasing new resources in 2026.

In addition to the GCCA CoE, we will be re-energizing our Committee & Taskforce model to ensure our activities are being driven by the leaders in our industry – YOU. Our committee model will feature opportunities for technical best-practice development, opportunities for functional collaboration, and forums on sharing best practices.

Asking for More: A Proactive Global Advocacy Agenda

We must ask for more. We are finalizing our global legislative and regulatory priorities that will proactively drive our advocacy work forward, with regional approaches to ensure we are protecting and strengthening the industry around the globe. As we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cold chain is critical. We must build new, and strengthen our current, relationships with agencies, regulatory bodies, and legislative bodies – not while we are responding to a crisis, but now.

We must be direct in demanding investments in our industry. We must ask for common-sense policies that will allow for the continued flow of goods. As logistics professionals, we are excellent at preparation – so let’s prepare now so we are ready for the next crisis that emerges.

Building Our Future: Investing in the Next Generation of Leaders

Our time and our talents must be shared with the next generation of cold chain leaders. Through our Foundation, we remain committed to developing all aspects of the cold chain workforce. We have grown our Cold Chain Institute program to six locations and are launching new initiatives to engage graduates after they walk across the Institute stage to receive their Institute diploma – keeping them connected throughout their career. We know that continued learning opportunities for your teams are vital for your own business success.

Let’s not just tell the cold chain story … let’s lead the cold chain story. Recently, new voices have entered the conversation, sharing their opinions on the impact and growth opportunities in the cold chain. We need to ensure that the right stakeholders come to GCCA, get to know us, and become a part of the greater story.

One of our goals in the coming months is to better our external communications and highlight the impressive work that our members do. As the leaders in the cold chain, it’s important our voices and knowledge rise to the top of the conversation.

Leading the Narrative: It’s Time to Get Loud

We have great stories to tell, so let’s get loud. We are ready to move forward. Implementing new ideas is never easy work, but new ideas energize me and the GCCA team. I commend our Global Cold Chain Alliance, Global Cold Chain Foundation, and Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) Boards of Directors for their commitment to strategic planning and prioritizing of member-value activities, setting the stage for our new phase. Our dedicated staff is working hard to align our operational systems so we can deliver the best value for your membership and the best, most up-to-date industry information.

This is an exciting time to be part of the GCCA as we provide leadership and excellence for a resilient cold chain.

Media Contact

For media inquiries, please contact: Lindsay Shelton-Gross, Senior Vice President, Global Communications, Marketing and Strategic Initiatives, Global Cold Chain Alliance.