WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 2024 will mark two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. As the Ukrainians continue to fight back, a local Erie, PA company is giving them a fighting chance. This company is sharing with other companies how they can help Ukraine, too.
Jim Berlin, founder and CEO of Logistics Plus, has had offices in Ukraine for seven years. Ever since Russia invaded in February 2022, his company has not only helped his Ukrainian employees, but Ukraine, too.
“From day one we’ve been supporting the country with Star links, with humanitarian goods and with support anywhere we can,” said Berlin. “We’ve been delivering a lot of energy products to the government of Ukraine, to keep their gas flowing, to keep heat on in the winter. It’s been very successful despite all the obstacles, the war, and kind of hard getting things there but we’ve managed to deliver 48 million pounds of pipe for gas lines. So we’re kind of one of the few people who are not just talking about how to get into Ukraine but doing it. Typical of us we kind of go in, figure it out and its been very successful.”
All of their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Berlin was invited to Washington, DC for a CEO roundtable at the US Chamber of Commerce. He shared with them about their work in Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.
“We’re a small Erie company and there’s all these big, giant companies and we’re small but mighty,” said Berlin. “I think a lot of them were intrigued because a lot of them want us to give them guidance on how to get in with the government and that will take some time and its tricky.”
Berlin shared with other CEOs how Logistics Plus handles obstacles in Ukraine and navigating with a system that is different from the West. It’s an effort worth fighting for.
“We’ll keep going,” said Berlin. “You see the heroism there and our part is a tiny bit of it.”
While companies like Logistics Plus continue to support Ukraine, support from DC is up in the air. President Biden is still pushing for congress to agree on an additional aid package for Ukraine but that request is facing an uphill battle in the republican majority House. Members are growing more hesitant to send additional aid for Ukraine.
