CHAT of Michigan, Inc. began under the license and name of KMS, a sole proprietorship, founded by Greg Katcher as an additional income opportunity conducted mainly after hours and on the weekend.  The freight forwarders in the Detroit Metro area needed a new source for crating and packaging services.  KMS would bring supplies to freight forwarder facilities cargo warehouses throughout the Detroit area and package on location for each customer.  KMS did not have a warehouse or office to operate from, therefore, a spare bedroom was converted into an office with one added telephone line and fax machine.  Within six months, enough money had been saved to rent 500 sq. ft. of warehouse and 375 sq. ft. of office space.   The additional earnings provided the start and full incorporation of CHAT of Michigan.

CHAT continues to donate crating and packaging services for missionary, relief organizations and non-profit groups while exporting their supplies worldwide.  Building clientele with commercial shippers, air and ocean lines by providing quality service at large discounts has allowed CHAT to operate the business full time without any sales staff.  Operating on referral business only and still doing so 14 years later. 

In the fall of 1988, General Motors took a chance with CHAT in export packaging services and a pilot program was formed to see if these services would be beneficial for exports leaving the USA market. The first year the pilot program went very well and Greg Katcher gave a two-week notice to his full time employer to put all energies into CHAT of Michigan, Inc.  In 1989, an additional 1,000-sq. ft., totaling 1,500-sq. ft. was being subleased at the Metro Park Foreign Trade Zone at Detroit Metro Airport.  CHAT continued to grow with GM and other suppliers for GM such as ABB Robotics, AC Delco, Toyota, and Controlled Power of Troy, to name a few.  After continued growth, seven years later CHAT was the third largest renter at Metro Airport Park Foreign Trade Zone.  CHAT expanded from Michigan to California to Moscow and Hong Kong in our owned and operated facilities.

The staff grew as the customers did and we eventually had no more space in the complex to add onto our warehouse.  We then took the risk and bought eight acres of vacant land in hopes of building our own facility located across from the new Metro Midfield Terminal at Detroit International Airport.  CHAT of Michigan, Inc. now has more acreage at the airport paid in full than all of its Michigan competitors with the ability to expand our current facility to over a million square feet if and when needed. We are proud to say that our steady growth has been only by referral business for the last decade, using no sales representatives to promote business, but letting our services and our 2,000 plus customers talk and promote us.  We have held the P.O.A. for General Motors the whole time of services, the account for all Hazardous Material exports in DTW, as well as, the first four customers that took that chance with CHAT of Michigan, Inc. namely ABB Robotics which has had no claims for over a decade.  We have crated and packaged over four billion dollars of their customer’s assembly lines and robotics equipment.  In addition, the list of customers that have been added will state the same type of history.  CHAT of Michigan, Inc, now holds the P.O.A. for all the big three and most of their main suppliers for Hazardous Material. We have crated assets such as various equipment, auto parts, as well as prototype parts and personal effects for the international and domestic market for them.  We are also an USA approved vendor and for over eleven years, U.N. approved vendor.  CHAT of Michigan, Inc. has serviced Ford Motor Co., and others for the entire time but has allowed the freight forwarders to bill those companies.  CHAT’s Ford Motor Co. status would allow for temporary projects or to be paid by corporate cards and third party billing.  BAX Globals, Emery and others like them would bring Ford Motor Co. work to CHAT of Michigan, Inc. for our services as well as their other clients.  We feel that we have reached the ability to qualify for full vendor status with Ford Motor Co., because of our ability to maintain vendor status as a United Nations and United States licensed service provider.

We have recently started a Jaguar program with Bob Pearcy’s team at Ford Tool and Die because of their old supplier’s errors and have had no problems.  We have went above the call of duty to show the Ford Motor Co. and Jaguar that we are here for the long haul and will keep improving Ford and Jaguar’s systems as a partner to both.  We are also helping Rob Most and the Ford Family with a world event, “The World Cup”.   By bringing the World Cup Sail Team here with our crating, rigging and trucking services, we will be able to help bring the World Cup to Dearborn.