Privacy policy.
You can read this whole site without giving us anything. We only collect information when you ask us to get in touch, and we use it to do exactly that.
1. Who we are
elite-logistics.io presents the shipper-side freight advisory services of Balawender & Associates LLC, Ohio, USA, under the working brand Elite Logistics (“we,” “us”). Balawender & Associates LLC also publishes The Shipper’s Almanac. We are responsible for the information described here.
2. What we collect
Information you choose to send us. The discovery form (“Let’s talk freight”) asks for your name, company, and work email (required) and, optionally, your phone number and a message about what you’d like to get under control. Please share only what’s needed, and do not send confidential rate data, payment information, or other sensitive information through the form.
One-pager download. The one-pager download asks for your name, company, and work email. It is stored in our CRM so we can follow up.
Technical information. Our hosting provider processes standard request data (IP address, browser and device type, page requested, referring page, and time) to deliver the site, keep it secure, and diagnose errors. When you submit the form, our server briefly uses your IP address in memory to limit repeated submissions; we do not store it with your inquiry.
3. How we use it
- To review and respond to your inquiry and arrange a conversation with Rob or Nick Balawender.
- If you go ahead, to scope and deliver a no-cost study or engagement you request.
- To keep records of our business communications.
- To operate and secure the site and prevent spam and abuse, and to comply with law.
We do not sell your personal information, do not use it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and do not add you to a mailing list.
4. Who we share it with
Form submissions are delivered server-side to two places, handled by these service providers:
| Provider | What it does |
|---|---|
| Logistics Spend Management | Our client relationship management system. Discovery requests and one-pager requests are stored there so we can follow up. |
| FormSubmit (privacy) | Emails a copy of the inquiry to our team inboxes (luke@elite-logistics.io, nick@elite-logistics.io, rob@elite-logistics.io). |
| Vercel (privacy) | Hosts and delivers the website, runs the form endpoint, and provides cookieless, aggregate page-view analytics (Vercel Web Analytics). |
| Our email provider | Stores the messages we send and receive. |
We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect rights and safety, or as part of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to this policy.
5. Cookies, browser storage & analytics
No cookies, no ad trackers. We do not set cookies or use advertising pixels. Fonts and brand logos are served from our own domain, so viewing the site does not call Google or another font service.
Analytics. We use Vercel Web Analytics, a cookieless service from our hosting provider, to count aggregate page views (for example, which pages are visited, referring sites, and country, browser, or device type). It does not use cookies, does not build a profile of you, and does not follow you across other websites. Visitors are not identified individually; Vercel describes the data as anonymized and aggregated.
One small preference is kept in your browser’s local storage: elite-theme, which remembers whether you chose the paper (light) or dark theme. It never leaves your device. You can clear it in your browser settings. Because we do not track you across sites, we treat Global Privacy Control and similar signals as a request not to sell or share, which we already honor.
6. How long we keep it
We keep inquiries for as long as needed to respond, to carry on any conversation or engagement you start, and to keep reasonable business records. After that we delete them or keep them only in de-identified form. You can ask us to delete your information sooner. Hosting logs are kept by Vercel for a limited period under its own policies.
7. U.S. state privacy rights
Depending on where you live (for example California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and other states with consumer privacy laws), you may have the right to:
- know what personal information we hold about you and get a copy;
- correct inaccurate information;
- delete your information;
- opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information, or targeted advertising (we do none of these);
- not be discriminated against for exercising your rights; and
- appeal our decision on your request.
California notice. In the past 12 months we have collected identifiers and professional information (name, email, phone, company) that you provide through the form, and internet activity data processed by our host. We use it for the purposes in section 3 and disclose it only to the service providers in section 4. We do not sell or share it and do not use sensitive personal information.
To make a request, email luke@lukehoefs.tech. We will verify your request using the contact details you gave us and respond within the time required by law. You may use an authorized agent; we may ask for proof of their authority.
8. Visitors in the EU / UK
If the GDPR or UK GDPR applies to you, Balawender & Associates LLC is the controller. We process inquiry information to take steps at your request before entering into a contract and for our legitimate interest in responding to business inquiries; technical data is processed for our legitimate interest in running a secure website. You may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, or portability of your data, object to processing, and complain to your local data protection authority. Information is processed in the United States; where required, our providers rely on recognized transfer mechanisms.
9. Children
This site is for businesses and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Security
The site is served over HTTPS, the form is delivered server-side with credentials that never reach your browser, and access to inquiries is limited to the people who need them. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as our services or the site change. We will post the new version here and update the date at the top.
12. Contact
Questions or requests: luke@lukehoefs.tech, or use the contact form. Balawender & Associates LLC, Ohio, USA.