Started in 1999, BMA Colombia had a noteworthy and multi-decade long track record of excellence, making its extensive history of quality service a perfect match for our growing organization. And after purchasing 100% of the existing shares, Schaefer Group then further extended its reach into Latin America by directly having a presence in Colombia. Today, thanks in part to this new acquisition, we more effectively manage our Central and South American logistics operations in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru. Now called Schaefer BMA, we operate on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts from our commercial head office in Barranquilla, Colombia with agency offices in Santa Marta, Cartagena, and Buenaventura. And as part of Schaefer Group Latin America, this new addition amplifies our fully-integrated shipping services to include; stevedoring, logistics, trucking, warehousing, chartering, and vessel agency services throughout the region from our main Latin American offices in Mexico, and now Colombia.
In 1960, French artist Yves Klein (1928-1962) registered a paint formula under the name International Klein Blue (IKB) with the Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle in Paris. Throughout most of his career, Yves Klein had used blue to create incredible works of modern art; acrylics, sculptures, and even performance art. In what became some of his most renown pieces of performance work, he painted models’ naked bodies in his signature blue color and guided them over a large blank canvas in front of a captivated audience during a lively Parisian evening fueled with music and drink. This invigorating ultramarine pigment became his mark, and effectively became the art itself. He used many wild variations of blue in his short life and career, and we have proudly chosen one of them as our company color. In a bow to him, and to international modern art around the globe, we hope to achieve a similar representative affect. To have this color speak for our company, and to symbolize our efforts. Indeed, it is part of our greater work.
We believe in the social responsibility to consider presentation in all things that involve the public domain. And because our trucks and equipment operate on public highways, use public facilities, and share our public life, we felt obligated to present a company (and its equipment) in a sophisticated way. Something to enhance our visual surroundings.
Our color, Yves Klein Blue, is a result of precisely that consideration.