Company History
The success of the CASAS International team is owed to the commitment of motivated individuals who have contributed to shaping the company into a world-renowned business.
CASAS Company History
Since its humble beginnings in 1984, when the Casas sisters first started offering customs brokerage services along the U.S.-Mexico border in California, CASAS International has grown to work with thousands of importers and exporters representing a diverse range of industries. The success of the CASAS International team is owed to the commitment of motivated individuals who have contributed to shaping the company into a world-renowned business.
1984 – Founded in September 1984 by the hard-working Mexican-American Casas sisters, CASAS International Brokerage Inc. was established with the goal of providing customers with the best customs brokerage and logistics services possible. The company started with one licensed broker and a few employees working out of a 900-square-foot office in San Ysidro, California, less than one mile from the U.S.-Mexico border. Together with a Mexican broker affiliate, Agencia Aduanal Obregon, CASAS developed a one-stop shopping solution covering simultaneous U.S. and Mexican customs clearance.
1985 – U.S. Customs mandates all customs brokers to “Automate or Perish!” CASAS International wholeheartedly embraces this mandate, and to this day, continues to be at the forefront of automation. CASAS allocates resources to various hardware and software solutions, both internal and external, to help expedite our processes, improve the workflow of our employees, and meet the ever-important needs of our customers.
1990 – Looking to make a mark in the air and ocean services sector, CASAS International grew its network of affiliate freight forwarders to span the globe.
1994 – This was a big year for CASAS. Not only did the company celebrate its milestone 10-year anniversary and move to larger facilities in Otay Mesa, but it also opened an office in Calexico, California, embraced the implementation of NAFTA, and embarked on a fruitful relationship with two other border brokers: Pacific Brokerage Inc. and Daniel B. Hastings Inc., known collectively as the CPH Group. The company continued to grow and vastly expanded its services to provide additional Free Trade Agreement analysis and trade compliance tools.
2003 – CASAS applied for and received certification as a C-TPAT company. C-TPAT/Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism is a voluntary program created to help secure international supply chains by maintaining the highest level of security. As a participating company, CASAS commits itself to implementing the five most important security criteria: physical security, physical access controls, container security, personnel security, and business partner security. CASAS has been re-certified by U.S. Customs and Border protection three times since its original evaluation.
2004 – CASAS celebrated its 20th anniversary. The festivities were marked by a move to an even larger facility in Otay Mesa (over 120,000 square feet) and expanded customs brokerage and warehouse services. In terms of customs brokerage, 2004 saw the introduction of CASAS as a nationwide Remote Location Filer (RLF), which bolstered our customs brokerage services to include the capability of filing entries at all Ports of Entry throughout the U.S. The move to a larger facility also broadened the capabilities for increased 3PL distribution and customer-crafted warehouse solutions.
2008 – CASAS was converted into a U.S. Customs sanctified bonded warehouse, a move that would dramatically reshape the company. We could now provide customers with the opportunity to store, manipulate, or otherwise change their goods without payment of duty, since goods that enter a bonded warehouse are pending importation and/or exportation.
2014 – CASAS celebrated its 30th anniversary of being in business. The company also embraced the re-introduction and implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). CASAS’s co-founder and president was named Cross-Border Leader of the Year by San Diego Magazine.
2019– 35 years and counting! We’re working tirelessly to provide the best service possible by utilizing the newest technologies available and remaining a customer-first service provider.
Today and Beyond – Today CASAS, along with affiliates Pacific Brokerage Inc. and Daniel B. Hastings Inc., continues to be one of the largest and most well-renowned U.S. customs brokerages located on the U.S.-Mexico border. Working with thousands of importers and exporters on the border and throughout the globe, CASAS’s expertise in the industry is widely recognized and applauded.
CASAS has received dozens of accolades throughout the years for our superior service and commitment to quality. This recognition has come from Hispanic magazine, San Diego Magazine, San Diego Business Journal, San Diego World Trade Center, Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce, SUCCESS Magazine, Pacific Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council, and more.
Even with our tremendous success, CASAS International Brokerage, Inc. proudly remains a family-owned and -operated business. CASAS understands that our success is deeply linked to the success of our loyal customers and hard-working employees, and, for this reason, we continuously aim to improve and prosper!
CASAS has three locations, in Otay Mesa, CA; Calexico, CA; and Tijuana, B.C., Mexico, with a fourth location in Los Angeles, CA coming soon. In addition, CASAS operates alongside our CPH Group partners in locations in Arizona and throughout Texas. For more information, please contact us at services@casasinternational.com.
