Courtesy of Bill’s family:
Bill Flegenheimer, founder and CEO of Flegenheimer International passed away at the age of 80, surrounded by his family on June 23, 2024. Bill was a native Californian, a devoted husband, father, grandfather and Harley Davidson enthusiast. He was a Vietnam veteran with the 120th Aviation Company and a UH-I “Huey” Crew Chief and Door Gunner. He earned an Air Medal with “V” denoting acts of valor or heroism.
Bill was a recognized pioneer in the international freight industry and the first customs broker to be open 24/7 specializing in clearance perishables goods at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and LAX. Over his 46-year history Bill was a respected leader of many of the industry associations such as; National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA), Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association (LACBFFA), Los Angeles Air Cargo Association (LAACA), National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and the California Fisheries and Seafood Institute (CFSI). For many years he held positions on the boards of most of those associations. In addition, Flegenheimer International was involved in several pilot programs with various government agencies (such as, Fish & Wildlife, USDA APHIS, FSIS, Lacey Act).
He and his wife are generous supporters of “Homes for Our Troops” – a nationally recognized charity which builds and donates specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans. Every year they would host a Thanksgiving dinner at their home in Fallbrook for Camp Pendleton troops who were unable to be with their families.
Bill is survived by his wife Lorraine, his sons Rodney and Mark, his two step-children Trevor and Tracey and his six grandchildren.
Bill’s legacy will live on through Flegenheimer International which is now run by his wife Lorraine and Son Rod.
A celebration of Bill’s life and opportunities to collectively honor his memory will be held on July 18th at noon at The Grand in Long Beach California https://thegrandlb.com/. In lieu of flowers, he would’ve liked a donation to “Homes for Our Troops” https://www.hfotusa.org/. If you would like to attend the celebration, please respond to Rod Flegenheimer at rflegenheimer@flegenheimer.com. We hope to see you there.