Journey so far!
It’s been a winding journey across two continents. I worked in Antigua and Barbuda (where I am from), in Florida, Geneva, and Atlanta. My career, whether in trade policy or aviation, has taken me around the world and I have facilitated some form of trade support between countries for about 27 years. I view the cargo and airport profession as valuable for promoting trade, and specifically, my role as creating efficiencies and marketing business connections. In ATL, I promote business connections for both passenger and cargo air service development.
My journey has been satisfying. When I first came to Atlanta some seven years ago, trucks use to line the cargo access roads to the exit on the US interstate highway. They would sometimes wait all day to get to a dock door of a warehouse to pick up or deliver cargo. We had a culture that made some freight forwarders avoid us due to the inefficiencies. My team and I improved as much as we could while being inclusive of the cargo community’s concerns and guidance.
Biggest challenge
The real challenge is keeping up with the demand. Air carriers have shown an eagerness to connect from many global airports to ATL. That demand has recently been growing tremendously. We have RFPs to develop state-of-the-art modern cargo facilities, but they cannot construct fast enough to satisfy the demand. We have a new cargo operator starting within a few weeks, but even then, that may still not satisfy the growth trend we see for 2021. To supplement space, we are working diligently to boost efficiency. Consequently, we implemented a truck wait area to eliminate truck congestion and implemented an airport cargo community system for all cargo agents.
That leads me to the second but connected challenge, getting stakeholders to move fast enough to sign up to our airport cargo community system. It’s happening, but perhaps too slow for the rapidity.
Real passion
My passion is bridging the global marketplace to promote trade and connect people. That comes from my youth growing up on an island, where, getting goods and seeing each other depended on trade and aviation.
My second passion is influencing young people, especially the typically underprivileged, to grow and expand their horizons globally.
Interests and hobbies
Generally, I like to write, and read anything fiction and non-fiction. I love to cook and entertain friends. I am also an avid traveller and already making plans to travel after I receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
I hike whenever I can, run, and if I am in a snowy region, I might even go back to cross-country skiing as I did when I was living in Geneva, Switzerland. Finally, I love spending time with family, even if it’s catching up and encouraging each other or reminiscing about fun times.
Weekend vibes
I exercise with my partner, her trainer followed by a delectable brunch. We may visit family or stay home and catch up on our latest movies and TV shows. Pre-COVID, we would travel either on a road trip to some US city of interest—I love to study history and its connection to human behaviour today—or otherwise, I may be traveling for work. Also, I normally start my weekend blog for the following week.
Mantra for success
Never stop moving, learning, speaking your mind, educating, building, seeking knowledge, being curious and adventurous, writing, loving, caring, helping others, storytelling, networking. “Never stop!” Am I successful because of it? Never enough for me!
Message for aspirants
Think of air cargo as a fundamental component to support many other sectors. Read everything on cargo, trade, logistics, manufacturing, agriculture, and supply chain. Air cargo has diverse opportunities for a vibrant and lifelong stimulating career. I continue to mentor university students to take up jobs like trade policy and aviation. It’s complicated, exciting, technology-driven, and supported by various treaties, regulations, and capable people always working on improving it.
