RE: 2017 Face To Face

Geoffrey,

      Glad to read that you remember the New Orleans Air Cargo Association.
      I have been retired for six years this month as Manager of Commercial (and air cargo) Development at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
      Shortly after I retired, NOACA was absorbed into the International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of New Orleans (IFFCBANO).
      The move makes sense because most of the cargo moving through New Orleans goes through the Port and a high percentage of the cargo associations membership were freight forwarders and customs brokers and they felt there was a redundancy.
      I resisted this for several years because I thought the air cargo needed its own identity.
      After I retired, there was not so much opposition to this integration.
      So NOACO still exists, but as part of IFFCBANO.
      As an aside, I enjoy watching Madam Secretary with your son.
      I am sure you are very proud of him.

      Larry Johnson

Larry Was Always Right

      Great to hear from Larry Johnson, who stands tall amongst the pioneer gateway-based airport cargo development specialists. He served MSY for decades, innovating and building that gateway’s cargo association of thinkers, dreamers, and doers for air cargo, and making MSY (amongst other things) a must-stop for transportation executives on the air cargo club speaker circuit.
      Larry always knew the importance of gathering people and lifting voices to work together.
      For example, we recall in 2000 MSY dedicated a 10,000-square foot Perishables Center in a bid to capture a greater share of  “a growing air cargo market” and the observation was made that while New Orleans could not boast the large number of flights or the forwarder infrastructure available elsewhere, “If you look at the map, our location makes MSY the best transit point for Latin American shippers to reach 80 percent of all major American markets.”
      As we said in our short blast Monday, it only takes a couple of determined people in each air cargo community to organize their brethren for the greater good. One just needs to bring people together every so often—if even just for coffee and a web chat—and air cargo can appreciate a giant boost.
      Larry Johnson used to keep MSY and local business on top of air cargo and in the news.
      It’s good to remember the power many people have to change things in air cargo. When it came to building new business partners, innovative thinking, and working for a strong local air cargo community, Larry was always right.
      Nice to read his mail in 2017 and observe that he is still working to help and educate us all.
Geoffrey