Remembering John C. Emery, Jr.

     On April 19, 2007, John C. Emery, Jr., son of Emery Air Freight founder John Emery, Sr., died at age 82 in his home in Connecticut from cancer.
     John was among an elite half dozen of the most important people involved in 20th century air cargo.      He was also one hell of a good guy.
     John’s father, John Emery, Sr., created the first certified air freight forwarding company of the greatest country in the world, the United States of America. John Sr. was an officer in the Naval Air Transport Service and peacetime Railway Express manager. Emery Air Freight was an idea born of his wartime experiences, and the company enjoyed a dominant presence at the first blooming of modern air cargo.
     John Jr. followed his father’s footsteps, first joining the Naval Service and then joining Emery Air Freight when his service was fulfilled. He began his career as a pick-up driver, deflecting the barb that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He served as street salesman, New York sales manager, district manager, regional manager, Vice President of Sales and eventually, Executive Vice President.      By the time John Jr. hung up his spurs, Emery was operating 180 offices with 10,000 employees and had grown from an $80,000,000 company to a company pulling in $1.2 billion dollars worth of revenue.
     John Emery, Jr. was a unique individual. No single executive in modern air cargo history has done more to prosper the worldwide organization of air cargo.
     He single handedly carried IACA (now called TIACA) on his back for 15 years, from the mid-1970’s to the late 1980’s, when it moved to new affiliation and management.

If John C. Emery, Sr. lit the blazing fire of air freight forwarding, it can be said that John C. Emery, Jr. fanned the flames and kept the tinder coming.

     But John Jr. did not just look good on paper. John had a wonderful sense of humanity and was always quick to give a helping hand. He also had a terrific sense of humor.
     Once while conducting an interview up at Emery headquarters in Wilton, Connecticut with John and his sidekick advisor at the time, the great John Mahoney, John steered our conversation towards a contentious subject and then produced some of Air Cargo News’ back issues.
     The issues contained articles that were none too kind to Emery, and John feigned mock anger about our comments.
     But the twinkle in his eyes, followed by the supporting evidence of a short trip down the road for lunch and adult beverages, spoke volumes about his tolerance and understanding.
     His friend Bill Boesch recalls:
     “I have known John Emery, Jr. for about 40 years and worked for him for 10 of those years.
     I lived next to his father’s right hand man, Peter George, who got me my first job in the air cargo industry.
     One of those first Wings Club speeches that I ever heard was given by his dad, John Emery, Sr.
     Emery Air Freight, as it was known in those days, was the premier air freight forwarder.
       Emery’s mission was to provide the very best service in the industry. John Jr. was a sales and marketing guru with the desire to put more marketing into the business.
     When Fred Smith started making a name for himself during the late 1970’s through great TV ads with FedEx and unique marketing techniques to bring air cargo directly to the public, John was also quick to recognize the industry change and formed an Emery hub and spoke closed loop system.
     Unlike Federal Express, which focused on the envelope and small package segment, Emery focused on mid-weight and heavy weight.
     John also expanded the company’s reach international, forming the first air cargo industry global power and naming it Emery Worldwide.
     John’s “9 to 5 Commercial” is still the best express TV advertisement ever.
     Most people do not realize that John’s redirection of the company was a Herculean task. He had to get a smart, dedicated team behind him while also convincing the board to spend huge amounts of money needed to fund the new operation.
     John Jr. had ways of getting people behind him. His best most efficient method was always remaining human and acutely aware of others’ humanity.
     John loved the air and lived on the water. He routinely caught lobsters in his own lobster traps, and during the season he would come to the office in the morning with a bucket of lobsters to hand out to employees as reward for their dedication and hard work.
     When executives came to call John would often invite them to his home for a cocktail party, extending his personal hospitality.
     John had a lot of pride in his company and his employees. Like his father, he was a true visionary, and like any leader, John was both admired and not, depending on where you stood in the industry.
     But one thing everyone can agree on is that John Emery, Jr. supported the industry whole-heartedly and should and will be remembered as one of its great pioneers.
     In every speech I ever heard John Emery, Jr. give, he concluded by telling the audience to get their priorities straight.
     He said your first priority should be your health, then your family, and then your job.
     John, you were right.”
     I think John was imparting a transcendent moment when he said that, giving the unselfish gift of the knowledge of what works best, gained from a life well lived.
     On April 23 our regular readers may have seen a picture of John that we ran here, before we learned the sad and tragic news.
     We were recalling people who had once meant so much to this business that we love.
     Now, he is gone.
     Air Cargo has lost one of the greats.
     It is good to recall past times when we were all together, having fun, humping freight… the future so full of possibilities.
     But it also hurts like hell right now.
     Happy Landings, John
Geoffrey