 RE: Dallas
Was One Cool Customer
Geoffrey,
First
off, very late kudos for the ultra smooth transition
from hard copy to your Industry-leading digital publication…Well
done!
You were always the classy one and yes, I think occasionally
of the In & Out Club (London) and our days
with TIACA. I remember when TIACA reorganized and you
had essentially Guenter (Rohrmann) as President and
me as “Marketing Guy”with Garth (Davies)
churning out communiqués. TIACA is sure
a different “Kettle” now. It has evolved
and come a long way.
Still miss the camaraderie
with the likes of you, Ram (Menen),Walter (Johnson),
Dick (Jackson), Jean Alain (Ress), Isaac (Nijankin),
et al.
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Madam
Secretary is one of our family favorites. It is
on routine “record” with us along with 60
Minutes. I figured that it was your son in the program…The
name Geoffrey Arend is sorta like Brown Wilder—there
aren’t very many of ‘em around. There is
a “Brown IV” now, and he is a handful.
I
do think fondly of our beloved Air Cargo Industry frequently.
I feel that my career/period was truly the “Golden
Age” of the Industry. It transitioned from prop
to jets, from the CAB to nothing, from Tariffs stacked
to the ceiling to no rules, from pencils and paper or
Remington Rand/Selectric to digital/electronic, from
total regulation of everything that moved to no regulation
or rules, from 27 domestic scheduled carriers to who-knows-how-many,
etc. Forwarders went from REA Air Express and a few
others to hundreds/thousands. Integrated Carriers came
into being along with 3PLs.
At one time it literally
took an act of Congress to become an airline. Now you
can do so by jumping over a rope and saying “I
am an airline.” When I was a “puppy”
just beginning, there were the aforementioned 27 scheduled
domestic carriers—all but one was taken over or
declared bankruptcy and disappeared or was reborn thru
Chapter 11 (guess the one).
One
constant has remained in the past few decades: The Air
Cargo Industry has evolved into one of the most competitive
segments of world commerce.
When
I first started, there was no price competition (remember
the CAB). Everyone competed on service. Service
and sales/marketing was what got you the business…
then along came deregulation and price became a strong
determining factor. Now, today, anyone can move it swiftly
and dependably (if they can’t, they’ll be
gone shortly). Similarly, anyone can move it cheaply
(perhaps not so profitably). As a result, the
carriers who have the best information capabilities
and support value-added services attain the catbird
seat.
Enough
rambling.
About
Dallas Sherman…
Dallas
was a consummate professional with an affable, unassuming
demeanor. He was a friendly, classy individual. After
his AA tenure he and Michelle formed a truly professional
team. I only knew him during his AA tenure, but it was
evident that he had a keen business mind and was adept
in dealing with individuals within and without his company.
Dal
was comfortable both in domestic and international arenas.
He had a steady hand on the tiller of a complex and
extremely dynamic industry… an industry that
many deem one of the most competitive in all of worldwide
commerce. Dal brought a smooth touch to our hard-driving
industry. He exhibited trust to his competitors and
peers and received trust in kind from those with whom
he dealt.
Dallas
was a true patriot and loved our country. His military
performance speaks for itself. He was a true overachiever
in this segment of his career.
Dal
always sported a grin along with a soft, encouraging
voice. He was only too happy to share his support and
knowledge with Industry cohorts. Similarly, he was not
reluctant to seek counsel with these selfsame cohorts
if the situation warranted.
Our beloved industry is
a lesser place due to Dal’s absence. Condolences
to his family and to his many friends and coworkers.
—Brown Wilder
 Brown
Wilder stepped down from his post as president and chief
executive officer at Air Cargo Inc. in 2000.
ACI does not own any
trucks itself but contracts with about 600 air-freight
trucking specialists and about 100 cargo terminal handling
operators across the United States.
“The thrust
of the industry has gone from price and service—those
are givens—to information about the shipment,''
Brown said when he retired.
Today, 16 years later,
we found a picture of Brown on Facebook. It looks like
the years have been good to this top transportation
executive. He should not be forgotten as one of the
major driving forces who worked overtime to put TIACA
into business.
Brown was there at start
up and gave relentlessly of his time and brilliance
to help establish TIACA, back when the future of that
organization hung by a thread.
We salute Brown Wilder,
thinking we should all be so lucky to truly enjoy the
ride into retirement and our golden years…
Geoffrey |
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