Longtime
President of the Air Forwarders Association Brandon Fried
is one air cargo executive holding steady in a world of change.
The unflappable Fried seems to transcend time.
While it has become in fashion
to flip and change top executives regularly at other industry
associations, here remains the immovably “Steady Brandon.”
Brandon, it seems, is always
among us or operating from the suite of AfA offices in Washington,
D.C., day after day, year after year.
In a sea of turbulent change,
a steady hand in the cockpit can be viewed as a good thing
in 2015.
So as the autumn season kicks
off, here is Brandon talking about what’s up, new, and
next for the ever upward AfA.
There is even a pair of friendly
St. Bernards in this story.
No matter what you think about
giving up fifteen minutes of your busy time to hear somebody
talk end-to-end about freight forwarding, it’s time
to suspend disbelief.
Brandon, who loves and likes
what he does, gets centerstage.
Top
AfA Priority
There are important adaptations
on the horizon for AfA, involving additional responsibilities
for forwarders that come with serious consequences. “We
are expecting significant changes to both import and export
regulations, making it important for freight forwarders to
understand and make necessary preparations. In addition to
the ongoing Air Cargo Advanced Screening (ACAS) program, focusing
on preloading advanced data targeting before departure for
shipments coming to the United States, there is also an export
pilot program that may result in forwarders having to take
an active part in submitting house airway bill data to the
government before flight departure. This has always been the
responsibility of the airlines post departure, but there is
some discussion that forwarders may have to perform the task
before shipments are tendered to the carrier. We anticipate
that CBP intends to institute a penalty regime for non-filings
or incorrect filings. What this means for forwarders is that
for the first time there could be a surety bond required to
file export shipment data.
“We are also anticipating
a change to the TSA security program governing Indirect Air
Carriers now that the new administrator has come to the agency.
This has been a long anticipated change with several positive
developments. AfA and other stakeholder organizations have
actively engaged TSA on these issues and we expect a positive
outcome.”
 Doing
LAX
A forwarder regulatory panel earlier this
month in Los Angeles, where AfA brought people from
Washington and the local area to discuss anticipated
regulatory import and export changes as well as local
issues vital to air cargo at LAX. Panelists included
(LtoR) Mercury Air Cargo's John Peery, Janel Group's
Vince Iacopella, AfA's Brandon Fried, A4A's Liz Merritt,
and CFI's Chris Connell.
American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest
Airlines, United Airlines, and Sterling Transportation
sponsored the AfA event. |
2015 Accomplishments
“Our extensive local engagement
continues throughout the United States with visits to air
cargo associations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York,
and Dallas. We’ve also played an active role in engaging
in local issues including the Chicago O’Hare airport
congestion problem, where we participated in a town hall meeting
attended by more than 100 forwarders, truckers, airlines,
ground handlers, and public officials. We also just held a
very successful regulatory issues panel for forwarders in
Los Angeles on September 17th that featured experts from Washington
and the local LAX air cargo community addressing national
and local issues.
“You may recall that the
Governor of New York suggested that moving air cargo away
from JFK to Stewart Airport outside Poughkeepsie was a sound
way to handle airport congestion in New York City. The Airforwarders
Association quickly mobilized, not only providing media interviews,
but also engaging the Governor’s office directly. We
are pleased to report that as of now, the plan has not seen
any further traction and the JFK air cargo community can look
forward to remaining at the airport and contributing its ideas
for improvement at JFK.
“We are really looking
forward to continuing our outreach to local universities and
colleges discussing the air cargo industry and freight forwarding
with students. This past year we were privileged to lecture
at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach and
at two campuses of the University of Maryland in Baltimore
and outside Washington, D.C. You would be impressed to see
the bright faces of students when they realize how exciting
freight forwarding, air cargo, and logistics can be.
“We
continue to play an active role in Federal Advisory Committees
and hold seats on those advising the Transportation Security
Administration Administrator, the Commissioner of Customs
and Border Protection, and the Secretary of Commerce. These
appointments have been extremely beneficial in providing the
freight forwarder point of view to the government. AfA’s
very active Regulatory Compliance Committee continues to identify,
evaluate and research issues for our ongoing involvement in
these committees.
“AfA has developed a presence
on Capitol Hill thanks to our Government Relations Director
Clint Fisher who continues to keep us engaged not only with
important Members of Congress but key legislative committees
as well.
“Finally, we have spent
a great deal of time working with TSA on the run-up to IACSSP
Change 6 to make the program more effective and reflective
of today’s security and commercial realities. We are
cautiously optimistic.”
Brandon evaluates the health
of the air forwarding industry in 2015 in terms of “encouraging
signs of improvement,” with “the spring west coast
port issues [having] certainly helped bolster air cargo volumes
significantly earlier this year. Now that the situation has
been resolved, volumes have stabilized but we can always see
more improvement. The port situation really demonstrated the
need for our maritime customers to always have a secondary
strategy in the event of such delays. Happily, our members
were able to assist not only by redirecting shipments to other
ports but utilizing air cargo as a hedge against the slowdown
itself.”
AirCargo
2016
“AirCargo 2016 will be
in Phoenix on June 8-10. The planning process is in full swing
with several great programming enhancements, beginning with
our annual women’s networking event where we continue
the tradition of speakers and panelists addressing issues
affecting women in air cargo. Our program will also feature
interesting sessions focusing on drone use in air cargo, driverless
truck delivery, and how services such as Uber may impact and
change the shipping of cargo. The program will also feature
presentations from TSA and CBP leadership to discuss important
regulatory initiatives and sessions on cyber security and
the impact of e-commerce on the air cargo supply chain. Back
by popular demand, we are also featuring our panel of lawyers
who provide free informative legal advice for those in attendance.”
Having been atop AfA for some
time, Brandon’s contributions to the organization and
the air cargo industry are many, but he still considers himself
as a student of the business, approaching issues with an open
mind that is ready to learn new things.
Brandon smiles and says, “It
has been a fantastic ten years for me personally and I hope
also for our organization. I consider myself a ‘work
in progress,’ always trying to learn more ways I can
help our industry improve. I am fortunate to have met and
worked with some remarkable individuals who are extremely
intelligent and knowledgeable about our industry and continue
to learn from them daily. "Our
Board of Directors under the leadership of Chairman Chris
Connell, president of Commodity Forwarders, is very engaged
in our active agenda and remains extremely dedicated to AfA.
Airforwarders Directors are some of the hardest working people
you will meet, often receiving little acknowledgement for
their dedication and effectiveness.
“As
for my future, this has been the most enjoyable job I have
ever had and I remain excited to get into the office every
morning and disappointed to leave my desk at night. Not too
many people can say that about what they do.”
Asked to specifically address
his priorities, Brandon’s priorities for the future
involve enlarging AfA’s scope around the world and strengthening
its partnerships with other industry associations. “My
immediate plans are to assist this organization by expanding
its presence and footprint not only in Washington but throughout
the United States and around the world. I have been asked
to participate in a panel next month in Shanghai, China, and
plan to seek even more of these international engagements
if asked. I also look forward to working with partner associations
including TIACA, IATA, Airlines for America and others in
achieving a better understanding of industry challenges while
advancing forwarder interests.”
With so much at stake and so
much on his plate, and having successfully managed this juggling
act for a decade, it’s no surprise Mr. Fried has found
a way to make time for both work and leisure. “While
we as a family have enjoyed a yearly tradition of vacationing
in Kennebunkport, Maine, this summer interrupted that pattern
when we spent the time in Hong Kong. 
My
very understanding wife and sons even allowed me to take a
few hours to tour the exciting and impressive Hong Kong airport
air cargo facility. I suppose that’s what an air cargo
enthusiast loves to do on vacation.
“I also spend my spare
time tinkering with my antique car, taking care of our two
large St. Bernards, and pursuing other aviation related pursuits,
including airport visits and enjoying the company of fellow
car and plane enthusiasts. I have two favorite cities, Shanghai
and San Francisco, but it is always a great feeling to return
home to Washington where I was born and my family resides.
I love all types of food, and the time in Hong Kong heightened
my interest in dim sum and when traveling, I make it a point
to try and search for the best places that serve it in each
city.”
Geoffrey/Flossie
