On Friday,
November 20, in Atlanta, Georgia, a grand airport tradition
occurs as Atlanta Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders
throw open their doors for a couple of hours starting
at high noon to share the love. It’s an open house
where everybody is invited for a free, old-fashioned
turkey dinner.
This annual party reaches
out far and wide to host several hundred people to a
homemade turkey dinner with all the trimmings, as the
United States looks forward to celebrating the wonderful
American holiday Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a great
day in the United States —the only thing that
matters is family and the meal.
No gifts or presents needed;
just show up and eat.
Families openly invite
friends and other guests, many believing that no one
should dine alone on Thanksgiving.
Perhaps the best thing
is that, carrying forward a tradition begun by the Pilgrims
who landed on these shores in 1620, you can greet any
American with the words “Happy Thanksgiving”
and not fear offending anyone, much less evoking the
common holiday retort, “that is not my holiday!”
In this land made up of
so many different people from all over the world, Thanksgiving
represents a day that everybody can celebrate simply,
as Americans.
For many years in Atlanta,
Georgia, ACB founder and military veteran Harold Hagans
(an absolute stalwart of the air cargo community for
decades, now happily retired) continued this annual
holiday party for his friends and colleagues at the
airport.
As a true Southern Gentleman,
Harold knew all about hosting and preparing a meal out
of turkey.
But even more, Harold cherished the values of community
spirit and sharing, and folks simply trying to good
for one another.
Happily, in 2015 his daughter
Deborah, who today serves as CEO of Atlanta Customs
Brokers, has taken the baton to continue the grand tradition.
One look at the happy
group atop this story attests to the great spirit and
joy of being in business at Atlanta Customs Brokers.
Fry
Baby Fry
While nearly everybody
else puts the bird into an oven, ACB digs back into
the past and sets up a unique and imaginative deep-frying
operation for turkey right inside the ATL air cargo
facility.
“We love to do this,
to show our appreciation and share our good fortune
with others at Thanksgiving,” Deborah said.
“Last year we served
over 600 people.
“It’s a real
open house and everyone should drop in, eat until your
hands get tired, and have some fun.”
About
Atlanta Customs Brokers
We asked Deborah how it
happened that so many women work at ACB, and she replied,
tongue firmly in cheek:
“A few changes have
happened since the photo [at the top here].
“We now employ a
male,” she laughed.
“We actually work
very well together. We are like a family.
“It has always been
that way, even when Harold was here. Since he retired
the only change is that
I have added Freight Forwarding to the mix and we now
move freight all over the world import and export for
our customers.”
As for how Deborah came
into the air freight industry, she laughs and says,
“I was born into this business. Harold Hagans
married my mother when I was 7 years old. I have twin
daughters myself and hope to have them on board after
their college is completed.
“At ACB we are actively
involved in this community, following in Harold’s
footsteps. We hold important positions in the Atlanta
Air Cargo Association. Our Vice President Adriana Trueba
is the Chairman of the Board of the AACA and our Senior
Import Specialist Hope Chavez serves as Vice President.
Time
& Place
Deborah and her crew will
be opening up the facilities at Atlanta Customs Brokers
on November 21, 2012, from 12:00-14:00 hrs. Atlanta
Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Tel: 404-762-0953.
After hours, call Deborah Torma at 678-410-6359 (cell).
www.atlantacustomsbrokers.com
Geoffrey
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