EMO Trans ad
FlyingTypers Logo
#INTHEAIREVERYWHERE
Feed The Children Ad

   Vol. 24 No. 12
Tuesday March 4, 2025
linespacer
linkedin
facebook
Instagram

FlyingTypers Named
Afa Foster Award Winner

Ann Crampton, Richard Garcia, Kendra Tanner, David King, Brandon Fried, Amanda Barlow, Geoffrey Arend, Jake Fisher, Bob Imbriani, Aaron Ambrite, Alan White and Warren Jones.

   Somebody said there was an announcement.
   In a way I felt a disquieting expectation for something completely unexpected.
   But I was the news, in fact, not the President!
     In Dallas on Monday, we learned we had been selected to receive The Jim Foster Award for 2025.
    Sabiha and I were surprised and quite taken aback to be singled out at Air Cargo 2025 Conference in Dallas, Texas, when Brandon Fried presented The Jim Foster Award as part of the Opening Day Program.
     “The Jim Foster Award is named after the founder of the Airforwarders Association and honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to the value of our industry, organization, and membership,” that’s how it is pronounced.
    Now having had a bit of time to digest this unexpected attention with humility and thanks as we celebrate 50 years of covering the air cargo story, here are some thoughts and comment, as I stumbled through March 3 here in Dallas.
    So here we are, pictured in the middle of the Airforwarders Association Board members clutching the AfA award!
    This is an item that I need to handle with care.
    It is also very beautiful and classy.
     “The Jim Foster Memorial Award is the highest honor Airforwarders Association can bestow,” said AfA Executive Director Brandon Fried.
    “Every year we ask our members to nominate and vote for a recipient of this award, named after our founding Executive Director.
   “This is an award that stands for excellence,” Brandon said.
    “It is an honor to present Geoffrey with the Jim Foster award, that means so much to our industry – after 50 years of front-line reporting on our sector, Geoffrey is a well-deserved winner.”
    When it comes to people who deserve awards and thanks from all of us, we think of Brandon Fried who has served selflessly for the past two decades, moving from the exalted halls of government in Washington to the smallest hamlets, offering air cargo people a leg up from his organizational presence and persistence; Glyn Hughes who retired from a distinguished career as IATA Head of Cargo, to once again picking up his sword out of retirement, today serving at TIACA Director General, are people amongst us that work for the betterment of air cargo.
     Add Mike White, former President of CNS as an individual who makes a difference relentlessly advancing the air cargo form in public forums around the world.
     I can never forget the pictures we published of Donna Mullins, as COVID fear and restrictions raged, when everything else aside, she was out on the truck lines in the cargo area at ATL handing out little white plastic bags of warm food from a local chicken restauran to cargo drivers otherwise holed up inside their lorries.
     The reality is that there are legions of air cargo people, who every day are doing great things for their customers and each other.
     We just got lucky to be able to share these chronicles over the years.
    The affirmation is this very thoughtful honorarium and makes us think that occasionally we got the stories straight.
     With me, every step of the way, is and always has been my wife Sabiha. She gets as much credit as I, for sure. I know that I would not be here, or able to continue, without her.
    Grateful, thanks to our branding partners, as we deepen our efforts to use imagination and passion in delivering their unique messages.
     Here in Texas after the roundup, I am told, the local saloons would fill up with all types of characters.
     Things could get a bit rowdy, but the rule was always, “whatever happens, don’t shoot the piano player.”
     Am eternally grateful that after 50 years publishing thousands of narratives, so far no one has decided to shoot the messenger . . .
     But moving forward, am taking nothing for granted!
     I will cherish this day for the rest of my life.
     Thanks once again for this wonderful honor.
     Keep ‘em flying, air cargo.
GDA 


If You Missed Any Of The Previous 3 Issues Of FlyingTypers
Access complete issue by clicking on issue icon or
Access specific articles by clicking on article title
FT022725
Vol. 24 No. 9
Jan Krems-Attributes Of A Great Leader
Southwest's Devereaux Retires
Chuckles for February 27, 2025
Mikey Of The North
Powering Up Amar More
Cameron Roberts On de minimis
FT030225
Vol. 24 No. 10
Airportz A Poppin' At AirCargo 2025

FT030325
Vol. 24 No. 11
Delta In The Value
Chuckles for March 3
Mentoring Tomorrow's Leaders
The EMO Generations & I


Publisher-Geoffrey Arend • Managing Editor-Flossie Arend • Editor Emeritus-Richard Malkin
Senior Contributing Editor/Special Commentaries-Marco Sorgetti • Special Commentaries Editor-Bob Rogers
Special Assignments-Sabiha Arend, Emily Arend
• Film Editor-Ralph Arend

Send comments and news to geoffrey@aircargonews.com
Opinions and comments expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher but remain solely those of the author(s).
FlyingTypers reserves the right to edit all submissions for length and content. All photos and written material submitted to this publication become the property of FlyingTypers Media.
Copyright ©2025 FTMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
More@ www.aircargonews.com

recycle100% Green