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Our guest today is Chris Busch, President United Cargo. His LinkedIn profile tells us that he is an “accomplished leader with a proven track record of delivering results and new solutions within several different industries and functional areas of responsibility. Experienced with transforming, re-structuring and motivating teams and possess aptitude for quickly adapting to, understanding and succeeding at new tasks/heightened levels of responsibility.”
This is the man who succeeds Jan Krems at United Airlines; even for an accomplished leader this is a big step forward, considering the role Jan Krems played in our industry for decades.
 No wonder our first question was case in point:
“Following an absolute icon of air cargo, Jan Krems, how do you plan to navigate your way through expectations and comparisons?” Chris Busch’s answer stands out as a statement of peaceful confidence: “By ignoring the comparisons and focusing on United Cargo’s commitment to our forwarder partners and the industry. Jan is a legend, no denying that and I (as well as many others) have learned a tremendous amount from him. I will never have the hair or the karaoke voice of Jan Krems, so no need to take the comparison any further. We plan to expand upon and refine the amazing position Jan has secured for United Cargo in the industry.”
Quite, there is surely no need to vie for the karaoke title in 2027; but we wanted to know more about the man, before we get to the business questions.
Chris answered our request stating he was born in Rochester, NY and grew up in a small town east of Rochester. If you really want to sound glamorous, you could say that you grew up in Greece, but that – Mamma Mia – really sounds so ABBA . . . Accordingly let us stay in Rochester for a minute.
Rochester, NY is quite a remarkable town. This is what you can assemble from Wikipedia regarding its industrial footprint: “Rochester is the birthplace or home of many notable companies including Eastman Kodak, Xerox, Bausch & Lomb, Wegmans, Constellation Brands, Gannett, Paychex, Western Union and Ray-Ban. In part due to their influence, the region became a global center for science, technology, and research and development. This has been aided by the presence of several internationally renowned universities, notably the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).” This connects well with another question that was kindly met by our guest of honor: “Undergrad: BS Engineering and Management from Clarkson University; MBA Operations and Finance from University of Rochester, Simon Business School.”
To say we were dying to ask Chris Busch what kind of pedigree you need to have to become President United Cargo is perhaps an understatement, but . . . Fact is (and surely our fault) little did we know about this experienced professional and his prior employment. The answer was flawlessly complete:
 “I started in Manufacturing: Management Development program with Cooper Industries; held roles in Manufacturing Engineering, Quality and Supervision; After grad School I joined a small logistics company providing appliance home delivery and installation services for a large retailer and then moved to an Aerospace company as a financial analyst. I then moved to Chicago, started with United as an Analyst working on Cargo Handling and Trucking and have loved Air Cargo ever since.”
If it is not first love, it could be the love of your life, so it seems, but we wanted to investigate a bit deeper. Chris Busch is not the first top-tier executive we interview and in time we have learnt that after breaking the ice cap there is much to discover for a curious mind. So we asked: “Was air cargo your employment of choice as a profession?” Chris’s answer is simply wonderful in its candor:
“Not originally, but I always had an interest in finding solutions and supply chain management. I even met my wife, Elizabeth, in a Supply Chain Management class in Grad School.
“We moved to Chicago for her career and I found a role at United. From day one, I really enjoyed connecting with people around the globe, travelling and being part of the global supply chain – with events over the past several years, it shows the critical nature of global supply chains.”
We know at least one famous person who lived in Rochester and would have considered Chris’s choice with great favor for obvious reasons: Susan B. Anthony.
As it happens, by seconding his wife’s career, Chris Busch took a decisive step in advancing his own. Kudos to both for this wise decision. As we are hovering above Rochester one way or another, we might as well mention that Cab Calloway was born there in 1907 and George Eastman changed photography forever looking at the same lake and its rather cold waters.
Let me stop this Pindaric exploration to return to our hero of the day and his work. We asked bluntly:
“Do you consider air cargo a job or a profession?”
With no hesitation CB answered, without a sigh:
“Just completing my 19th year in air cargo, I see it as a profession. The beauty of what we do is that you can take many paths to be part of air cargo, whether it is real world training starting in a warehouse, specific university programs or finding your way into it, like I did, after roles in different industries. There is a common theme amongst the majority of air cargo professionals . . . enjoyment and belief in the importance of relationships and trust.”
What a wonderful way to make my question sound interesting!
 We decided to ask Chris to focus a bit more on United and the work ahead: “Does taking over United’s Cargo organization present a challenge?”
Food for thought:
“Some might think following Jan would be challenging, and it will be, but in the sense of challenging ourselves to see what more we can accomplish. For me, taking over United Cargo is an opportunity for the United Cargo team members, Sales Partners, Service Partners and me to not only continue the success of United Cargo, realized over the past several years, but to strive for the next level. We have not reached our ceiling. Jan Krems is literally a Cargo Hall of Fame member, and the industry will miss him, but the UA Cargo Team is ready for the opportunity.”
It was like we were telepathic, we wanted to ask about the Team and hoopla the team appears . . . “What contributes to the success of the United Cargo team? How do you keep team spirit going?”
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You Gotta Have Heart
“We call it the Cargo Heart.
“The United Cargo team truly is passionate about the work we do and the cargo industry. We are all focused on delivering a great customer experience and are committed to supporting one another in the achievement of our objectives. And of course, we also like to have fun. Keeping this spirit going the past several years and into the future continues to be based on everyone having a voice and giving people the freedom to make decisions that are good for our customers and United Airlines.”
Somebody said ‘what about the business’? Here we go, and it is not anyone’s answers . . . We inquire: “The air industry is bigger than it was a decade ago, but is it a better one?” CB: “When I look at cargo and compare it to other industries or the passenger side of United, cargo is not as advanced from a technology perspective. Certainly, more advanced than 10 years ago and all parts of our industry are focused on technology. The key is implementation of technology to support/improve efficiency of what makes air cargo great, not technology for the sake of technology.”
Yes, but how does the immediate business future look to you? [CB]: “By areas of the world, we are observing some traditional airfreight-based spikes in demand for certain products, but also nontraditional outside influence spikes in markets based on global conflict and political actions. The immediate future looks to hold strong demand for airfreight, especially from the APAC region, but the one thing we all know is air freight outlook can change rapidly.”
On a global basis, are certain regions more competitive than others? Why?
[CB]: “Yes. Air cargo is heavily influenced by supply and demand, and several of the factors are not controllable by the air cargo professionals. Certain aspects are, but air cargo supports global trade. Shifts in trade policy, where products are manufactured or changes in passenger aircraft networks influence the competitiveness of different regions. The key is to be ready to respond to these changes and as much possible to stay ahead of them.”
 With the expansion globally, what is short/long term strategy? [CB] “Continue to provide great service and partnership to our freight forwarder customers and deliver results to United Airlines. We continue to invest both in technology and customer experience. On the technology front, we are focused on the ease of doing business with United Cargo, creating efficiencies for our team members and our customers. We continue to look for ways to improve the customer experience and the delivery of reliable service.”
Time is up. Let us close with amenities.
Are you having any fun?
[CB] “Extremely busy with work and family, but always having fun. Our industry provides a nice balance of working hard, having fun and enjoying what we do.”
We were getting a bit jealous of this serene approach so we pulled a quick one: “What do you regard as the biggest thrill of your career? Are there others worthy of mention?” No joy, serendipity stepped in . . . [CB] “Every day is a thrill especially with the new role and the opportunities to find solutions, connect with customers and the UA Cargo Team and to continually improve, I feel that I was a part of United’s biggest accomplishment and success story during COVID.”
 If you manage to get accomplishment and success during COVID, perhaps you could try with the Federal Reserve, who knows, eventually a real challenge? We dared: “What do you do to relax? Favorite city? Favorite joke?” We received a placid statement that could not leave us more reassured:
[CB] “Spend time with my wife and 2 sons, coaching my youngest son’s basketball team, watching both boys play lacrosse. Working out, playing basketball, golf, the occasional pickle ball match and outdoor activities.”
As baseball concludes in America and Chris steps up to the plate in Miami this week at the TIACA Air Cargo Forum, we send good luck and a bit of travelling music from the heart for the road ahead. Click here to listen.
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