 |
 They
say the best things in life are free.
Looking at the joy and friendship in this
picture almost twenty years ago confirms just that.
Here networking at the second CNS Partnership
Conference in Dallas are (L to R) first CNS President Jack Lindsay,
second CNS President Anthony (Tony Calabrese), while original CNS Board
Members Brian Barrow and Buz Whalen flank American Airlines CEO Robert
Crandall.
Now fast forward to 2010.
Aside from all the golf courses, meeting
rooms and posted events at CNS this week, the busiest, most productive
space at the big resort hotel in Miami will be a new generation, much
like this picture from another time, networking in the lobby, an outside
garden spot, under a tree, near the pool or in some tuckaway bar as
another CNS Partnership Conference rolls on.
The big picture at CNS is always networking
amongst large and small pockets of air cargo people, either in heavy
discussion or on their way to another big pow-wow.
Many people may have called CNS Partnership
a lot of things over its 20 years, but the gathering has never been
slow or late at providing a first-class venue for doing business.
Credit the individual who dreamed up Partnership
Conference in the first place, former CNS President Tony Calabrese (1986/2006)
for making sure there was plenty of time (and space) for cargo executives
to feel they had discovered the perfect spot to cut a deal all by themselves.
“When I started at CNS, the airlines
and the forwarders, even the airlines and airlines barely spoke to each
other,” Tony recalled.
“What happened right from the very
first Partnership Conference in 1986 is that everybody discovered, through
understanding, that our supposed differences were more myth than fact.
“There is nothing like CNS
Partnership anywhere in the world.”
Tony Calabrese shepherded this North American
gathering that began in 1991 for 15 years until his retirement in 2006.
He recalls those years as quite positive
for air cargo as well as for himself.
“I never went to work one day at
CNS that I was not glad to be there.
“I was part of the original board
that put CNS together and into business.”
For the record CNS came into being as
the result of IATA losing its anti-trust immunity as a consequence of
the Competitive Marketing investigation and subsequent deregulation
which is the reason that for many years the American-based organization
had to keep an arm’s length relationship with IATA.
“For years we struggled for recognition
and many people thought CNS was not more than the CASS settlement system.
“To change that perception, we started
CNS Focus as a four-page newsletter and sent it around to our members.
“While attending a luncheon at the
Wings Club I had mentioned to an IATA official that I was with CNS and
the reply was an enthusiastic:
“Oh yes, that is my favorite news
network.”
“We had a good laugh at that one
but the comment told us we needed to do some work at defining CNS to
people in the world at large.
“CNS Focus as a publication certainly
helped raise awareness but I felt that there was still more work to
do.
“So we began The CNS Partnership
Conference.
“But I wanted our conference to
be different.
“To us ‘Partnership’
was never about CNS, it was more about industry stakeholders objectives
and needs.
“We never looked at the event as
a big money-maker either, but rather our approach was to do what was
good for air cargo.
“The idea was to bring airlines
and forwarders together.
“From that simple premise we held
our first conference in Tarpon Springs (near Tampa), Florida.
“We set up meeting tables of ten
places each in the hall and assigned luck of the draw seating to everyone.
“The idea right out of the gate
was to keep people from congregating with co-workers or best friends.
“We wanted to stimulate the conversation,
the floor discussion, even debate.”
“I recall 97 people showed up for
that first Partnership Conference and half again as many for our second
gathering a year later in Dallas.”
As CNS Partnership celebrates 20 gatherings
this week it’s good to remember the dedication and hard work from
the guy that built up some ideas into a great transportation organization
and to also recall that Tony Calabrese made CNS great by basically carrying
the organization around on his shoulders from day one.
Tony Calabrese began his career in transportation
as a bicycle messenger in Manhattan New York City.
“Our offices were on East 36 Street,
just down the block from Emery Airfreight.
“Often my assignment was to pedal
my bike over to the big, daily newspapers of the day to deliver celebrity
photographs that were shot out at Idelewild Airport (JFK).”
When he retired, Anthony Calabrese handed
over a first-class industry force to the future of air cargo.
Tony was a master at making CNS unique
and vital while keeping IATA at arms’ length, paying tribute to
be sure, but guarding its independence and special character and industry
role.
Once upon a time CNS had an abundance
of that New York ingredient, steeped in JFK cargo history and legendary
characters.
It was a time, Tony recalled, when every
airline had a major headquarters in North America and an executive presence
that made transportation superstars out of air cargo people.
At CNS during the 1980’s, and in
truth right up to his retirement there always was a lot happening but
Tony never coveted the limelight, quite the opposite, he preferred to
stay in the background, but made things work.
Characteristically Tony is still giving much of the credit for CNS to
others.
“Guenter Rohrmann was a very dynamic
board member and Chairman of CNS.
“The CNS Board during those years,
both airlines and forwarder members really gave the organization purpose.”
“It was the CNS members who carried
the ball and help make things work.”
People like Cotton Daly (TWA), Buz Whalen
(JAL), and Pat Phelan (Aer Lingus), Ed Mortiz (British), Isaac Nijankin
(Varig), Jerry Trimboli (SAS), Bill Boesch (AA), Dave Brooks (AA), Jim
Friedel (NWA) and of course others including brokers and forwarders
like Joel Ditkowsky, and Jo Frigger (EMO Trans).
“Jo is an old fashioned air cargo
guy who is one of the all-time greats.
“From the media, Dick Malkin carried
his more than 50 years of experience in air cargo forward, editing CNS
Focus and helping all around with perspective and advice.”
“I am reluctant to name names because
leaving someone out can cause a unnecessary slight.
“Safe to say, all the people who
we worked with and helped lift our CNS idea are in a special place and
we still think about them.”
“Often someone we have not thought
about for years will be recalled because of an incident or a project
we once shared.
“The memories are mostly positive
and I am very grateful to have shared them.”
But as air cargo celebrates 20 years of
CNS Partnership in Miami this week—the story continues to evolve
(as it will all this week in Air Cargo News FlyingTypers).
We are happy to report Tony made it to
Miami and did a cameo appearance for the opening 2010 CNS Board meeting
on Sunday.
“I love to travel and have places
and friends all over the world both inside the industry and outside
the air cargo business,” Tony says of his life today.
Time marches on and as things go, a week
from now another CNS Partnership Conference will be history.
But as we move forward in the rush of
the 21st century, we can all take a moment and salute a true pioneer
of air cargo, who says simply:
“Our best work has been bringing
the industry together.”
Geoffrey |
Air
Cargo News FlyingTypers leads the way again as the world’s first air
cargo publication to connect the industry to the broadly expanding and
interactive base for social commentary—Twitter.
April
29: Air Astana inked new deal with Jettainer
thru 2014. Significant, as the Kazakhstan airline is first Asian carrier
in Jettainer network.
April
28: Menlo moved Peter Baumann to director
of regional sales/ solutions & Edwin Chan to sr. director of biz
development & strategy SE Asia.
