Making The Case

     The Women's Networking Event at Air Cargo Event 2026 — sponsored by Delta Cargo went centerstage on Monday, as it has for a decade plus at this event featuring a tell it like it is panel of outstanding ladies.
     For 2026 it was a live at five panel built around a deceptively simple theme:
Team Building.
     Sandy Gregory of Gregory Logistics Consulting, LLC moderated the discussion between Sarah Sanderson, Delta Cargo; Amanda Barlow, The Rock-it Group; Lisa Perez, Avalon Risk and Maxine Sebastiani, WebCargo by Freightos.
     Setting the stage, Sandy invited the audience into the discussion opening with a Slido poll, asking whether the assemblage consider themselves empathetic leaders?
     The overwhelming majority, in case you are keeping score, of this jam-packed room said "yes," which set up the panel's sharpest point:
    "Research suggests that about half of leaders (business and otherwise) overestimate how empathetic they actually are."
      The gap between a leader's intentions and an employee's experience became the thread that ran through nearly every voice that was raised, delivering an enlightened experience for everybody in the room.
      The conversation covered managing remote teams, cross-training for resilience, multi-generational communication styles (including a genuinely entertaining exchange about whether a thumbs-up emoji is passive-aggressive), and how to attract younger talent into an industry that most people don't know exists until someone's father or boss pulls them into it.
      But to the credit of this stellar group the panel hit hardest when it got personal.
      Sandy Gregory and Lisa Perez both spoke openly about the sacrifices of building careers as single mothers — Sandy got emotional recounting early-morning drives to drop her daughter with family before business trips.
      Lisa Perez described how her Mom retired early so she could watch her son.
      Both ladies opened up and shared how their now-adult children have come back to thank them for making those choices, and the room felt it.
      What made the session work and literally knocked the socks off the conferees, was the mix on the panel itself.
      Sanderson brought the perspective of someone who joined Delta five weeks before the pandemic and watched the company avoid a single layoff by rallying together.
      Amanda described herself as an introvert who once swore she'd never do another presentation and talked about building trust through metrics and humanization on remote teams.
      Lisa emphasized clarity over control. Maxine, the youngest voice on the panel, offered the view from inside a tech company where communication norms are shifting in real time.
      Maxine drew a laugh from the audience when she revealed her "thoughts of getting old" now as she approaches the ripe old age of 30.
      The takeaway message from all four:
      "Build teams by trusting people, knowing them as humans, and getting out of their way — and if you think you're already empathetic enough, you're probably not."
Scott Case

     Ask Alan White, Chief Growth Officer, National Air Cargo what does the airline’s motto “The National Way” mean to air cargo and his answer is direct:
     “We provide value-added, end-to-end solutions, maximize client satisfaction as a world-class logistics integrator with cutting-edge technology and innovative processes.
     “National Air Cargo, Orlando’s home town airline to the world supports our customers helping to achieve above-market returns serving as a reliable strategic partner in managing their supply chains,”Alan White declared.
     As for the impact of the AirCargo Event in Orlando, Mr. White enthused:
     “This event was a great way to kick-off the year for National and allowed us to engage early with our partners, vendors and some new faces!
     “We just wrapped our Global Strategy Meetings in Orlando (for the airline) and Buffalo for the forwarder and we are excited about what lies ahead for our company in 2026 and beyond.
     “National continues to invest in advanced technologies that will help our customers and people work more seamlessly together.

     ‘This year of 2026 is a dramatic and very exciting time as we will receive the first of our four Boeing 777F’s on order, by the end of Q-1.
     “Game changer brand new B777Fs coming on line for us are a dramatic statement that advancement in capabilities are born to accelerate everything we do at National, including even more reliability and customer satisfaction, plus the ability to think new markets and  overall expansion of service opportunities.”
     As 2026 is firmly underway we asked Alan White for a moment to cast a glance back to 2025.
     “Despite the known challenges experienced in 2025,” he said, “we helped keep supply chains moving with our own airline and airline partners and surprisingly navigated through every challenge quite well.”
     Typically, this all-cargo pro who is very supportive of this industry took a look at taking these thoughts even back a bit farther
     “The ability of the industry to adapt quickly, engage with the relevant authorities, customers and stakeholders demonstrates quite clearly that post COVID pandemic, our industry has emerged with a voice that commands more attention and respect than ever.”
     “Collaboration is the driver to all of our futures together and from my view we work to getting better every day.
     “Looking ahead we will continue to invest in the future whether it is the investment in new aircraft, and technology that will speed up the supply chain process.
     “We are totally focused on working even more closely with our customers and partners, assuring as example, that real time access up and down the line is a firm reality.”
     When asked what objectives are prioritized that can be achieved to better the industry serving as a member of the AfA Board, based on his decades of service, Alan White declared:
     “The AfA advocacy on ‘The Hill’ is one of our primary objectives.
     “In the U.S., our industry needs to continue to be at the forefront of driving legislation and infrastructure development to ensure we are adequately equipped for the future growth.”
     We wonder—why air cargo? We hear so much about careers and moving ahead in business in terms of longevity. Given an opportunity to do it all again, we wonder if Alan would choose building a career in air cargo?
     Also, why should someone consider a career today in the industry and where and in what functions in cargo do you think there is a future?
     Alan unpacked it all, straight from the shoulder, right from the heart:
     “Air Cargo has given me a 30 year+ global career and has allowed me to work in every continent,” Alan White reflected.
     “I spend a lot of time encouraging future entrants to this field that this work is one of the most rewarding careers, if you are willing to see it from every angle.
     “Whilst we all feel impacted in one way or another by the development of AI and other technologies, the air cargo industry today calls for more innovative and imaginative people that will be drivers of what we achieve as an industry into the future.
     “Air Cargo never stands still!
     The old saying, ‘adapt or die’ is very relevant in 2026, in fact, more than ever.
     “Customers’ demands will not slacken, so we have to be ahead of the curve driving change by embracing the tools that can make the industry more efficient.
     “Of course, success to some degree is about heft, but I firmly believe it is also about heart.
     “We are situate today in a global economy that demands innovative and expedient actions.
     “A challenge in the U.S. today is that we must match or even exceed airport infrastructure that continues to emerge elsewhere in the world, especially visible in the Middle East and parts of Asia.
     “Our company since its inception back in 1991 when National commenced services as a regional forwarder in the U.S. has always been focused on growth.
     “Since start up National Air Cargo  has expanded its footprint into Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa.
     National Air Cargo diversified and became one of the very few companies that transformed from a freight forwarder to an integrated Part 121 air carrier.
     “National Airlines commenced operations in 2006, with the acquisition of our first fleet.
     “Today National fields a fleet of nine B747 freighters, 3 passenger A330’s and as mentioned earlier, in 2026 comes the integration of the first of 4 B-777Fs that will propel National Air Cargo to new heights! “National has not only survived, but impresses me, that in changing times continues to expand our offering by being true to its code.
     Why National?
     “National Airlines Cargo people are dedicated and reliable to partner with because we greet each day ready to run our fastest mile!”
GDA/SSA

 That’s Michael Webber
     Everybody or mostly thereof in air cargo USA knows Michael Webber.
     Most often he is engaged in airport projects but he also can be found wrapping his great talent for common sense into advising solutions around any number of challenges in air cargo.
     But here is another side of Michael and that’s his love for New Orleans and a life he once lived there where he fell in love with The Big Easy (as the place is called), its great cultural gift to all Americans’ and people worldwide of jazz music and fabulous cajun cuisine and let’s not forget, his lovely wife, Marta.
     Very grateful here as Mike celebrates all of it including some wonderful music as we celebrate Mardi Gras 2026.

    Since medieval times, Mardi Gras – literally Fat Tuesday in French – marked the final day of feasting before the Lenten Fast began on Ash Wednesday. By practice during those pre-refrigeration days, it was an occasion to exhaust provisions of fat, dairy and eggs.
     Although the terms are often used interchangeably, Mardi Gras is a specific day, while Carnival spans an entire season that begins with Epiphany (around January 6) and culminates on Mardi Gras in February.
     Literal translations are interesting, but the origin story scantly troubles common perceptions about Mardi Gras’ most recognizable U.S. manifestation down in New Orleans where I completed my MBA at Tulane University in the 1980s and started my international cargo career in the early 1990s.

     Having lived in a variety of locales (currently Austin, TX) and worked in dozens more, I endorse the characterization of New Orleans as the U.S. city least like any other U.S. city, which is a far softer description than Tennessee Williams: “America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.”
     There is even a substantial disconnect between how locals and visiting tourists relate to Mardi Gras. New Orleans is a majority-Black (an estimated 54-58% of the population) city and Orleans Parish’s Catholic population (around 38%) roughly doubles the U.S. share.
     New Orleans also has a lengthy, complex history with Latin America (specifically Central America) dating to the often-lamentable practices of United Fruit Company and Standard Fruit Company which enriched New Orleans (with my alma mater, Tulane, being an obvious beneficiary) but basically coined the term “banana republic” for their ruthless exploitation of native populations in Central America. In stark contrast to Texas where I live now, when my Mexican-born wife and I lived in New Orleans, exponentially more Hispanic citizens cited Central American and Cuban roots than Mexican. However, the Mexican population grew as immigrant laborers rebuilt the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. 
     Like a great gumbo, New Orleans’ ingredients are relatively distinguishable from one another, but the real magic happens collectively. For those who embrace the sound of a variety of accents and languages, New Orleans is a unique treasure year-round. By Ash Wednesday, the barely organized chaos of the Mardi Gras season has just about exhausted the locals who are ready to put the subject to rest for a few months. By comparison, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – always the last weekend in April and first weekend in May which diabolically mirrored final exams for Tulane’s Spring semester – feels tame with only localized traffic issues and a manageable bump in restaurant wait times.

Here Is A Mardi Gras playlist:

1.   The Meters — Mardi Gras Mambo
      Commonly proclaimed as “the funkiest band in the land”, The Meters recorded THE classic Mardi Gras morning song. I hired a couple of former Meters to play a party thrown by the Tulane Business School. I’m fine with that claim going on my headstone some day in the distant future, preferably.

2.   The Dixie Cups & The Neville Brothers (and guests) — “Brother John/Iko Iko”
      “Iko Iko” is a New Orleans classic most famously recorded by The Dixie Cups. When The Neville Brothers (including former Meters Art and Cyril Neville) revisited that classic in the 1980s, they prefaced it in medley form with “Brother John”. This specific performance – with Herbie Hancock and actor Dennis Quaid in tow – was filmed during a private performance filmed by Cinemax in what used to be Storyville. Although the all-star show was filmed before a select audience of a couple hundred in a small club (with half the floor space occupied by filming equipment), I managed to talk my way in. Of course I did.

3.   Allen Toussaint — Mardi Gras in New Orleans
      Allen Toussaint was the most elegant man I ever met and I’ve never used that adjective about another man. It was in his dapper attire, in his cultured but unassuming demeanor and as you can hear, it resonated in his artistry. This particular performance is a bit more delicate than one would typically associate with Mardi Gras but maybe enjoy a moment’s grace before the debauchery begins anew.

4.   Professor Longhair & The Meters – Tipitina
       Professor Longhair (“Fess”) recorded so many seminal sides. His influence on subsequent generations of musicians would typically hold bragging rights, if not having happened in a city that also produced Louis Armstrong. The appearance of The Meters here underscores the organic nature of New Orleans’ music scene. One of the thrills of going to hear live music in NOLA was always the anticipation that half a dozen musicians not on the bill were liable to show up and play.

     I could go on for another few hundred titles but better get back to my paying work as an air cargo consultant. Laissez les bon temps rouler.
Michael Webber

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