New Horizons: Horizon Air Freight Celebrates Young Talent
For over 50 years, Horizon Air Freight has kept the world’s fleets shipshape…
For over 50 years, Horizon Air Freight has kept the world’s fleets shipshape…
The call came in over the weekend.
A vessel needed a new gear assembly for its engine. The 2600-kilo part was in a remote area of Gujarat, India. The ship would be in Busan, South Korea in one week.
Rosemarie Susino took the call. Recently promoted to executive vice president, she had long been Horizon’s terminal manager at our headquarters near JFK. She knew that getting the gear assembly out of India in a hurry was going to be a challenge.
“The service from India is very slow,” she says. “There are so many customs regulations and a lot of red tape.” The paperwork could easily delay delivery for days, so she and her team started making calls.
Susino immediately called the supplier in Gujarat to make arrangements while Horizon’s partner in India got to work on clearing the delivery for export.
By Monday morning, the gear assembly was ready for pickup, and Horizon had a truck waiting to load it at the supplier’s facility.
By Tuesday, we had cleared the export through customs and transported it to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, in Ahmedabad, where our partner loaded it on a plane to Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi, we coordinated transfer of the gear assembly to a flight to South Korea.
“The flight service from India to Busan is horrible,” says Susino, “so we flew it to Incheon,” the international airport serving Seoul.
Flying to Incheon instead of Busan got the gear assembly into South Korea much faster, but its journey wasn’t over yet. Seoul is about 200 miles (325 kilometers) from the Port of Busan, in the opposite corner of the country. So after clearing customs at Incheon on Saturday, we loaded the part onto one of our trucks and headed for Busan, arriving early Sunday morning.
Given the marine background of the members on the Horizon team, we know that is not always as simple as delivering an urgent spare part that gets installed as is. Technicians and specialists are often needed to inspect and install large critical Main Engine components, adding to the time it takes for the part to be put into service on the vessel. In this instance our customer needed the gear assembly inspected and prepped at a Busan maintenance shop before it could be installed, so we delivered it directly to the shop.
From there, the technicians took over, preparing the gear assembly then delivering it to the vessel. The ship’s crew soon had it installed and ready to go. They set sail the same day, right on schedule.
For Susino, it was just another week on the job. “For all of our customers,” she says, “we do whatever it takes.”
Do you need help getting your critical spares delivered on time from any vendor worldwide? Call us today at 800-221-6028 or contact us anytime. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep your fleet on schedule.
Rosemarie Susino didn’t intend to build a career at Horizon Air Freight. In 1984, she was going to school at night, taking classes in science and medicine, and planning to go into medical laboratory work. During the days, she worked at Horizon as a receptionist to pay her way through school.
That was 36 years ago.
Horizon was a smaller company then, handling mostly U.S. import/export and domestic marine shipping logistics.
“We didn’t even have computers when I started working here,” says Susino. “Back then everything was manual. We would write shipping labels by hand. Now everything’s computer automated.”
But as the company grew, Susino grew with it. She worked for a while in the ocean export department, and soon she was managing the department. She would also cover for people in the air freight department when they went on vacation. For a while, she worked in the billing department.
“I’ve worked in almost every department,” she says, “and I’ve always worn more than one hat.”
In the late 1980s, Horizon started its foreign routing department and began expanding into global marine logistics. Susino was part of that expansion from the very beginning and a key player in its success, which first established Horizon in the global marine logistics market.
Today, Susino is the terminal manager, part of the upper management team working closely with CEO Steve Leondis, at Horizon’s world headquarters in New York City. The export department, routing department, and ocean and air departments all answer to her. Shipping quotes, customer service, billing, insurance claims… “I’m really involved in almost everything,” she says.
Susino enjoys the diverse demands of her position. “That’s what makes the job very interesting,” she says. “This is never the same day twice. You come in and don’t know what to expect. I have such a variety of work, and that’s what I like.”
She might spend one day mostly answering emails, then come in the next day to a request by a client to move 10,000 kilos across the world overnight. “Sometimes it’s just drop everything and figure out a way,” she says, “and sometimes that gets very intense.”
That can mean long days and after-hours follow-ups, but Susino is just fine with that. “I have to be moving all the time,” she says. “I wouldn’t want to sit and do the same thing all day long.”
Susino is glad she decided to stay at Horizon and build her career with the company. “It was always a family business, and even today we all work together closely, like a family. We help each other and have each other’s backs. If somebody makes a mistake, somebody else chimes in to help.”
It all comes down to serving Horizon’s clients well. “We understand the needs of our clients,” she says, “and we know how urgent those needs are. So we all come together and make things happen for them.”
“We always find a way to get it done,” she says, adding that the people in the various departments she oversees handle most of the shipments. “But when it’s a very large shipment or urgent, then I give my insights and ideas, or even start making phone calls to assist.”
It’s always a team effort, but, as Susino says, “One way or another, we always get it done.” Reach out to us to learn more about how we can bring our service and experience to you.
Horizon CEO Steve Leondis recently sat down for an in-depth interview with “Lenz on Business,” a weekly business radio show that airs on WSB Radio, home to the largest news-talk audience in the country. In a far-ranging conversation, Leondis and host Jon Waterhouse discussed the founding of Horizon Air Freight in 1970, the company’s growth over the past 50 years, and his work with daughter Devon to help vulnerable children in Ghana and Zambia.
Steve’s father, Anthony Leondis, and his mother came to America in 1956 with Steve’s three older siblings. (Steve was not born yet.) Although of Greek and Italian origin, the family immigrated from Sudan.
“They wanted to give their children a better education,” says Leondis.
The Leondis family settled in Brooklyn, where Steve’s father was soon working three jobs while his mother worked at the post office and took care of the children. The days were long, but they knew they were giving their children opportunities to pursue the American dream.
Anthony still wanted more for his family. He wanted them to live comfortably while doing good work in the world. So in 1970, he borrowed $600 from a friend, rented out a tiny office near JFK airport, and started Horizon Air Freight,
“He knew a little bit about freight and about the shipping industry,” says Leondis, “so he leveraged some contacts and began to move ship parts.”
In the early days, Anthony worked alone, often driving to customers in his Oldsmobile Delta 88 and filling out orders with a typewriter he kept in the car. The business was challenging, but Anthony started to build a name for Horizon and soon had to hire more staff to handle all the work.
Fulfilling his parents’ hopes when they came to America, Leondis was accepted to Yale University and joined the basketball team. In 1980, he was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year and went on to score the third-most career field goals in Yale history.
“This was back when we were wearing leather Converse and there was no three-point line,” says Leondis.
The discipline, dedication, and teamwork he learned playing basketball would stick with him long after Yale.
“It helped me immensely as I navigated into the business career,” he says.
Seeing how basketball had helped his own success in life, in 2006 Leondis founded “Hoops on the Hill,” a non-profit organization that empowers at-risk teenagers and helps them develop their potential.
In 2020, Leondis was named one of the Legends of Ivy League Basketball in recognition of his college basketball achievements, business success, and contributions to his community.
Leondis wasn’t sure at first if he wanted to join the family business. His two brothers and sister were already working there while he was at Yale, and he considered striking out on his own. However, in his junior year, his father came and asked him to work for Horizon for just one year after college, to give it a chance. If he didn’t like it, he could pursue whatever he wanted instead.
Leondis agreed and started out learning the business from the bottom up. His first job was at a warehouse, loading trucks and receiving cargo. He soon discovered that he liked the business and enjoyed working in its family environment, a culture in which not only his actual relations but everyone who worked there was treated like family.
Over time, he gravitated toward operational and sales roles, and he helped lead the company’s growth. When his father was ready to retire, Leondis took over as CEO in 2014.
On a family trip back to Africa to see where the Leondis family had come to America from, Steve’s daughter, Devon Leondis, was inspired with a “burning desire to help vulnerable children and orphans in Africa,” says Steve. “She raised money for her sweet 16 to provide fresh drinking water wells in Ghana.”
Wanting to do more, she went on to found Project Nyame Nsa. (The name means “God’s helping hands” in Twi, the dominant dialect of the Akan language in Ghana.) Steve sits on the board of directors.
The organization is dedicated to building villages with holistic support services for vulnerable and orphaned children in remote areas of Africa. They have completed their first project in Ghana and have one now underway in Zambia.
“It’s very dear to my heart,” says Leondis. “People should give back in this world.”
If you’d like to hear more of the conversation, listen to the full interview at Lenz on Business.
Lenz on Business is presented by Georgia College’s J. Whitney Bunting College of Business. Listen live on Saturday nights at 6 p.m. on News 95.5, AM 750 WSB, and WSBRadio.com. Reach out to us to learn more about how we can bring our service and experience to you.
At Horizon, we have the privilege and pleasure of working with many customers doing remarkable work around the world. Commercial fleets are the foundation of the global economy, and offshore platforms keep that economy powered and running. Fishing fleets feed us well, and research vessels help us better understand our planet. Military vessels keep our seas safe, protecting us all. Our customers inspire us, and we’re honored to support their important work.
One of our customers develops, deploys, and operates undersea communications cable. They’re one of the largest and most respected companies in this space, and for more than half a century they’ve connected the world with the backbone of the information economy. Whether you’re conducting international business via video conference, making an online purchase from an overseas provider, sharing data from a remote research station, or placing an international call to a friend or family member, there’s a good chance our customer made it possible.
Their cable-laying and cable repair ships are often at sea for 2-3 months at a time, laying or maintaining thousands of miles of cable, then only in port to resupply for a day, sometimes only a few hours. Even minor delays are costly to them, with potential six-figure revenue losses and heavy contract penalties.
That’s way, for all their spares and equipment, they turn to Horizon.
“When I need to get something delivered,” says the customer’s senior procurement manager, “and I can’t have any screw-ups in the whole process of pickup to delivery to the vessel, Horizon is someone who you learn to rely upon. So many times they’ve pulled a rabbit out of a hat.”
Horizon’s Bridget Aglio leads the team that supports this customer, and, as Horizon CEO Steve Leondis says of her, “She pulls rabbits out of hats all day long.”
Netherlands to Taiwan
One night not long ago, Aglio received a call from the customer. An engine failure had a ship dead in the water in Taiwan, in the Port of Kaohsiung. A vendor in Amsterdam had the parts needed to repair it, but the oversized pipes weren’t properly packed for air freight. No air carrier would accept them.
The vendor could outsource repacking of the parts, but it would take days to complete, days that would cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
Aglio contacted Horizon’s Amsterdam office, and, in the middle of the night, they sent a truck to pick up the goods from the vendor. Horizon’s team repacked the pipes overnight and had them on a plane to Taiwan the next morning. Less than 48 hours after the initial call, the ship was repaired and got back to work.
Spain to South Korea
Transporting explosive materials internationally is complicated even in normal times. Such shipments have to be specially packaged. Dangerous goods forms have to be filled out and approved. Importers must be licensed to accept the goods. And only providers with specialized certifications can do any of this.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 80% of planes grounded and many international borders closed, it all might seem impossible.
But our customer needed a delivery of new safety flares to replace expiring flares on one of their ships. The company doesn’t compromise on the safety of its crews. There was a narrow delivery window available when the ship would be in Seoul for one day. If the flares didn’t arrive, the company would have to idle the ship until they did, costing the ship thousands of dollars in additional expenses.
Flares and other explosive materials have to be transported on cargo-only planes, so all passenger flights were out. And closed borders eliminated what would have been the standard routing for the shipment.
Aglio found a way, an alternate routing with available cargo-only flights and customs clearances she could navigate during the pandemic. (Like a good magician, she won’t reveal all the secrets of this routing.) Her team received the flares, verified they were properly packed, issued the relevant dangerous goods forms, and got them on a plane. Aglio also coordinated with Horizon’s South Korean consignee to confirm they would be able to clear the shipment upon arrival.
Hours before the company’s ship arrived in the Port of Incheon, the flares were there, awaiting it.
Aglio does reveal one of her rabbit-pulling secrets. “The key,” she says, “is to get there before the vessel arrives. It gives you more time for customs clearance, and more time in case of a problem. If a truck breaks down, you’ll have time to find another to complete the delivery.”
Add in her passionate commitment to her customers and some marine logistics magic, and you begin to understand how Aglio keeps pulling those rabbits out of those hats. It’s just another day on the job for her as she helps our customer connect the world.
Horizon Worldwide Headquarters
152-15 Rockaway Boulevard Jamaica, NY 11434
Main Number (24/7/365): 718-528-3800
Toll Free: 800-221-6028
info@haf.com
Managing Director, Delver Agents
Vero joined Horizon Air Freight as the previous Executive Manager of Delver Agents, and Founder and General Manager of Sealand Ship Agents and Suppliers. Now serving as Operations Executive at Horizon Air Freight, Vero grew Sealand into the premiere cruise ship agency and supplier based in Ushuaia, Argentina. She excels at creating new services and programs, solving problems, connecting people, and strengthening relationships. Her clients have included some of the most exclusive boutique operators, mainstream cruise lines and expedition cruise companies in the world.
Vero received her Bachelor’s degree in Natural Science & Human Arts, and her advanced technical law degree from Argentinian Catholic University. She also has a licensed degree in International Commerce, and is trained in Environmental Management and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.
About her work, Vero says: “My favorite part is being able to learn from our clients, develop and implement solutions, grow our businesses together, and make a difference in their day by giving them the highest level of service and proving our dedication to meet their goals and deliver superior results. I also cherish knowing that the business our clients do with us will make a positive impact in the communities we work in; they will provide jobs and income to our vendors, as well as our staff and all of those that are touched by our operations.”
Vero currently lives in Seattle, WA with her husband and three children: big huggers who love to travel together.
Ask Vero how she can help see your shipment through from deck to door at veronica@delveragents.com.
Director of Marine Logistics
Rosemarie is Director of Marine Logistics at Horizon Air Freight — an essential pillar who has served with us in Logistics for her entire career of 38 years. Her decades of service have given her the opportunity to see every department and angle, and she is an invaluable teacher who generously shares the lessons of her extensive experience with others.
About her work, Rosemarie says that finding solutions and delivering results when the circumstances dictate it to be difficult or impossible is one of her favorite parts. She is also adept at discovering new solutions and developing them into services to help our customers succeed in all things logistics. Continually challenging our team and herself to bring added insight and optimized decision making to our customers’ daily logistics requirements, Rose is an invaluable partner who looks to bring a unique value to every customer’s individual needs.
A native resident of Long Island, Rose is a mother of two. Though spare time is hard to come by in Logistics, outside of work she does enjoy music, long beach walks, and hiking — so long as there are no bugs around.
Ask Rosemarie how she can help see your shipment through from deck to door at rose@haf.com.
Chief Commercial Officer
Our Chief Commercial Officer, Josh Roman, is a recent addition to Horizon, but spent most of his career in Marine Services / Supply Chain and Logistics, and has fit in seamlessly with our mission and our team, in part because he steadfastly remains solution oriented at all times (critical in work and life). Josh’s experience in our industry has taught him that identifying problems and seeing roadblocks ahead may be easy work, but it’s what you do with them that makes you stand out.
About his work, Josh says: “I enjoy being able to remove a burden from a customer’s plate. Everyone faces challenges, but a true partnership is when you can rely on your partners for solutions. Having the confidence in our excellent team to be able to say to a client, ‘We’ve got it handled,’ so they can go home is a privilege.”
A native of Oakland, CA, Josh continues to represent Horizon Air Freight on the West coast where he currently resides in Long Beach, CA with his wife and their two huskies. As a child, he also lived in Germany for a short time, which gave him a passion for traveling as well as German food and beer. You’re also likely to find him playing ice hockey, when he’s not in the office.
Ask Josh how he can help see your shipment through from deck to door at josh.roman@haf.com.
Senior Routing Manager
Bridget is Senior Account Manager at Horizon Air Freight, whose 30 years of combined experience in the transportation industry have taught her to treat every shipment as though it is the most important one. She excels at guiding customers through every step of the shipment process, and recently navigated a complicated 125,000 kilo shipment from Japan to South Korea in only 10 days.
About her work, Bridget says her favorite part is getting to learn so much from our customers about their different cultures all over the world.
A native New Yorker, Bridget currently resides in Long Island, NY. Outside of work, she enjoys Broadway shows, boating, and traveling with her family.
Director of Technology and Engineering
Sheryl is Director of Technology and Engineering, whose extensive education and experience is helping her lead the digital transformation at the company. Though relatively new to the Horizon team, her creative solutions and desire to not only maintain, but improve, the premium level of client service we can provide is already separating Horizon from the competition
About working at Horizon, Sheryl says: “When I joined in 2021, I knew that I was entering a space where technology had not yet caught up to the needs of the industry – and I knew that I could help bring about real change to offset that deficit.”
Outside of work, Sheryl is a fan of traveling, video games, creating costumes, reading, and dance.
Ask Sheryl how she can help see your shipment through from deck to door at sheryl.crespo@haf.com.
Director Cruise Operations
Alex is Director of Cruise Operations at Horizon Air Freight, where his long history at Horizon — which includes three years in operations and twelve years as Director of Global Sales — come together to serve the unique technical and hospitality needs of cruise ships worldwide. Recognizing a need in the cruise industry for more reliable, cost-effective support, Alex led creation of this new division of Horizon’s services.
An entrepreneur at heart, Alex is always on the lookout for challenging problems Horizon can solve and new opportunities Horizon can offer to support the success of our current and future customers.
A native New Yorker, Alex enjoys athletics. He has served as a volunteer basketball coach for the past nine years, and he raises funds for cancer research and patient support through Swim Across America.
Ask Alex how he can help keep your cruise ships sailing and your passengers traveling in comfort and style at JFKalex@haf.com.
Executive VP of Operations
James “Jimmy” Gassert is Executive Vice President at Horizon Air Freight, and has spent his 40 year career in our offices. He is deeply dedicated to satisfying and exceeding customer expectations by solving not just the daily — but the difficult.
Jimmy’s favorite part of work is leaving each day knowing that all known issues will be solved, whether that’s at 5:00 PM or 10:00 PM. He is a beloved and dedicated team player, who finds his own success in aiding the success of others.
A native resident of Long Island, Jimmy is an avid music fan of all genres, and serves in the energizing role of our “unofficially official” office DJ. Outside of work, he’s also a classic car enthusiast (his favorite is the 1960’s Lincoln Continental from the 1960’s with the suicide doors), and provides his handyman skills for friends and family.
Ask Jimmy how he can help see your shipment through from deck to door at jfkjimmy@haf.com.
Export Manager
Pixie Gibbs is the Export Manager at Horizon Air Freight, and has been dedicated to our customers for over 28 years. Recently she played an essential role in coordinating an urgently-needed spares delivery from Louisiana, Missouri, and Florida to a ship stuck in Panamanian dry dock. She is an expert at continual communication, who truly enjoys interacting with our customers to fully understand beyond their most immediate problems.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pixie’s favorite part of her work is moving around the office and warehouse, touching every critical aspect of the shipments she handles. It’s part of what helps her do the absolute best for our customers each day.
A native of Trinidad and Tabago, Pixie currently lives in Queens, NYC. Outside of work, she enjoys running and biking — when she isn’t planning and enjoying family get-togethers. If your birthday’s coming, Pixie is also the one to help celebrate, as those are her favorite.
Ask Pixie how she can help see your shipment through from deck to door at jfkpixie@haf.com.
VP of Finance
Alex Leondis is Business and Data Analytics Manager at Horizon Air Freight, who uses his background in finance to drive Horizon’s business forward. He continually challenges our team and himself to bring added insight and optimized decision making to our customer daily logistics needs.
Alex’s favorite part of his work is solving the unique questions, challenges and requests from customers utilizing data, while helping them harness the power of information. He thrives when partnering with each client to bring a unique value to their individual needs.
A native New Yorker, Alex is the grandson of Horizon’s founder Anthony Leondis. He’s also a former NCAA soccer player, who still loves the sport as much as ever. Outside of work, he also enjoys traveling both the United States and other countries of the world, and is an avid supporter of charitable endeavors.
Ask Alex how he can help see your shipment through from deck to door at alexl@haf.com.
Chief Financial Officer
Dave Rector serves as Chief Financial Officer at Horizon Air Freight, where his expertise at developing talent and teams across the organization has already proven to be vital to our success.
Dave’s favorite part of working with our clients is meeting their emergency shipment needs. About his work, he says: “In the Finance and Accounting departments, we aim to provide the same level of service to our internal clients as we do external ones . . . And we throw in a smile for free!”
Originally from Newport, RI, Dave currently resides in Ridgefield, CT with his wife of 26 years, Kim. He is also the proud father of two college-aged children. Outside of work he enjoys travel with the family, golf with his wife, yoga, cycling, and Beer League Hockey.
Ask Dave how he can help see your shipment through from deck to door at dave.rector@haf.com.
Domestic Traffic Manager
George Savich joined Horizon Air Freight as a self-described “Hustler” with a combined education from military high school, an associate’s degree in Surveying, Construction Engineering and Drafting from Alfred University, and his stint as a semi pro soccer player. He began at Horizon in 1987 as a messenger, truck driver, and warehouseman, but has worked as Domestic Manager in our Import Department for the last 23 years.
George’s long years of experience at Horizon have taught him to improvise, adapt, and overcome in order to deliver excellence in every shipment, every day. He is a relentless problem solver who not only believes in but embodies the idea that “Failure is not an option.” His favorite part about working with our clients is providing them with trust and top tier service.
Proudly hailing from Queens, NY, George currently resides there with his wife of 27 years, Anne, and is the proud father of Paul who is a professional musician. George and Anne also share their home with a dog, two cats, and a parrot whom George insists will outlive him.
Ask George how he can help see your shipment through from deck to door at jfkbrew@haf.com.
Chief Executive Officer
Steve is Horizon Air Freight’s CEO, a position he took on in 2014 after 31 years in various roles that included everything from loading trucks to leading the growth of Horizon’s foreign agencies network, allowing Horizon to offer truly global marine logistics support to all our customers. A lifelong student of world history, he brings an international perspective and a long-term view to the shipping industry’s importance in the evolution of the human condition.
Leading the company his father founded more than 50 years ago, Steve appreciates the family atmosphere Horizon has nurtured and preserved even as our global operations grow by leaps and bounds. He enjoys both his decades-long relationships with veteran Horizon leaders and the fresh ideas and energy brought by our newest generation of team members.
A star college basketball player while at Yale University — he was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 1980 — Steve majored in history, with a particular interest in the period of European history between World War I and World War II.
With his daughter Devon, Steve co-founded and sits on the board of Project Nyame Nsa, an organization dedicated to building villages with holistic support services for vulnerable and orphaned children in remote areas of Ghana and Zambia.
Ask Steve for his insights and strategies for the shipping industry’s global macrotrends at steve@haf.com.