Takeaways from COVID-19
It’s been three years since the COVID-19 pandemic nearly brought the world to a standstill…
It’s been three years since the COVID-19 pandemic nearly brought the world to a standstill…
Horizon Air Freight and Swift Marine announced today that they have entered a strategic business partnership and will unite as a single company, Horizon Group. The new joint company will now offer a unique combination of marine logistics and port agency services in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe.
“Two great companies have become one for the betterment of our clients,” said Steve Leondis, CEO of Horizon Group. “Together, Horizon and Swift can offer the next level in service through an even larger, stronger network for our customers.”
“Together, Horizon and Swift can provide unmatched value for our customers,” said Nico Koumbatis, CEO of Swift Marine. “Our shared mission is to deliver everything they need to their ports of call while also managing the logistics along the way.”
The combined services following the partnership include:
Horizon is a platform investment of ICV Partners, LLC. Zeena Rao, a Managing Director of ICV Partners, said that Horizon and Swift make a formidable team. “It’s rare to find two companies with such consistent missions, visions, and values that put the customer first. The combination of Horizon and Swift provides customers with best-in-class service and capabilities worldwide.”
Alongside Horizon’s acquisition with Transmarine Navigation and Delver Agents, the Horizon–Swift partnership solidifies the Horizon Group’s strength in Asia, Europe, and the Americas—underscoring their unique position as a one-stop solution for clients everywhere.
Existing customers of Horizon and Swift Marine can take advantage of the newly integrated services immediately by reaching out to their current account representatives. New customers can contact Horizon through haf.com or by calling 800-221-6028.
Horizon Group keeps fleets shipshape and on schedule with global marine logistics by air, land, and sea. Critical marine spares, supplies, and equipment from any vendor worldwide: consolidated, expedited, delivered door to deck. Whatever you need, wherever you need it, we’ll get it there on time and on budget. With more than 50 years of experience, we keep more than 3,000 ships safe, able, and sailing.
Swift Marine Group is a dynamic organization with extensive experience in the complex world of marine logistics and forwarding. Leveraging its prowess as a frontrunner in IT innovation, Swift acts as a consolidated control tower for its large and diversified customer portfolio to streamline data communication and collaboration with all parties along the supply chain.
Founded in 1999, ICV Partners is a private investment firm that supports management leaders of strong lower middle market companies in pursuing growth. The principals of ICV have crafted a strong track record of helping companies expand their footprint and improve performance over the long term. Additional information is available at www.icvpartners.com.
What were you doing Friday, December 9, 2022?
Signing a few last holiday cards…
Horizon Air Freight announced today its recent acquisition of Transmarine Navigation Corporation, further establishing its leadership positions as an international port agency and customer-first logistics solution for ship owners, operators, and charters, making ports of call in North and South America.
Horizon CEO Steve Leondis said the transaction was completed in Q4 2022.
“In the spirit of Horizon and Transmarine, we began our partnership with a focus on our customers and the quality of our services,” he said. “Now it is time to share the big news with the public. Our acquisition of Transmarine allows us to better coordinate critical services for our customers’ vessels calling North and South America. Together, we’ll get everything they need to their ports of call and manage all their in-port logistics too, all with our shared commitment to excellence in the service of our customers. It’s a simpler and more streamlined solution for our clients, all provided by two companies the industry has trusted for generations.”
The combined services after the acquisition include:
Transmarine recently announced that Leslie Clements was stepping into the role of Managing Director, a position previously held by Jim Papp, who is assuming the role of Head of Strategic Ventures. Papp was instrumental in developing the partnership with Horizon.
“After nearly 40 years at the company, I can confidently say that there has never been a more exciting time to be a part of Transmarine,” Papp said. “A new ownership structure, combined with a great new leader in Leslie, will ensure that our best days are upon us.”
“It’s an honor to continue Transmarine and Horizon’s great work,” Clements said. “The new visionary leadership team, alongside the legacy of producing results for our clients, is the perfect combination.”
Existing customers of Horizon and Transmarine can take advantage of the newly integrated services immediately by reaching out to their current account representatives. New customers can contact Horizon through haf.com or by calling 800-221-6028.
About Horizon Air Freight
Horizon Air Freight keeps fleets shipshape and on schedule with global marine logistics by air, land, and sea. Critical marine spares, supplies, and equipment from any vendor worldwide: consolidated, expedited, delivered door to deck. Whatever you need, wherever you need it, we’ll get it there on time and on budget. With more than 50 years of experience, we keep more than 3,000 ships safe, able, and sailing. To learn more about how Horizon and Transmarine’s combined services can help your fleet, call 800-221-6028 or visit haf.com.
About Transmarine
Founded in 1938, Transmarine is a leading U.S. tramp ship agency, headquartered in Long Beach, California, and with offices in a dozen port cities along the Gulf Coast, West Coast, and Hawaii. The most prestigious firms in the shipping industry trust Transmarine to manage their port call operations with safety and efficiency. To learn more visit www.transmarine.com.
“During a shipping emergency, a freight forwarder frequently comes out looking like a real hero,” says Josh Roman, Chief Commercial Officer at Horizon Air Freight. “You put on your cape, move faster than a speeding bullet, leap over a few tall obstacles, and do what it takes to save the day.”
When such predicaments arise (and are then solved), the victories may be temporarily gratifying, but they can get expensive, to say the least. While a successful relationship with a marine logistics partner should certainly include the ability to handle emergencies, there’s so much more upon which a sustainable partnership is based.
“What happens every day, from the first mile to the last mile, is where the value is really delivered,” Roman explains. “Consider what’s being lost long-term when you’re jumping from crisis to crisis with different freight forwarders. Or even sticking with the same one in a never ending cycle of barely averted catastrophe, with no time to focus on sustainable success.”
When crucial minutes and tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars are on the line, you need someone who anticipates every detail and ensures it’s buttoned up before it becomes an emergency — no matter where you’re shipping, what you’re shipping, or how it has to get there. You need a stable partner who really knows not only your company, but the complexities of each shipment, the landscape of where it’s going, and the intricacies of getting it there quickly, safely, and cost-effectively.
“To gain all of the benefits long-term,” Roman insists, “Superman emergencies can’t be the only basis of your partnership. You need someone who can be your Clark Kent, too.”
So how do you cultivate a heroic relationship with a freight forwarding partner, beyond the thrill of crisis? In very similar ways you would for any fulfilling, long-term partnership.
In order to save yourself time, money, and potential heartache, first you need to know what you’re looking for. Carve out time to consider all your logistics needs, including locations, quality control, cost efficiencies, and even cultural or bureaucratic demands. Examine the full value a partner could provide in each department, beyond the shiny facet that seems to be demanding attention now.
Once you’ve looked closely at the ways in which a forwarder could add value to your company, set these expectations for yourself and evaluate your potential suitors to see what they can offer. Clearly understanding what you need most, and what they are able to give, will shape your entire partnership.
When you’ve defined what you’re looking for, communicate that clearly, and often. This includes what you’re seeking in the first interaction together.
“When you’re going out with someone,” Roman illustrates, “do you just say, ‘I’ll pick you up at 7:00,’ and go? Or is it better to define what you’ll both be doing? ‘Meet for coffee’ for example, is a lot different than ‘take in the symphony,’ or ‘split the bill at this Michelin restaurant.’” Defining how you will make your first interaction will set the table for you both, and will help your new logistics partner understand exactly how they can help you.
Then, during this initial “date” conversation (and even while setting it up), communicate clearly what will work best for you and your company long-term. Make sure your new partner agrees to and can fulfill these expectations. “Failure to communicate is often a failure,” Roman asserts. “Even and especially from the beginning.”
Remember too that good communication goes both ways. Be ready to share — and receive — feedback along the way. Plan for regular check-ins, not just during the first interaction but throughout your contract together. During these appointments, discuss not only where you succeeded and where improvements can be made, but key upcoming items including new company priorities, global trends, or staff changes.
The more you and your marine logistics partner can communicate with mutual honesty and respect, the longer-lasting the rewards of your partnership will be.
Not ready for a full-scale commitment just yet? Find a partner who can meet a subset of your requests before going all-in. “At Horizon, we can handle shipments in say Japan or Europe first,” Roman recommends, “and then expand to another area, and another, until we’re handling all your shipments globally.”
By taking a phased approach, you can achieve good things in one area while working out any kinks. With continued communication along the way, before long you’ll be ready to conquer the world.
If you’re interested in starting a new relationship or expanding your current one with Horizon, contact us today to set up a conversation. We’ll take the time to learn the intricacies of what you need — and make recommendations based on what we hear from you — to guarantee your critical marine spares, supplies, and equipment are delivered from any vendor worldwide, wherever you need it, whenever you need it, on time and on budget.
The global maritime supply chain has, to put it mildly, been tossed about through three turbulent years as the world was swept by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the immediate aftermath of the initial coronavirus outbreak, whole nations closed their ports and borders, and entire fleets of planes were grounded. Then, as scientists and public health officials learned more about how to prevent, diagnose, and treat COVID-19 infection, demand skyrocketed for shipping of hand sanitizer, masks, and other personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as for ventilators for overrun hospital emergency departments. In the months and years that followed, those able to work from home ordered furniture, equipment, and supplies to fit out their home offices and adjust to homebound family life.
While all this new demand led to record gross revenues for shipping companies, it also dramatically increased complexity and operating costs. In the nearly three years that have followed, labor shortages and quarantines caused historic delays at ports, commercial flights dropped more than 70%, and exacerbated trade imbalances led to massive shortages of containers in key manufacturing regions of the world. All of this impeded and slowed delivery of critical marine spares, equipment, and supplies, while driving up air and sea freight rates astronomically.
Together, we found ways to get you what you needed to keep your fleets safe, able, and sailing, though we know those skyrocketing freight rates have strained your budgets. We did whatever it took to keep your deliveries 99% on time without busting your budget, and you stuck by us through the hard times.
As we enter 2023, it seems that smoother sailing for procurement departments is at last just over the horizon, with both rates and delays now declining:
Granted, this all comes with expectations that shipping revenue will decline in 2023, but so too should procurement costs. With the historic demand of the past few years subsiding, procurement departments will be under heightened pressure to seize all opportunities to reduce logistics costs in order to maintain healthy profit margins.
Fortunately, we expect 2023 to mark a return to more predictable procurement planning: an opportunity for you to do what you do best to control costs while keeping your fleet shipshape and sailing. Following are some key ways you can reduce costs in the year ahead.
The chaos of the COVID era sometimes punished planning ahead. Rates, fuel prices, schedules, demand, delays, and everything else were in constant flux to a degree our industry has never seen before. But we expect 2023 to be a return to relative stability in the freight environment.
Planning ahead will once again be reliably rewarded. So map out in advance what you’ll need, where you’ll need it, and when you’ll need it there. Place your orders with plenty of lead time, confident once again that the entire industry won’t turn upside down before delivery.
While the future is never certain, we’re returning to an environment in which you can usefully scope out the year ahead rather than reacting to each day’s new crisis. What planned maintenance will your ships need and when? When will major port calls be near key supply hubs? What other important milestones can you anticipate for your ships over the next year?
Plan out the foreseeable needs you’ll have through year’s end, then work back from there. You’ll save yourself a lot of stress and save on shipping costs too.
With spikes in fuel costs, many of your contract service agreements have been more expensive than you probably anticipated when signing. Higher fuel costs understandably led to higher shipping costs, but fuel prices have lately been leveling off and declining. Your shipping costs should too.
Carefully review all your contract service agreements that have fuel surcharge provisions or fuel-based pricing. Make sure you’re getting the shipping cost reductions that lower fuel prices allow.
Consolidation is one of the more effective ways we can control your costs. Horizon has 30 warehouses located near key suppliers and ports around the world. And we can save you more if we know more… and if your team knows more too.
Communicate your preferred supply ports and logistics hubs to us, to your team, and to all on-board staff who will submit purchase orders. That will allow us to better consolidate your orders and deliver them efficiently to your ships at planned ports of call.
Whether through turbulent seas or in times of smooth sailing, Horizon is here to help you optimize your budget. Whether for scheduled maintenance or an emergency need, we’ll get you whatever you need, wherever and whenever you need it to keep your ships safe, able, and sailing. Call us at +1 800-221-6028 or contact us online anytime, and tell us how we can help.
For over 50 years, Horizon Air Freight has kept the world’s fleets shipshape…
Over the last couple of years, Horizon Air Freight has experienced remarkable growth. During this period of expansion, we’ve added many staff members, and combined forces with powerful partners to elevate our global reach.
During a routine walk around the office recently, CEO Steve Leondis found himself noticing that this company growth has had multiple positive impacts. And a big one included the breadth of diversity among the staff.
“Even from the beginning,” he remarks, “Horizon has been multicultural. We are, after all, a global organization, founded by my father who was a Greek immigrant to the United States. But now I can really see that, as much as we serve global companies around the world, our staff members reflect that too.”
The team at Horizon has long included men and women from diverse backgrounds. But Leondis was struck by the sheer number of nationalities represented to date. Currently, the combined nationalities represented across Horizon’s New York, Miami, Seattle, Houston, and Argentina offices include:
Leondis attributes this breadth of representation to a few simple things.
“Historically the mindset has always been to hire for the job,” Leondis insists. “I learned that from my father. Whoever fit the job description was hired, period. That’s always how we’ve looked at things. Just hire for the job. So that’s in our backbone, but in the last year or so the applicants are even more diverse than before. It’s not just individuals from New York anymore, or even people from the logistics space. And I love this.”
Even when hiring from a more diverse pool, however, the common goal at Horizon has continued to remain the same.
“Our common goal is always to serve the customer,” Leondis states. “Recently we went through a DE&I exercise involving individual and team interviews over a couple of months. And at the conclusion, serving our customers came through loud and clear as everyone’s primary goal. That dedication is what unites every single person who works here. And I think that comes through to our clients, as well.”
Expressing mutual care and respect for one another has been another key element to the success of Horizon’s diversity.
“Historically we’ve been available for all of our employees 24/7. For a company of our size, that is an outlier,” Leondis admits, “but that’s who we are. My office door is open for anyone at any time, and my phone is available. Given the pressure and busy-ness we experience, we always take time to unite people with simple, but personal, things. We celebrate everyone’s birthday with cake and coffee, for example. We recognize everyone from A to Z.”
Beyond providing a pleasant, empathic workplace and competitive compensation, Leondis also believes “a big differentiator is that we treat customers and employees as individuals. Whether it’s a warehouseman, truck driver, or senior salesperson — everyone deserves the same respect. That’s how we’ve developed as a company, and that’s what we want to keep as we grow.”
“I’m at the office very early each morning,” Leondis says, “so I see everyone come in. When I walk into the kitchen to have coffee, I see a very diverse group sitting and enjoying the start of their morning together. But beyond this friendliness, teamwork is required to meet the daily challenges. These diverse personalities all come together to create the best solutions.”
Combining diverse resources across the team to solve problems makes the company stronger, Leondis insists. But a multicultural workforce can also strengthen relationships with clients.
Leondis intends to build into that strength even more as the company continues to grow internationally. “As our services become more global, we may utilize even more individuals familiar with different languages and cultures to help grow our business in those areas, or even help us get new business in other locations.”
Early clients of Horizon Air Freight were largely from Greece — homeland of founder Anthony Leondis. As the business grew to include more U.S. shipping companies, the elder Leondis would occasionally send another representative instead of himself. “He had a heavy Greek accent,” Steve Leondis explains, “and he didn’t think a Greek immigrant would serve well to pitch for the business. I don’t have that same feeling he did, but it has given me an understanding of moving between two worlds. And the biggest thing this larger worldview has helped me with as a CEO is to always put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”
For Leondis, this means when visiting a client in Germany for example, to consider their needs, demands, and expectations. And keep an open mind as to how they may be viewing you and your own culture, as well.
“In these situations,” Leondis asserts, “I don’t think of myself as an American. Instead I think of myself as a businessman, and try to relate to my customers that way.”
Leondis encourages this macro-level thinking for everyone at Horizon, regardless of their position or background. And he hopes that continued connection and collaboration will empower everyone to conduct their work similarly.
How else can Horizon benefit from and celebrate this remarkable diversity in the future? There are a multitude of ways. “For one,” Leondis says happily, “I think we should have a cultural food day where everyone brings something to share from their homeland.”
Given Horizon’s diverse team and global reach, that will make for quite a feast.
For 15 years, Delver Agents has been the premier Ushuaia-based port agency and supplier supporting Antarctic expeditions from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Antarctic operators from cruise lines and fishing fleets including NASA and Metallica trust Delver for ship services, freight forwarding, and import and export services. From parkas and pistons to mobile labs and submarines, they’ve always found a way to get you whatever you need, wherever you need it, from ports throughout the Southern Cone.
Now joining forces, Horizon and Delver Agents have the global reach to serve all your Arctic, Alaskan, and Antarctic expeditions. With our combined logistics supply chains, we provide consolidated door-to-deck delivery of marine spares, hotel supplies, and food and beverages from vendors anywhere in the world.
Together, Delver Agents and Horizon offer you an integrated, end-to-end solution that streamlines your procurement operations while giving you greater transparency, security, reliability, and control of all your purchase orders.
Our teams provide:
How can the combined forces of Horizon and Delver support your Arctic, Antarctic, or Alaskan expedition? Whatever you need, wherever you need it, we’ll get the job done.
Announcing the launch of Horizon WorldTrack 2.0, a major upgrade to the global marine logistics portal you already rely on to track your fleet’s supply chain and optimize your budget.
For nearly two years, Horizon’s business strategists and software development team collaborated with our customers to reconceive and redesign WorldTrack around the challenges, opportunities, and technical capabilities of today’s most forward-thinking, data-driven shipping companies. We then redeveloped WorldTrack from the ground up for robust performance, enhanced security, and lightning fast response.
“The UI/UX is fully revamped, functionality is much more intuitive, features are more interactive, and the overall experience is more tailored to each individual user.” — Sheryl Ann Crespo, Director of Engineering and Technology
WorldTrack 2.0 gives your marine purchasing and technical departments exactly the information and insights you need, whenever you need them, however they’ll be most helpful to you. So you can keep your fleet on schedule while optimizing your budget.
We built WorldTrack 2.0 on a rock-solid foundation of cloud-native infrastructure. It’s scalable, extensible, and customizable to serve your evolving needs for transparency, analysis, and integration. Our strategists and developers are eager to work with you. How can WorldTrack 2.0 better serve your fleet’s needs?
“We’ve always believed that you need data to drive decision making in terms of value, efficiency, optimization, and planning.” — Alex Leondis, Business Insights and Data Analytics Manager
WorldTrack 2.0 is now live and available through the website portal link. During the transition to WorldTrack 2.0, you will still have access to the classic WorldTrack portal through a link on the new portal’s home page.
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.