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AfA Executive Director

Brandon Fried was appointed to serve as the Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association in November 2005. Brandon has more than 38 years of experience in the air freight industry. He started his career as a sales representative in Los Angeles. He then moved to Washington, D.C. where he began, owned and operated the Washington office of a global freight forwarder specializing in time definite air cargo transportation.


In 2000, Brandon joined the Airforwarders Association and was elected as Chairperson in 2001, serving for two consecutive terms. In August 2005 he sold his company interest and began consulting air cargo companies on business strategy and management practices until his appointment as Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association.


Brandon is a recognized expert on the air cargo industry and regularly comments for major trade publications such as American Shipper, The Journal of Commerce and Air Cargo World.  He also continues to educate and advocate for forwarders in national publications, including the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald and USA Today.  He has also appeared on National Public Radio, CNN News and C-SPAN’s Washington Journal television shows.


Brandon represents the Association on all security matters and serves on several Federal Advisory Committees. He advocates for the industry in the halls of Congress, the Department of Homeland Security and is the public face of the Airforwarders Association.


A graduate of Syracuse University, Brandon holds a Masters in Business Administration and lives in Chevy Chase, MD, with his wife Kim and two children, Evan and Jordan.  

 

Brandon Fried, AfA Executive Director, Committee Appointments

Brandon Fried, In The News

Recent Op-Eds & Media Coverage

Delays at LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia concern air freight ( Freight Waves, January 25, 2019) 

As the US shutdown drags on, the threat to supply chains grows (The Loadstar, January 7, 2019) 

We asked: The top 5 reasons to join air cargo industry (Air Cargo World, Dec 31, 2018) 

Airforwarders Association’s Fried offers up state of the sector (Logistics Management, Dec 20, 2018)

Truck driver shortage souring the American sweet tooth  (Air Cargo World, Dec 5, 2018)

Amid political chaos, some hope from above for cargo security (Air Cargo World, Nov 2, 2018)

Risk-based rules can end the absurdity of fishy air cargo regulation (Air Cargo World, Oct 2, 2018)

How to avoid future ACAS monkey business (Air Cargo World, Sept 7, 2018)

Is your website ready for automated shipping portals? (Air Cargo World, Aug 10, 2018)

Are security measures neutralizing airfreight's chief asset? (Air Cargo World, Jul 3, 2018)

Uncertain Certification: Do CEIV-Pharma standards really help? (Air Cargo World, Jul 2, 2018)

NCA says it will be at least 'more than another week' before 747 Fs are back in the sky (Air Cargo World, Jun 22, 2018) 

Trade War Fallout: 5 ways the Trump tariffs could impact air cargo (Air Cargo World, Jun 21, 2018)

Hitting the wall: Tariffs may bring a premature end to the cargo boom (Air Cargo World, Jun 5, 2018) 

What will ELDs do to the noble profession of truck driving? (Air Cargo World, Apr 2, 2018)

A 'New NAFTA' could lead to angry Canadian neighbors (Air Cargo World, Mar 2, 2018)

A glimpse into the future of forwarding - through a cloudy crystal (Air Cargo World, Feb 2, 2018)

Automation must always come with a human touch (Air Cargo World, Dec 7, 2017)

Elbow room: Alerting governments about the airport space crunch (Air Cargo World, Nov 3, 2017)

Infrastructure issue bridges gap between forwarders, integrators (Air Cargo World, Oct 6, 2017)

E-commerce adaptation should be evolutionary, not revolutionary (Air Cargo World, Aug 4, 2017)

AFA to press Homeland Security for e-commerce security updates (Air Cargo World, Jul 25, 2017)

That Sinking Feeling: Keeping shippers from running back to seafreight (Air Cargo World, Jul 6, 2017)

The nose knows: Why we need more canine detection for cargo (Air Cargo World, Jul 4, 2017)

Building a better hamburger: The importance of consistent quality (Air Cargo World, Jun 2, 2017)

CNS: Viva la tech revolution, for those who survive the disruption (Air Cargo World, May 3, 2017) 

Disruption, adaptation no stranger to forwarding business (Air Cargo World, May 2, 2017)

What shippers really want: Airfreight's true customers speak out (Air Cargo World, May 1, 2017)

Automation cannot replace forwarder specialization (Air Cargo World, Apr 4, 2017)

Swamp draining can lead to unintended consequences (Air Cargo World, Mar 3, 2017)

Forwarders' Forum: Taming the Trump roller-coaster (Air Cargo World, Feb 8, 2017)

Contact

Brandon Fried, Executive Director

Airforwarders Association
202-577-9536