After over a quarter of a century with American Airlines, Mike Hanna decided it was time to uncover more of the full picture of perishables logistics and has joined CFI as the Director of Exports. In a career that started with a call center position and moved from cargo through inside and outside sales in the southwest United States, he has been working with CFI for decades. That exposure painted an attractive picture of the teamwork, corporate culture and camaraderie that flourishes at CFI and on Monday, January 24, 2022, Mike officially joined the team.
“I wanted to work for an airline and fly around a bit,” Mike explains when asked about his initial start in logistics. “Starting at the bottom, knowing the business from a call center perspective, it really helped me build a rapport with customers because I know what they’re looking for, what pitfalls they’re scared of and how to build solutions effectively.”
Those solutions lead Mike to success when working with his customers and a reputation for innovative thinking and being a step ahead of the competition. That advantage caught the attention of the CFI team and the relationship blossomed.
“It’s a game of inches in cargo and perishable logistics so relationships matter and partnerships make or break success. Working with Chris, Alfred and Wes was so easy – they’re committed, passionate, dynamic, and invested in cultivating a mutually beneficial relationship. It’s easy to be content when everyone wins.”
“Perishables are never stale, no pun intended, but I was ready to try a new facet of the industry. I’m a competitor in my daily life and I always want to push myself to do better, think bigger, come to a problem with a fresh perspective and work with a team just as dedicated. CFI was exactly where I wanted to be for the next phase of my career,” Mike says.
Much like how often the theme of a family atmosphere comes up in CFI stories from the inside, a competitive nature also seems to be common, just as Mike noticed. Racing sailboats since he was six years old, competing in Olympic trials for sailing, and racing from California to Hawaii five times, Mike is dedicated to continuously improving himself and his business. Even though his current days feature more golf and time spent with his long-time girlfriend Lisa, and his daughter, son-in-law, and two amazing grandsons, he’s still challenging himself to enjoy the industry that’s taught him so much about himself.
“I’m at a place now where I can look back and see Chris Connell and me when we were starting out, as young men, hungry, looking to make our mark and we did, but now we get to see how big of a mark we make when we’re working together. Who wouldn’t want to work with their friends?”
