For as long as I can remember, J.W. Allen has been a fixture in my life. As a child, I vacationed with J.W. Allen in Pascagoula, MS. While my dad was supervising the loading of reefer vessels at the port, I was swimming with my family at the La Font Inn. In the evenings, the captain of the reefer vessel would invite us all on board for a tour and dinner.

As a teenager, my summer would kick off with our “family vacation” at the International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers of New Orleans annual conference at the Biloxi Hilton. The rest of the summer I would fall victim to endless paper cuts filing away document after document, along with running documents all over the city.

In college, my car and driver’s license made me a hot commodity. My new job was to “hot shot” health certificates from the cold storage in New Orleans to the USDA vet at the Sanderson Farms plant in Hammond, LA and finally back to J.W. Allen.

After “officially” joining J.W. Allen 11 years ago, I have had the pleasure of learning from the best in the business: the J.W. Allen family! Our employees are truly our best asset; their knowledge and their commitment both to J.W. Allen and our customers is what sets J.W. Allen apart. I also have the daily privilege of working with and learning from the most wonderful man in the industry: our CEO and my Dad, Billy App. He has taught me that honesty, integrity, and a person’s word is what is most important in this business. These are just a few of the principles that have guided us over the last 80 years.

Thank you to our family of employees, customers, and partners who have made the last 80 years possible! Happy 80th Birthday, J.W. Allen!

Sincerely,

Kristi App
Vice President – Business Development / Customer Relations