Employee Spotlight – Angie Collins

While working for the Washington County Department of Human Services as a Food Stamps and Housing Eligibility Specialist, as well as teaching parenting classes to incarcerated women at the Washington County Jail, Angie Collins was seriously contemplating a career change.

When she heard through the grapevine that Airways Freight was hiring, Angie applied for the position. With several friends working for Airways, she witnessed great things and knew that Airways Freight was an excellent company to work for, as well as having exceptional benefits.

Now, for the past two and a half years Angie has been a sustainable part of our Accounts Receivable Department at Airways. Her day to day consists of processing credit card payments, doing accounts receivable for special accounts as well as running invoices. She loves the friendly work environment and her fellow co-workers make her career decision, a change for the better.

Born and raised in Harrison, Arkansas, Angie grew up on her family farm with Charolais cattle and horses. She spent her childhood riding four wheelers, motorcycles, fishing, and hunting. In 1988 she moved to Fayetteville to attend the University of Arkansas and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2000. She has since made Northwest Arkansas her home.

Angie has been married to her husband Bill for ten years this month. She has two stepchildren, Tyler 26, and Kyle 18. For their anniversary they recently travelled to Ireland, Iceland and Scotland on a cruise booked through Destinations. They visited various locations and some of her favorites included St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Blarney Castle, and the Blue Lagoon and Gullfoss waterfalls in Iceland.

Traveling has always been a big part of Angie’s life. She has been to New Zealand, has hunted in Namibia, swam with dolphins in Jamaica and has toured various locations in Scotland.

When Angie is not traveling, or working she loves to hunt and fish, her and her husband like riding motorcycles and four-wheelers. She is an adventure seeker, and enjoys skydiving, water skiing, snow skiing and rollercoasters. She also likes to go to the movies and play the piano and sing.

Angie is a straight-shooter, she is very driven and has never met a stranger. She enjoys uplifting others and her parents have been a great influence in her life. She is dependable, hardworking as well as giving and friendly. She makes the best of each day and Airways is proud to have her as an employee.

Employee Spotlight – JR Hampton

When it comes to having talent, this guy is filled with it. From playing the drums and singing, to flying airplanes. JR Hampton is multi-talented and for the past nineteen years he has been one of our most dependable employees and as such, was recently appointed as head of our new Aerospace Division at Airways Freight.

While previously working as an installation specialist at Hollywood Overhead Door, JR had heard about Airways through a couple of friends; Andy Moran and Shane Landelius, who were both employees at the time. JR started his journey in July of 1999 in the Trade Show Division and credits a lot of his success to his co-worker and Supervisor Hal Poole. JR feels that without his leadership and guidance, he would not be where he is today. He has tremendous gratitude toward him as well as all the management at Airways, for always providing a family atmosphere, and offering their personal assistance when needed. He says, “they are truly great people”.

Born in Woodward, Oklahoma, JR moved to Mooreland, Oklahoma when he was seven. His family eventually settled in Northwest Arkansas and have been here ever since. The youngest of eight children, life was never boring in the Hampton household. He and his brothers were always involved in either sports or playing the drums.

When JR has free time, he loves being on the water. Whether it’s the lake or the ocean, fishing or boating, he enjoys it all.

JR has been married to his best friend and wife Lisa, for nearly two years. Together they have one fur baby, a one-year old German Shepard named Tika.

Something you may not know about JR is that he has fulfilled two of his life-long dreams. One, is that he has his Private Pilot’s Certificate and two, is that he is a professional drummer in a notable band. He has recorded two albums and is on You-tube with both.

JR stays true to his faith and lives his life by the “golden rule”. He is hardworking, loyal and organized. He is a part of the Airways family and shoots for the moon on a daily basis. We are honored to have him lead our Aerospace Department.

Employee Spotlight – Christian Johnson


As one of our overnight operators, it is unlikely you will catch Christian Johnson during regular business hours. Acclimating to the grave yard shift is no easy task, but Christian does it with ease and has proven to be an essential link in the operational chain at Airways Freight.

Starting with Airways in February of 2007, Christian previously worked at Ozark Natural Foods warehouse as a special-order shipping manager. He has spent the last 10+ years at Airways and is currently working as an Special Accounts Manager in our overnight operations division.

Born and raised in Northwest Arkansas, Christian is no stranger to the outdoors. Whether it is camping, kayaking, diving, hiking and mountain biking, there is not much he hasn’t tried. When he is not at work, he spends a lot of his free time remodeling and adding on to his house. He and his girlfriend Callie have built a greenhouse and garden and with that, try to be as self-sufficient as possible. One of the things they enjoy growing is mushrooms.
Something you may not know about Christian is that he used to sing and sell merchandise for different bands on tour. He has
visited 49 states in the U.S. and two different countries. He made numerous friends and got to meet a lot of amazing artists along the way.

He is easy going, spontaneous and giving. He is also very loyal to his family and friends. One of Christian’s favorite quotes is “Life’s too mysterious to take too serious” by Mary Engelbreit.

Airways Freight has been a part of Christian’s life since he was a child. His mother worked for Airways back in the 80’s when they were located at Drake Field. He also has a brother that works for Airways named Jeremy Johnson.

One of Christian’s favorite things about working at Airways Freight is the constant push to be the best you can be; whether it’s from his co-workers, agents or customers. His industrious work ethic and attentive mind-set are two qualities that are imperative in solving any problems that may arise, and we are glad to have him watch over Airways as we sleep!

Airways Spotlight – Lotta Bergqvist-Knoll

Lotta Bergqvist-Knoll has been an Airways agent for the past 20 years! Her dedication and loyalty are inspiring to so many. She has opened doors in a predominately male industry and has proven to be one of the best sales agents Airways Freight has had the honor of working with.

Q: Where did you work before coming to work as an Agent for Airways?

A: I worked for another tradeshow forwarder in San Diego before I became an agent. Previous to that, I was in hotel sales in Sweden and later worked in sales for a resort in San Diego.

Q: What attracted you to Airways?

A: I loved the concept! And when I met all the awesome people that work for Airways I knew I was home!

Q: It has been 20 years; do you have any memories that stand out?

A: I have so many good memories and all of them are with people that work for Airways. The first girl I met at Airways was Shelly Greninger. She was working in the international department back then and was a young mom, now she is a grandmother! Many of my friends at Airways had young children when I started and now they are all grown, done with college, getting married and starting families of their own, pretty cool!

For me it is more than work, it is family. I could not do what I do without the support of the amazing people that work at Airways Freight. Their knowledge, commitment and customer service are unmatched. It has been an amazing 20 years and I am so blessed and honored to be part of the Airways team.

Q: Tell me a little about what you do now?

A: I love my life in beautiful San Diego. If you ask any of my friends or family, they will tell you that I work all the time! The great thing about being an agent is that you can work from anywhere in the world.

I enjoy travelling and I do that as much as I can. I grew up in Sweden and love anything outdoors from hiking to biking and exploring a new city. I have lived in the US for almost 25 years and every year I travel to a new place, but there is so much more to see! My husband and I have taken many road trips and explored many National Parks in this awesome country.

CONGRATULATIONS LOTTA!

“Lotta, you are an inspirational woman to myself and many others. Opening doors in a men’s industry and proving yourself the best among many. I remember going to the Candy Show and not even knowing my way around the aisles! Thanks for your patience, guidance and friendship along the way! I have only got to be part of a few of your 20 years but watching you and your amazing sales abilities and achievements have been amazing! Thank you so much for all you do, and I am so glad to know you!!”
“Congrats on 20 years!!” – Patty Osburn

Lotta, is such an inspiration to many and such a wonderful female role model. I have yet to work directly with her operationally, with her being in such high demand on the International side of Airways, but I have participated in a few “on the road” tradeshows with her and she is so loyal to her customers. I love to see her in action, she is a devoted agent and takes such good care of the business.

Just this past October, she asked seven Airways ladies to join her in a “GIRLS NYC TRIP” and I can personally say I had one awesome time. Loved getting to know her on a more personal level was great. We plan to get together for another one soon.

Lotta is just one of the nicest women I know and I love her.
Congratulations Lotta, keep smiling and stay smart and beautiful.
XOXOXO – Mandy Wood

“Lotta has always displayed the very best in customer service with her clients, creating friendships that endure over the years. She has that unique ability to command trust and respect which is so important in discussing shipping options to her customers, as well as interacting with our operations personnel.” ~ Grant Green