by Lisa Townsend | Feb 26, 2018 | Airways News
Destinations began their journey in the Spring of 1999, as a small corporate travel department within Airways Freight. Since then, they have become an award winning travel agency. With over thirty years’ experience, the team at Destinations have personalized every experience, and continue to make each journey unique and memorable.
So whether it’s skiing the slopes in Switzerland, or snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, wine tasting in Napa, or cruising the Caribbean, the team over at Destinations can make your dream vacation come true!
Meet the team!
Tracee Williams
With her savoir-faire and ambition to travel peppered with her love for business, Tracee Williams started her career at Destinations in March of 1999 with the hopes of turning the Airways based corporate travel office into a full service travel agency. Since that time she has molded Destinations into an award winning travel agency with four in-house travel agents and ten independent contractors.
Growing up in Bentonville, Arkansas, Tracee is a country girl at heart and spent many summers on her Grandmother’s farm. She learned that through hard work and perseverance, you can set your sights high and achieve the impossible. She was an excellent student and competed on a state and national level with Future Business Leaders of America. After graduating from the International Travel Institute in 1982 she began her travel career and has since gotten to experience new cultures and locations.
An avid reader, Tracee enjoys her book club and spending time at home with her husband of 28 years, Darrell, as well as their two dogs – Callie and Pete, and their senior cat Peanut.
The comradery she shares with the Destinations team is magnified by the love of travel they all share. They work well as a team and have won numerous awards in the travel industry.
Marsha Fuller
A thirty-year veteran in the travel industry, Marsha previously worked for Gulliver’s Travel for over twenty years, and another few years at Wal-Mart Corporate Travel Office. She was ready to leave the corporate world when she heard of an opening at a leisure travel office. She began working for Destinations in 2012, but her association with Airways goes back to when she was 18 years old. She drove a delivery truck from Fayetteville to Springfield every day to pick up and drop off film.
Marsha was born in Huntsville, Arkansas and loved playing basketball when she was in school. She was All-District, All-Region, and was a part of KURM Dream Team. She was offered a scholarship to play for Arkansas Tech, but was already committed to attend travel academy in Florida. From her first plane ride to Miami to attend travel school to the many other beautiful locations she has been to, she has developed a great love for travel and her enthusiasm for travel is palpable.
Marsha has been married to her husband Greg for over thirty years and together they have two children Kristi, 29 and Dustin who is 25. Marsha and Greg love to cook and try different recipes, you can always count on a delicious Sunday dinner. She loves spending time with family and lives each day with the thought in mind that life is too short to dwell on the negative, you should always smile and focus on the positive!
Karen Walker
Born in Seattle, Washington and raised in Arkansas, Karen Walker always dreamed of travelling to exotic locations. She began her adventure after graduating from the American Airlines Travel Academy in 1980 and was well on her way to fulfilling her dreams.
Karen was invited to work for Destinations in August of 2015 and knew it would be the perfect place for her to work with an incredible team, and reputable company that cares so much for their employees. Since then, she has been specializing in helping honeymooners start their lives together with the perfect honeymoon.
Some of Karen’s favorite things to do outside of her career in travel, is to spend quality time with her family. Karen has two daughters and three grandchildren and loves every precious moment she gets to spend with them. She enjoys going to the river, shopping, gardening, dining out with friends and decorating her home.
Karen always looks for the good in people and feels lucky and blessed to have such an amazing career, working for a great company, and doing what she loves!
Non Phimmarath
Syphoxay Phimmarath, better known as Non Phimmarath, is the newest member of the Destinations team. Starting in July of 2017, she was looking for an agency close to home and was strongly recommended by friends in the cruise business. With the great reputation Destinations has, she knew it would be a great opportunity to become part of a renowned agency.
Born in Laos, Non left the country at a very young age. She has lived in Thailand and the Philippines and made a permanent residence of Fort Smith, Arkansas since the age of two.
Non was a happy, confident child that asked a lot of questions. She was raised a Buddhist, but was later baptized in the Baptist church, and again as a Catholic. She cultivated a passion for travel while relocating with her family and has since become a cruise specialist in the travel agent world.
Non likes spending time with family and friends, as well as her nine-year-old puppy Winston. She loves spicy food and has the incomprehensible ability to eat five Thai chili peppers in one setting, now that’s hot! Her family is very special to her and always comes first. To this day, something she is most proud of, is the small farm she helped her father build five years ago and seeing him so happy today.
Non lives by the quote “life is short, take the trip, buy the shoes, eat the cake”, and she makes every experience in her personal and professional life unique and extraordinary.
by Lisa Townsend | Feb 20, 2018 | Airways News
With a personality to match her hair color, Erin Stanley has been closely associated with the Airways Freight family for most of her life. She was hired on in January 2001, with the thought in mind that the position she took would be a place holder job. Seventeen years later, she learned much more than she ever thought, and can’t imagine working anywhere else! 
Growing up in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Erin’s parents wanted her to see as much of the United States as possible, so they travelled frequently. They vacationed at Gulf Shores every Christmas, and every spring break, they would discover a new place to explore. Erin spent a lot of summers living on a boat and learned to sail at a very young age. 
After being in and out of each other’s lives for over thirty years, Erin married her childhood sweetheart, Shane. Shane is a paramedic and firefighter, and he has been a quintessential part of her life ever since. Erin has been a stepmother to Shane’s daughter for the past ten years and they are now proudly sending her off to John Brown University in the fall.
Erin loves to travel with her husband Shane, they visit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and Las Vegas whenever they get a chance. When at home, they love to ride motorcycles and she and her father enjoy attending all the Arkansas Razorback football games. Something they have been doing together for the past ten years.
One of Erin’s favorite past-times is reading. She is fascinated with true crime mysteries, and her all-time favorite book is Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi.
Erin is inherently influenced by her Mother. Her can-do attitude and the way she handles any stressful situation head-on with a smile is inspiring. She strives to be at least half as tough and considerate as her Mom.
Erin is loyal and honest, vocal and hardworking and she might even be a little goofy, but she is always a force to be reckoned with. And Airways Freight is glad she “held her place” in the International Ocean Department.
by airwaysfreight | Feb 12, 2018 | Airways News
When it comes to traveling, there is no telling how many frequent flyer miles this guy has put in. He is one of our tradeshow representatives and for the past ten years, has travelled the United States attending an innumerable amount of trade shows. You would never guess that Josh Collins is apprehensive about flying!
Josh started his career at Airways in June of 2007, after previously working at the Walmart Optical Lab for over four years. When an opportunity presented itself to work at Airways Freight, he welcomed the undertaking. Josh has a strong appreciation for the great relationship he has with his co-workers and has said he would not trade his Airways family for anything. Each day is an opportunity for him to meet and talk to new people, and there is never a feeling of monotony.
Josh was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas. His Mother was the youngest of twelve children, so there were always family gatherings to attend. Josh is not the only Collins family member to be employed by Airways Freight. His cousin Jason works in the trade show department.
When Josh isn’t on the road or in the office, he likes to spend his time outdoors. He enjoys camping, barbequing, fishing, floating, riding motorcycles and four wheeling. He also loves to hear live music and appreciates time spent with family and friends. Josh has an extensive collection of pocket knives that he has collected from the age of five. His collection exists of 68 knives total. He is also very interested in learning different languages from Italian to American Sign Language. 
Being away on business much of his time, Josh has taken to heart a quote by Robert Frost. – “Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in.” Some of his favorite places to visit are Downtown Chicago, Seattle, and Hawaii. But one of Josh’s favorite destinations is Austin, Texas. He loves the great food, music and all-around atmosphere.
Whether Josh is in the office, or on the road, his dedication and commitment to Airways is always synchronous with his ability to succeed. He represents Airways with the kind of leadership needed to persevere in the trade show industry. We applaud his achievements.
by airwaysfreight | Feb 5, 2018 | Airways News
Lance Gage has been a part of our Nuclear Utilities Division since July of 2012. After working numerous jobs as a customer service representative, an assistant manager at Finish Line and a baker at Stone Mill Bread, Lance found out about a company that would give him the opportunity to grow. His experience in customer service, helped propel him to Accounts Manager in Airways Nuclear Utilities Division. Along with his regular duties in operations, he is also one member of our team that has the tedious task of training our new generation of employees. 
Born in Fort Smith, and raised in Ozark, Arkansas, Lance was mostly interested in playing sports as a child. From Little League baseball to basketball, his memories of childhood always revolved around ball. With his Dad being a coach, there was always time to play. Another thing he loved about growing up was spending summers and weekends with his Grandmother. Being the most influential person in Lance’s life, she taught him the values and standards that helped mold him into the person he is today.
On Lance’s time off, he loves going to the movies, playing golf and occasionally riding four wheelers. He also enjoys playing Nintendo. He has had quite a few unforgettable events in his life, from getting to see Michael Jordan play and singing the “Fresh Prince” theme with Will Smith, to buying his first house. Lance is undefeated at Techmo Bowl (Chicago Bears) and (actually) had a peacock as a pet. He also has quite the collection of shoes, his accumulation has exceeded well over one hundred twenty-five pairs. And yes ladies, he’s single.
Lance has been a leader in his division and loves not knowing what each day entails. He looks forward to the ambiguity of each day and the level of determination it takes to achieve his goals. He also has a great appreciation working for a company that cares so much about their employees and enjoys working with his team members. Lance is very dedicated and is always ready to make that jump-shot. He gives us his all and we at Airways commend his contribution. 
by airwaysfreight | Jan 29, 2018 | Airways News
Most of us know him by the name Shane, but did you know his first name is actually Joshua? Or that Shane used to own and manage a comic book store? We found out quite a bit about Joshua “Shane” Landelius, from his quirky sense of humor to his steadfast and unwavering loyalty. He has been a complement to our Truckload division and has made a lasting impression with Airways Freight. 
Shane began his career with Airways in April of 1998. He had previously worked as a bartender and heard stories about the family atmosphere as well as the much-needed benefits Airways provides.
Born in Dearborn, Michigan and raised in Northwest Arkansas, Shane is one of four children. He learned a great deal of responsibility and self-sufficiency from his Mother. She instilled the work ethic he has shown today, and taught him to have an open mind and to try to see things from a different perspective.
He spent his younger years fishing, swimming and playing basketball with his friends. He attended several different schools including a boarding school. Shane’s favorite extra-curricular activities included Speech, Drama, and Debate. He mostly competed in duet acting and improvisational duet acting.
Shane has three top highlights in his life, the first is the birth of his two sons, Owen who is 13, and Ryan 10. The second is that he has travelled to see two oceans and the Gulf of Mexico, and the third was a monumental learning experience camping at Camp Hale, Colorado. When he has spare time, (which isn’t that often) Shane loves spending time with his two boys, and hanging out with family and friends. He also enjoys watching documentaries and relishes in the fact that he can karaoke stone-cold sober. 
Shane is very loyal and always gives us one hundred percent. He is also fun-loving and unique, and that’s what makes him such a well-rounded asset to Airways Freight. His favorite quote is a prime example of his willingness to prevail. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle.
by airwaysfreight | Jan 22, 2018 | Airways News
The go-to guy for any internet based technical support, Mike Berger first started his career with Airways in the night operations department. After becoming the Night Operations Manager, he transferred with a couple of stops along the way, to International Ocean Freight. After receiving his degree in computer science, he subsequently settled into Airways I.T. Department and has notably impressed us with his intellect for the past eleven years. 
Born in Camden, Arkansas, Mike was adopted at the age of two by Charles and Paulette Berger. His father Charles was a High School Guidance Counselor, and his mother Paulette worked at UAMS as a Lab Technician. He grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas and has very fond memories of his childhood. Mike’s grandfather was employed by the rail yard, so he would go with him to work on occasion and ride on different locomotives. Mike also spent his summers working at Magic Springs, a local amusement park. 
In 1990, Mike moved to Northwest Arkansas to attend the University of Arkansas. He met his wife Kim in 1997 and married in the Fall of 2000. Together they have three children. Caden who is 12, Ryan 10 and Ava who is 6. 
At the age of 27, Mike made the decision to search for his biological parents. In doing so, he discovered he was the youngest of seven biological siblings. All of which reside in different areas of the United States, from Louisiana to Nevada.
In Mike’s spare time, he plays competitive volleyball and loves attending his children’s different sporting events. Him and his wife have competed several times in the Warrior Dash, a 5k obstacle course race with 12 world-class obstacles. He’s an avid collector of Coca Cola and Star Wars memorabilia. His favorite collectible, is his 1957 Coca Cola machine. He likes to play poker and periodically throws poker tournaments for charity. 
With his never-ending interest in technology, Mike has (at times) the arduous task of making sure Airways Freight stays connected with the rest of the world. He is instrumental in maintaining the network, and is successful in the process of keeping our employees online and productive. He is the glue that holds Airways together, and we are fortunate to have him on our team.
Marsha Fuller 
Karen Walker
Non Phimmarath
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