Emery Worldwide

Emery Air Freight (1946–1979) In 1946, John C. Emery Sr. and Leonard G. Hunt founded Emery Air Freight Corporation (EAF) in New York City. Emery worked as assistant to the president of Railway Express Agency prior to World War II. EAF's business model was informed by Emery's experience during World War II as head of transportation at the U.S. Navy Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, specifically its focus on tracking the progress of every package across country. Emery was the first air freight forwarder to apply for a license from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) as a common carrier, despite opposition from scheduled airlines. In 1948, Emery was granted common air freight carrier license No. 1 by the CAB. In 1969, Emery introduced EmCon, a pioneering computerized tracking system, following a $3 million investment in a 10-year computer lease with IBM. Emery Worldwide (1981–2001) Emery Air Freight was rebranded as Emery Worldwide in 1981. The company started acquiring its own aircraft and established Emery Worldwide Airlines. That year, it built a freight sortation "Superhub" in Dayton, Ohio, central to its North American distribution network. By 1983, Emery operated a fleet of 64 aircraft and was noted for offering the broadest range of services in the air freight industry, being the largest international forwarder of documents and packages. In April 1989, Emery was acquired by Consolidated Freightways (CF) for $230 million and merged with CF’s air freight division to form Emery Worldwide, A CF Company. In 1996, CF rebranded as CNF Transportation Inc., and Emery became Emery Worldwide, A CNF Company. Emery Worldwide Airlines faced safety violations, leading to the grounding of its planes on August 13, 2001, following an FAA investigation and the crash of Flight 17 on February 16, 2000. Emery’s cargo operations were subcontracted to other carriers, with no service disruption to customers. Menlo Worldwide Forwarding (2001–2004) Emery Worldwide was renamed Emery Forwarding in late 2001, and on January 1, 2004, the name was changed to Menlo Worldwide Forwarding. == Notable shipments ==

• In 1969, an unlabeled crate containing the painting “Portrait of a Woman and a Musketeer” by Pablo Picasso, which was valued at $75,000 and was being shipped from Paris to Milwaukee, was removed from Emery’s facility in Boston by an employee who took it home with him, reportedly at the direction of his supervisor who wanted to reduce clutter on the dock. When the employee discovered what was in the crate, and realized that the FBI was investigating its apparent theft, he returned it anonymously to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. No one knew who took the painting, or who returned it, until 2023. • In 1983, following baseball's infamous pine tar incident Emery shipped the bat back to its owner, Kansas City Royal slugger George Brett, after league President Lee McPhail ruled that a home run Brett had hit against the New York Yankees on July 24 counted even though there was too much pine tar on the bat. • In 1988, a package addressed from University of Kentucky basketball assistant coach Dwane Casey to the father of basketball recruit Chris Mills reportedly came unsealed in transit, and several Emery employees said they found $1,000 in cash inside, prompting an NCAA investigation. Casey denied sending the package, and in 1990, Emery settled a $6.9 million lawsuit with Casey, who had sued for defamation. == References ==