Johnny Araiza brings 30 years of supply chain logistics experience to the International Forwarding Academy. His area of expertise is Cross Border Operations with an emphasis on US Southwest / Mexico Operations.

After leaving the Navy in 1993, Araiza started his Logistics career in Durango, Mexico with Intercraft, a division of Newell Rubbermaid. There he served as Director of Supply Chain for Mexico, as well as Plant, Materials and Purchasing Manager. It was in this role he learned of the complexities of cross border shipping and started to form a roadmap for breaking down the barriers of access between Mexico and the US.

In 2006, he joined Kuehne + Nagel as Distribution Manager, where he oversaw warehouse and administrative protocols for southern boarder distribution.

Araiza left the company in 2010 to join Uline as Country Distribution Manager where he implemented Mexico market expansion for the company and restructured ineffective organizational policies resulting in higher productivity and increased revenue.

In 2013, Araiza had the opportunity to return to Kuehne + Nagel as Southwest Vice President of Road Logistics. In this position, he spearheaded Southwest and US/ Mexico Border growth initiatives across the entire region. He developed and implemented innovative programs including an operational model to provide a streamlined approach for shipping to and from the US to Mexico. This resulted in increased profitability across the region and beyond.

Araiza left the company for a 2nd time in 2021 to become Vice President of Cross Border and Mexico Operations for Dunavant, a family run business with a global reach. He continues use his experience to grow the presence of the company in the region and has continued to remove the obstacles and complexities that complicate cross border logistics, bringing the region together in a Commercial Development role, which has led to explosive growth in cross border activity for the past two years.

In his spare time, Araiza enjoys travel and reading.