$150,000 Gift to Expand Supply Chain Management Initiatives

FIU Business has received a $150,000 gift from freight payment platform PayCargo to support logistics and supply chain management programs, expanding its focus on the air cargo sector. This gift establishes the PayCargo Professorship.

The gift will support a team of FIU Business professors who will conduct research on supply chains for air cargo shipments as well as managing natural disasters and pandemics. The team will also collaborate on curriculum development for future FIU Business programs. Additional areas of focus will include student recruitment as well as community and corporate engagement.

"This professorship is a first step to assist in building a world-class school for graduate and undergraduate programs in supply chain management at FIU in Miami, a cargo gateway to Latin America and a major air cargo hub connecting Asia and Latin America," said Eduardo del Riego (BBA '82), CEO of PayCargo.

Sushil Gupta, professor of information systems and business analytics, will lead the faculty team as PayCargo Professor. Five other FIU Business professors have been named PayCargo fellows:

• Paulo Gomes, Assistant Professor, Information Systems and Business Analytics
• Attila Hertelendy, Associate Teaching Professor, Information Systems and Business Analytics
• Sebastian Garcia Dastugue, Assistant Professor, Marketing and Logistics
• Andrea Patrucco, Assistant Professor, Marketing and Logistics
• Ha Ta, Assistant Professor, Marketing and Logistics
   

"THIS PROFESSORSHIP IS A FIRST STEP TO ASSIST IN BUILDING A WORLD-CLASS SCHOOL FOR GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT."

Eduardo del Riego

Air cargo veteran Michael White, president of Trade Network Consultants, will be an executive-in-residence at FIU Business, adding industry expertise to the professorship. He brings 40 years of experience in the airfreight sector, having held senior positions at Cargo Network Services, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines and the Air Transport Association, among others.

Founded in 2005, PayCargo's cloudbased technology enables virtual payments for air and ocean carriers, maritime ports, ground handlers, freight forwarders and customs brokers, resulting in quicker cargo release for businesses.

To meet the growing demand for fully online programs, FIU Business launched a 10-month Online Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management program in January 2021.