More than your Logistics Partner - We are your Ally

As President of AGL, Steve’s main goal is to understand his clients’ needs thoroughly. This will allow his clients to focus on the core nature of their business while letting Ally handles the logistics of shipping their forest products internationally. Steve embraces AGL’s mission of “creating lifelong partnerships by continuously improving and finding the most cumulatively efficient solutions for its clients.” Listening is an important if not the most important quality to Steve because it allows him to truly hear his clients’ needs and better understand their operations.

Steve’s preference of superpower, to be able to teleport, fits perfectly with his role at Ally because he travels frequently to meet with clients.

Steve was born in Scituate, MA and now lives in Weymouth, MA having previously lived in Los Angeles and New York City. While living in NYC Steve worked with Mediterranean Shipping Company as well as an Advertising firm.

Each year he raises money to combat Chiari malformation which his younger sister suffers from. In addition each spring he volunteers at Father Bill’s in Brockton, feeding the homeless. Steve describes himself as amicable and a straight forward guy. He enjoys going to the golf range, reading, watching Jeopardy and, most importantly, cooking. On a more personal note, Steve says he is a “complete nerd at heart” and he would like Robert Downey Jr. or Alec Baldwin to play him if a movie was ever created about his life.

Kevin Braxton is from Brockton and is a graduate of U Mass Dartmouth. Describing himself as funny, kind, and easy going, Kevin says that he cannot live without his iPhone and would like to visit Bora Bora.

A quote from John F. Kennedy inspires him: “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth”. He has never tried skydiving, but would like to give it a shot someday. His superpower of choice is teleportation, which would be an easy way for him to get to Bora Bora.

If he could have dinner with anyone, he would love to have dinner with his mother.

William Zambo, is from Scituate, MA, originally. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in Linguistics and now resides in South Boston. To Will, leadership means giving encouragement and having compassion for the people you work with and passion for the task at hand. In his off-time, he spends time with his partner, Curtis, playing with his Green Cheek Conure, Sami, or playing video games. He also enjoys tending his large number of orchids and other house plants. As an enthusiast of anime and Japanese culture, a trip to Japan is on the top of his list of dream vacations.

One of Ally Logistics’ newest employees, Sierra Mathews joined our company in 2019 and works as a member of the Operations Team. She says she is “logistics centered” and is looking forward to furthering her experience and knowledge. Prior to joining Ally, Sierra was a Logistics Co-op at American Axle and Manufacturing in Detroit, Michigan.

In another past job she was a Baggage Handler at DTW airport. During her time in this position, one of her most memorable experiences was loading an actual piglet onto an airplane.

On her bucket list is a trip to Ireland. In her spare time Sierra can be found cuddling with her dog. She also volunteers and donates to local animal shelters.

She is a recent graduate (May 2019) of Wayne State University where she obtained a Bachelors Degree in Global Supply Chain. We welcome Sierra to the Ally Team!

Meet Nick Virgona!

Nick is one of Ally Global’s longest employees. Over the course of his almost 5 years, he has progressed from his original position as Account Manager to Operations Manager and now currently holds the position of Director of Operations.

Nick is local to MA having grown up 15 minutes south of Boston as well as attending college at UMASS Dartmouth. When he’s not watching Boston sports on TV, he can be caught watching anything Star Wars, especially the new show The Mandalorian.

Last summer, Nick traveled to Philly where he was able to eat one of his favorite foods, a food that the city is infamous for, a steak and cheese sub. While he has visited many different states in the US, he is most eager to visit Arizona and see the Grand Canyon.

Nick’s loyal, thoughtful, and hardworking attitude make him a key component to the Ally team.

Described as kind, honest, and dependable, Kyla Rymaszewski says that some people do not know she is a twin. She is local to Massachusetts, with more than ten years’ experience in customer service and six years of office experience in the insurance field. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in General Management and a Minor in Accounting and Finance from Bridgewater State College.

Kyla could not live without food, wishes that dessert did not have calories, and would love to visit Italy. After a busy day at work she likes to relax by working out.

Kyla has always wanted to swim with dolphins.

Kayla Beane went to school at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. At Ally, she supervises the Documentation Team. Kay says that three words to describe her are shy, short, and caring. If she could go anywhere in the world, it would be Italy and maybe while she is there, she could sky dive, which is something she has always wanted to try. She held administrative positions before she joined Ally Global and has a wonderful attitude, a winning smile, and excellent communications skills. Kay wishes that French fries had zero calories and remembers that Rugrats was her favorite cartoon when she was growing up.

Local to the Boston area, Jessica Heapes is from Weymouth and attended Bridgewater State University. She says that something that people do not know about her is that in high school and college, she was a huge nerd and graduated with a 4.0. One of her most memorable work experiences as working at her family-owned sub shop with her father, mother, and brother. Now, she wishes that pizza had zero calories.

When she isn’t at work, Jess likes to scroll through social media for funny cat memes and videos. Don’t we all? She has always wanted to stay in an overnight bungalow in Bora Bora (maybe she could go with Bryan Rutherford) and would like to try skydiving (like Jeff Dougherty at Ally Global in Florida).

She doesn’t remember any cartoons that she enjoyed when she was growing up, but she did love watching Hannah Montana.

Branch Manager Jeff Dougherty describes himself as outgoing, friendly, and positive and he believes that it is important to live life to its fullest. He defines leadership as leading by example and inspiring others.

Local to Florida, Jeff is from Orlando and graduated from Webber International University. When he isn’t working he like to go for walks. He wishes that cookies did not have calories and maybe he could share a cookie with Mark Wahlberg, the person with whom he would like to go to dinner.

Caddying at a golf course was his most unusual job and his most memorable work experience was the Ally group outing in 2017. Now, he says that he could not live without golf.

He would love to visit Dubai and Australia and if he could have a superpower, he would like it to be flying.

Emily Flynn has lived in Norwell, MA, most of her life. She would love to visit South Korea because that was where she was born. She was adopted at five months and moved to Norwell.

She says that she could not live without a car and wishes that bread did not have any calories. When she is cooking, she is relaxed because cooking is one of her favorite stress relievers.

People do not know that she rode horses and showed them competitively. One of her goals is to run a marathon.

David Nelson says that leadership means setting an example and inspiring others, a philosophy that he puts into practice in his role as Operations Manager at Ally Global. His skills in management and customer service are assets in his current role.

Local to the Boston area, Dave is from Scituate, went to Curry College, and was a sausage cart vendor outside Fenway Park. He would love to visit Hawaii where he could bungee jump, something he has always wanted to try.

After a busy work day, Dave likes to go home spend time with his wife and daughter before having a beer and watching TV. Dave also enjoys staying active whether it is golfing, workout classes or just going for runs.

Meet Cynthia Zambo!

Cynthia helped to form Ally Global Logistics when it began operations in September of 2013. Cynthia currently manages a team of 12 as AGL’s Documentation Manager.

Cynthia was born in Los Angeles, and raised in Illinois. She holds a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University located in Chicago. While not in the office Cynthia is also a spin (cycling) instructor at Boston Sports Club. When not working or working out, you can find Cynthia spending time with her Two Cats or her Dog, Sir Oliver.

To Cynthia, leadership means “Someone who is hardworking and confident. An individual that sets a good example for the rest of the organization and is willing to take anything head-on if needed.”

Caitlyn has been on our team, working as a document specialist, for almost two years. Described as witty, kind, and fun, she says the quote that inspires her is “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things that you only hoped for.”

Her favorite concert took place in Boston in 2004 and was ‘Dispatch at the Hatch Shell. Someday she wants to visit Iceland to see the Northern Lights.

Known as Woodward, Caitlyn says that she cannot live without her family and she can play the ukulele, but she says “not very well.” And like so many of us, she wishes that pizza had zero calories.

A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Caitlyn now lives in the Boston area, but grew up in New Hampshire.

Bryan Rutherford (his nickname is Barney) says that three words to describe him are fun, loving, and laid back. Golf plays a part in his past as well as now. Playing golf is one of the ways he relaxes after a busy work day. To Barney, leadership means being a mentor and encouraging people to do their best. He practiced this belief when he attended Webber International University in Florida. There he was an assistant golf coach with the goal of helping the students play their best game. His favorite quote is from famed golfer Gary Player: “The harder you practice, the luckier you get.” If he could have dinner with one person that person would be Tiger Woods. And at one point, Barney worked at a private golf course where he met many interesting people.

Barney would love to visit Bora Bora where he might try surfing, which is something he has always wanted to try. He wishes Mexican food had zero calories. And when he is not playing golf in his spare time, he loves the beach as well as watching shows like Billions, Game of Thrones and his favorite soccer team Liverpool.

Meet Benjamin Lane!

Ben has been an Export Documentation Specialist at AGL for about 3.5 years. He is native to Plymouth, MA, and attended Massachusetts Maritime Academy for college. When he’s not at work, you can usually find Ben relaxing at home, on a bike ride, visiting family, or skiing a variety of mountains in MA, NH, ME.

His favorite quote is “I believe in Christ, like I believe in the sun – not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else.” – C.S. Lewis. If he could choose a superpower, he would want to be able to speed up or slow down time, because It just goes by too slow or too fast at times.

To Ben, to lead others means to serve others. A true leader cannot be so focused on themselves that they neglect what other people need. Ben has always wanted to visit Australia, go sky diving, and wishes French fries had zero calories!