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Thunderbolt’s Jim Shapiro: Logistics Is a ‘People Business’

Posted on January 13th, 2026No Comments

By DERON SNYDER (as published by Port of Baltimore Magazine)

When Jim Shapiro decided to grab a backpack and head overseas during a gap year from the University of Massachusetts, he wasn’t thinking about a career in logistics. He was feeding his innate curiosity about people and places.

“I had a Eurail pass and traveled for four months by myself in Europe,” said Shapiro, director of Thunderbolt Global Logistics. “That kind of opened me up to a lot of different things. I was interested in just everything.”
Shapiro returned and graduated with a degree in business management, intent to focus on international commerce. He moved to Baltimore in 1984 and used a Port of Baltimore directory to conduct a job hunt.

He knocked on doors at the World Trade Center — beginning on the 26th floor — and worked his way down to the fifth. That’s where he found work at Samuel Shapiro & Company (no relation), a 100-year-old shipping and logistics firm.

“Initially I was basically doing clerical work,” he said. “I was typing export declarations with carbon paper. I didn’t have much exposure to the Port, but I realized it’s a very close-knit community. I got to know a lot of people at companies in trucking and warehousing. Your competitors were your friends and you didn’t have an issue with it.”

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Alliance Material Handling: Uplifting Workers and the Community

Posted on January 13th, 2026No Comments

By DERON SNYDER (as published by Port of Baltimore Magazine)

Thomas Albero wasn’t intending to stay for a quarter-century when he joined Alliance Material Handling in 2002. But when the owners decided to sell the company shortly thereafter, he saw a tremendous opportunity for everyone involved.

Business was booming as Alliance became a leader in material handling solutions. More and more companies were looking for forklifts, equipment maintenance and warehouse systems. Albero suggested creating an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

“I knew the company was in a good position, but I also knew we had a big problem retaining forklift technicians,” said Albero, now Alliance’s Chairman and CEO after initially signing on as CFO. “Back in those days, if you could get a dollar more an hour, you’d jump ship and go to a competitor. I thought if everyone owned a piece of the rock, maybe we could get away from that problem.”

By 2004, Alliance was 31% employee-owned. Four years later, it became 100% employee-owned. The change transformed retention and built a new culture.

“The kind of crazy stuff you’d see — like lights left on overnight — stopped,” Albero said. “After we became employee-owned, the place was always dark when I showed up in the morning. People just thought about things differently, even the little things that save money.”

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