Our Management Team

A wiz with math and computers, Nicole’s dad (founder Goetz Steinmetz) charged her to program Cargo Brokers’ very first computer system when she was in high school. Both she and her brother worked at the company on and off as they were growing up to help the family business.

Not planning for a career in logistics, Nicole graduated from Furman University with degrees in both Latin and German with plans to teach German. While she had a gift for languages, when an education mentor challenged her to find a career she was more passionate about, Nicole briefly worked in sales and then decided to pursue an MBA in Computer Information Systems at Georgia State.

She brought her passion for computers to Cargo Brokers to run IT for several years, and later took a position with a logistics software company. In 2014, Nicole was asked to bring her logistics and IT knowledge back to Cargo Brokers to be Chief Operating Officer, running the day-to-day business of the company. Her understanding of technology and automation contributed to the company’s early adoption of digital transformation, giving Cargo Brokers an edge over larger logistics businesses.

Having watched Cargo Brokers evolve throughout her lifetime, Nicole is most proud of how the team has worked together to keep the company a main competitor in the industry among many large logistics businesses. She’s also proud of how they’ve thrived amidst pandemic-related supply chain issues.

Growing up in Atlanta, Nicole is a big fan of the Braves and Falcons and is an Atlanta United season ticket holder. She’s a dog mom to her two fur babies (Chihuahua mixes), and loves traveling and photography.

If you ask Ben about his accomplishments, he’d probably tell you he’s just a lucky bloke from Tunbridge Wells, England who spent most of his childhood not knowing what he wanted to do with his life. So, when a friend’s father offered him the opportunity to come work for him and learn the logistics industry, he seized it. His new mentor was very well-known in logistics, and for several years, Ben learned the industry inside and out, finding his career niche.

In the mid-2000’s, his mentor gave him the opportunity to open a branch office in the U.S. and later the chance to stay and work in the U.S. permanently, a chance he took at the wise advice of his grandmother. After his mentor sold the business through acquisition years later, Ben desired a role at a family-owned business where he’d most use his gifts and talents and accepted a position in sales development with Cargo Brokers in 2014.

Ben’s experience contributed to positive growth for Cargo Brokers in the last several years, and he accepted the position of CCO in 2020. What he loves most about his job is getting to know and interact with people from all over the world, and he loves helping Cargo Brokers stay focused on being personable and service-oriented.

A soccer player and major fan, Ben gives back to the community as a board member of Atlanta’s Soccer in the Streets charity. He’s a founding member of the Liverpool Supporters Club, as well as the Atlanta Logistics Connection. He also enjoys weekly date nights with his wife, where he tries to convince her to watch foreign films, and chasing around his three young children. Between his passion for logistics, and his family, there isn’t much left for idle time – but he wouldn’t want it any other way!

A natural and creative problem solver, Ronald brings over 30 years of experience in logistics to his work. He began his career at Cargo Brokers as an import clerk and worked his way up to licensed customs broker in both Miami and Atlanta. He then became a small business owner himself and later returned home to Cargo Brokers to be branch manager.

As a logistics coordinator, he regularly creates unconventional shipping arrangements to resolve customers’ biggest challenges—from tile importers facing weight restrictions to food industries needing precise shipping dates. Knowing what steps to take next and how to execute a well-orchestrated plan makes him a great asset to the team. He believes customers receive the best support possible when employees serve the company to their fullest potential.

What he enjoys most about the freight forwarding industry is its fast-paced nature, and most of all, the family environment at Cargo Brokers. “When something sideways happens, they call me to take care of it, and they trust me to make intelligent decisions regarding important aspects of the job.”

As a New York City native, Ronald is an avid Mets baseball fan. In his free time, he loves attending college baseball games to watch his son play and spoiling his 90-pound Mastiff-Retriever mix, a shelter rescue.

Most people who work in logistics don’t have degrees in it and seem to somehow stumble into the profession, but Staci isn’t most people. Thanks to taking an international logistics class in college, Staci fell in love with the industry early in life, leading her into an over 30-year career in logistics.

She graduated from Appalachian State University with majors in Business Administration and Economics and a minor in International Business, and then took her first job at Cargo Brokers. As the oldest of five, Staci quickly realized her strong ability to step into chaos and quickly form a plan made logistics a great fit for her.

After gaining a solid foundation at Cargo Brokers, Staci went to work for major logistics companies in Texas, even gaining experience in aid and relief logistics during the Ebola crisis. While working elsewhere, she missed being able to give her clients and partners the personal touch she gave them at Cargo Brokers. So when she moved back to North Carolina, returning to Cargo Brokers was a no brainer. “We weren’t as good as I wanted to be, and at Cargo Brokers we strive for excellence and really care about our customers.”

Staci is mom to her now grown son, Joshua, and in her spare time, she loves to cook, garden, and write fiction. She’s published four novels and has written nine.

A native of Cuba, Aurelio immigrated to Miami with his family as a teenager in the mid 80s. Growing up, he excelled at science, read Jules Verne novels, and dreamed of being an astronaut. A decade after arriving in the states, a relative working with one of Cargo Broker’s local partners got him an interview for an entry-level job, and the rest is history.

Aurelio gained experience in all areas of the business, from export to import, until his talent and character helped him climb all the way to branch manager. Working for Cargo Brokers for over 25 years, Aurelio has seen the business through its greatest changes and growth, becoming more and more modern and efficient: when he started, there was no email. His favorite part of working with Cargo Brokers is that it maintains the feel of a small company where he’s able to talk to the founder by making one phone call and has no barriers.

When Aurelio isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, Sophia. He also enjoys road cycling, rock music, and going to concerts (his favorite band is Metallica). With recent advancements in private space travel, he’s not sure he’d want to work in interstellar logistics, exporting cargo from Earth.