It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of our longtime colleague, and a prominent NAALBF member, Ed Edrington on Feb 5, 2011. As some of you know, Ed had suffered with a prolonged illness in recent years.

Ed was actively involved in the creation of NAALBF and handled the event planning and sponsor relations to help facilitate all the NAALBF meetings since its first forum 16 years ago. You can read Ed's blog post about the beginnings of NAALBF: "We've come a long way"

Ed was a founding member and the president of Sterling Courier Aviation. Fondly known in the industry as "Mr. AOG", he spearheaded Sterling's Aviation Division for many years and was an integral part of its global growth. He developed "AOG" (Airplanes On Ground) transportation as a vital service to most major airlines and was successful in building Sterling into a valued brand recognized throughout the Aviation market.

Ed traveled the world over, both as a member of the U.S. Navy and during his long career in the airline industry. Over the past 10 years, he built and developed his pride and joy, the Jump 'N Run Plantation, which hosted many friends from faraway places, as well as wounded veterans on hunting excursions.

We will all miss our good friend, Big Ed.