Unifi's EHS Manager on her career success,"I couldn't have achieved this at another company."

Amanda J Lane is part of Unifi’s Safety & Compliance team as the Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Manager, but twelve years ago, she was a part-time ramp agent at a small airport in Rochester, Minn. 

“I’ve literally done every job there is in Operations,” says Amanda. “When you start your career at a small airport, you are a ramp agent, a customer service agent, cargo, baggage – you have to be able to do it all.”

Amanda began her career with Unifi (then Delta Global Services) in Denver, where she landed after leaving Rochester.

“Going from small airport to big airport was intimidating, but I could fill in for every role they needed because I had done it all. I was a customer service agent for Spirit for a while. Then, I became a ramp agent for Alaska and then became their Administrator, and while I was doing that role, I also filled in as station manager, when necessary,” says Amanda, who showed she was able to take on leadership responsibilities.

After five years in Denver, Amanda and her family moved to San Antonio and officially took on the station manager position for Unifi at that airport and shepherded the team there through the pandemic before transitioning to corporate. 

“I would say being responsive and compliant were two of the biggest things I had going for me. When you are a station manager, you are pulled in so many directions, but I always made it a point to respond to every message or email,” she says. “I also always ensured my team, and I, followed all the rules and procedures. I always ensured my station was fully compliant and didn’t take shortcuts.”

In fact, Amanda secured a Unifi Station Leader of the Year award for 2021, and this year, she was recognized by Unifi CEO Gautam Thakkar with a CEO Values Champion Award for her work.

Reflecting on her career, Amanda says she never thought she would love aviation as much as she does, something that continues to surprise her even all these years later.

“I started part-time and did not think this would be a career for me, but it gets in your blood, and every time I thought about doing something else, I just didn’t want to leave,” says Amanda, who also credits the incredible mentors she has had at Unifi who helped her along the way.

Amanda says her advice to young people starting in aviation – specifically on the operations side – is to not initially fixate on one role or team.

“Even if you like one more than the other – that can be your goal in the end, but at the start of your career, just take on the challenges as they come, and eventually, you’ll get where you want. Even if the promotion is in a city, you don’t have to be in the long term, but maybe they need a performance manager, and you are offered the role – take it.”

Passion is a key value at Unifi, and Amanda truly embodies it.

“I was a single mom when I started working on the ramp, and I couldn’t finish college, so to still build the career I did – it’s amazing,” says Amanda “Even now, I pinch myself because there is no way I could have done this in another industry or company other than Unifi.”