Description

Join us on Tuesday, October 14th from 11:30am–1:00pm at the Regions Auditorium for our last TechTuesday of the year.

This month’s panel brings together leaders shaping how people and goods move through our region and beyond:

• Eric Smoke, CEO of Way To Go Courier
• Hilary Taylor, CEO of WattsUp
• Ingrid Hairston, Chief Revenue Officer at Birmingham Airport Authority
• Mackie McBryar, Director of Transportation at Coca-Cola Bottling Co. UNITED

The discussion will be moderated by Donnie Garvich, VP of Technology at Stella Source, and will explore innovation, technology, and challenges within transportation, logistics, and infrastructure.

This is a great chance to hear from industry experts, ask questions, and connect with others in Birmingham’s growing tech and business community.

A special thank you to Regions for sponsoring this event.

Eric Smoke is a transportation industry entrepreneur with over 23 years of experience in logistics and delivery services. He founded and leads a successful family-owned transportation company, Way To Go Courier, that serves clients across distribution, manufacturing, retail, pharmaceuticals, and third-party logistics sectors throughout the region.

Under Eric's leadership, the company has grown from a startup operation to a diversified logistics provider offering everything from outsourced delivery to small package and less-than-truckload (LTL) operations.

Joining the family business, Eric's two daughters Morgan and Kendall Smoke have continued the entrepreneurial tradition. They successfully launched Pegasus Luxury Transport, a private car service providing corporate travel, event transportation, game-day services, executive transport, and airport transfers.

Eric currently serves as Membership Chair of The Rotary Club of Shades Valley and dedicates time to community service, mentoring, and regularly volunteering with the family non-profit, The Leaf Pantry and Urban Farm. When not working or volunteering, he enjoys spending time with his family, photography, music, and playing golf.

Mackie McBryar, Director of Transportation at Coca-Cola United, 37 years of experience in operations, warehouse distribution, and transportation. Leads a transportation team dedicated to meeting supply chain demands for the business.  Focuses on key initiatives: Maximizing load weights and the cases per load to reduce the total number of annual loads.  Optimize carriers, brokers, and internal fleets pushing for continuous and multiple moves to decrease the empty miles.  Continues to look at technology and systems to apply within our Transportation and Supply Chain to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Ingrid N. Hairston serves as the Chief Revenue Officer at the Birmingham Airport Authority which operates the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Ms. Hairston provides strategic direction for the development of aeronautical and non-aeronautical business, strategic partnerships, and property and commercial leasing at BHM. Since joining the Authority in 2020, major initiatives have included new airline use and lease agreements, rental car agreements, redevelopment of all restaurants and shops in the terminal, a new corporate hangar leasing strategy, developing new international air cargo service, and two new fixed base operator agreements. These initiatives will result in more than $102M in capital investments at the Airport over a 5-year period. The new terminal concession program has since been recognized five times for excellence: 2023 by Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) for Best New News and Gift – Civil Rights Trail Market, 2024 by Airport Experience News (AXN) for Airport with the Best Commercial Management Team, Best Local-Inspired Store - Civil Rights Trail Market, and Outstanding Woman in Leadership - Ingrid Hairston, and 2025 by the Alabama Tourism Department for the Corporate Tourism Award for the Civil Rights Trail Market’s promotion of Alabama's culture and history.

Prior to BHM, Ms. Hairston served as the Director of Business Initiative, as the Director of Business Development and served in the Operations Department at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) from 1991 to 2020. As the Director of Business Initiative, Ms. Hairston developed strategic business initiatives, new revenue streams and partner relationships, and led the planning effort to create a customer-centric, local-focused concession program. As the Director of Business Development, Ms. Hairston established strategic direction and managed all aspects of planning, recruitment and operation of the award-winning airport concessions program including terminal food and retail concession, rental car operations and remote commercial development, grossing over $218M in annual sales in 2018 with a 5-years 37% increase in revenue. She maintained tenant communications and relationship management, directed day-to-day program operations, diversified customer services and revenue streams, and directed lease management functions such as policy development and enforcement, pricing program oversight, management of tenant facility development and program marketing. 

With over 35 years of experience, Ms. Hairston is a recognized industry leader and expert in airport management, concessions and property management, and business development. She Chairs the Foundation Committee for American Association of Airport Executives. She chaired the ACI-NA Commercial Management Committee Steering Group during her tenure from 2015 to 2021. Ms. Hairston was named the 2019 Property Manager of the Year by AXN in recognition of her many accomplishments. She was recognized as the 2022 Top Birmingham Woman by the Birmingham Business Journal. In 2023, she was inducted into the College of Aviation Hall of Honor at Western Michigan University, her alma mater. In 2024, Ms. Hairston was named the Outstanding Woman in Leadership - Airports by AXN.

Ms. Hairston holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Technology and Master of Public Administration from Western Michigan University. She has been an Accredited Airport Executive since 2014. She has been a certified Project Management Professional since 2003. She is a native of Gary, Indiana. With her husband, Steven, she is the proud parent of two adult children.