Lynden is recognizing employees who make a difference every day on the job and demonstrate our core values, Lynden's very own everyday heroes! Employees are nominated by managers and supervisors from all roles within the Lynden family of companies.
Introducing Makenzie Oddino, Customer Service Supervisor at Lynden Air Cargo in Anchorage, Alaska. 
Name: Makenzie Oddino
Company: Lynden Air Cargo
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Title: Customer Service Supervisor
On the Job Since: 2021
Superpower: Multi-tasking and keeping a finger on the pulse of everything
Hometown: Spokane, WA
Favorite Movies: 10 Things I Hate About You and V for Vendetta
Bucket List Destination: Norway
For Fun: Skiing, cooking, gardening, singing
How and when did you start working for Lynden Air Cargo? Have you worked for or done projects with other Lynden companies?
I worked for Northern Energy Services at Prudhoe Bay for three years. I worked three weeks on, three weeks off. I would come home to Anchorage for three weeks. I worked in administration, handling HR, onboarding, invoicing, etc. It was definitely a crash course in the slope and equipped me to do what I do now. My partner, Cody Beach, was working as a loadmaster at Lynden Air Cargo, and told me it was a great place to work. I applied and was initially hired by Alaska Marine Lines/Alaska Marine Trucking. I had a start date and then learned about a customer service position with Lynden Air Cargo that was more suited to my skills. I’m so glad I landed where I did.
What is a typical day like for you?
I start my day at about 7:30 at the counter helping customers, answering phones and checking folks in. I go into my office a bit later in the day. My days are full of customer interactions, quoting, invoicing, checking in mail/bypass, problem solving, and keeping up with emails and Teams messages. Our CS team of six is very close knit. We work with Commercial, Cargo, Flight Ops, the Warehouse, and Safety to do our jobs. Customer Service checks in all freight for scheduled service operations based out of Anchorage as well as all on-demand flights. We prepare crew packets for our Anchorage based flights and flight packets for our out stations.
What has been most challenging in your career?
Pricing. I will admit when I started, I thought pricing would fit in a box and be easily explained. It is incredibly dynamic, which I truly enjoy.
What are you most proud of in your career?
I am proud of the culture that Bow Hewes and I have worked to create in customer service. We work with so many departments within Lynden Air Cargo and we work closely with Lynden Logistics, our ground handler in Anchorage. We have a work environment that I hope makes people enjoy coming to work each day. I don’t look at it as coming to ‘work,’ and I hope my employees feel the same.
Can you tell us about your family and growing up years?
I have one sister and three stepbrothers. I was born in Sacramento, then moved to Chicago with my parents where we lived on the 52nd floor of a high-rise apartment building. It swayed in the wind. Getting groceries was interesting. We had to get a big cart and load it up then take it up the elevator. We lived downtown for two years, then moved to a suburb called Gurney. My mother worked in downtown Chicago for NBC and commuted every day. She decided to move us back to Spokane to be around family when I was 6. She is the oldest of 8 children, so we had lots of family around. We lived on five acres with horses, cows, chickens and a garden. We traded the high rise for a farm. I am so thankful I grew up with that.
What was your first job?
Working at Yokes Grocery Store at age 15. I started working the night shift at Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park at 16. I had an early release and late start school schedule to accommodate my job, and I got a chance to ski for free at nearby resorts because I worked there.
What would surprise most people about you?
I rescued an injured puppy that came in on an Anchorage flight from Best Friends Animal Rescue in Emmonak, a small Alaskan village. I already had three German Shepherds and two cats at home, but she was such a cute white fluffball, and I knew I wanted to give her a new home. I sent a picture to my partner, Cody, and he said yes, bring her home.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
Hiking, fishing, skiing, gardening, cooking, and taking care of our six-month old son, Weyland. We also love live music. Skiing is definitely a favorite hobby. We went to Niseko, Japan, to ski the last two years in a row. We also like to camp, and just bought a new camper.
What do you like best about your job?
The people, whether customers or employees, that I work with. I enjoy helping rural Alaskans get what they need, for a job site or for a ten-year-old’s birthday. I love to see what freight we move and coming up with transportation solutions. We often are called upon to do some really hard things and deal with some really tough situations, but at the end of the day it’s a feeling of accomplishment to get it all done with the team. There is a lot going on and a lot of multitasking, but it is truly rewarding work. Having the Lynden Family of Companies in your back pocket to utilize is one of the best aspects of the job as well.
Topics from this blog: Lynden Alaska Marine Trucking Lynden Air Cargo Lynden Employees Everyday Heroes AML Featured