Rico Brizuela
Uldarico 'Rico' Brizuela (born July 4, 1946) is a Filipino businessman and philanthropist. He is a member of the Brizuela clan of Pili, Camarines Sur, Philippines. He established one of the country’s most comprehensive logistics operations, the AAI Group of Companies (formerly known as Airlift Asia Inc.) He graduated from the Mapua Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. Brizuela co-founded the freight forwarding company, Airlift Asia, Inc. in 1980 with Saturnino Belen and Gary Miller. Taking advantage of the export boom in semiconductors and electronics, Airlift Asia gained a reputation  as an air cargo logistics company that provided quality services. Under Brizuela’s direction, “Quality beyond excellence” became Airlift Asia’s corporate motto. The focus on quality earned for Airlift Asia in 1997 its ISO certification from the SGC Yarsley International Certification Services Ltd. of the United Kingdom. Airlift Asia is also the only Filipino member company of the World Air Cargo Organization Education. Brizuela graduated from Mapua Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1969. He took up post graduate studies in Business Administration at the De La Salle University. In June 2004 , he earned a Certificate in Integrated Logistics Management, International Freight Management, and Trade Facilitation Management at the Center for Continuing Education of the Ateneo de Manila University Graduate School. Professional life. After college, Brizuela landed a job as a manager at Philippine Airlines (PAL) in 1966. In 1976 he was recruited by Antonio Delgado to be the General Manager of Delgado Air Cargo. In 1980 he entered into a joint venture partnership with Saturnino Belen, owner of Airlift Asia, Inc. Brizuela sought the help of Gary Miller — a freight forwarder based in San Francisco — to raise the needed capital for  the joint venture. He was president of the Philippine International Sea freight Forwarders Association (PISFA) for a 2-year term starting 2005 up to 2007. Awards and recognitions. As a result of Brizuela's pioneering work in the Philippine logistic industry he has been awarded by the Global Cargo Carriers, Inc., a local association of international airlines, with a Lifetime Achievement Award (November 2004), which is "in recognition of his leadership in the Philippine airfreight cargo forwarding industry and his invaluable and exemplary contribution to its betterment and growth." He was a finalist in the Ernst & Young’s annual “Entrepreneur  of the Year Philippines 2005.” in 2011, he was conferred by the Mapua Institute of Technology and the National Association of Mapua Alumni with “The Outstanding Mapuan (TOM) Award" in the specialized field of Entrepreneurship. As head of Airlift Asia, the firm has been named by the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry as the first freight forwarding/logistics company to achieve the "Philippine Quality Award (PQA) Level 1 Recognition for Commitment to Quality Management,” the highest level of recognition for performance excellence that a Philippine company can receive. The Philippine Quality Award (PQA) is an adaptation of the Malcolm  Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) of the United States and follows the same criteria in assessing organizational performance.