Alba Wheels Up International Founder Salvatore Stile: A Force Against Supply Chain Issues

Throughout this pandemic, there have been countless headlines about supply shortages, and it is international shipping and logistics experts like Salvatore J. Stile who make sure his clients don’t become the next one.

Salvatore J. Stile is a Long Island native who operates his business here, too. His reach and influence, though, is felt far beyond this 118-mile island. From his second-floor office in Valley Stream, it is the decisions that Stile makes that ensure that major brands are on the shelves and available for the American consumer.

Starting his business some three decades ago, Stile quickly rose to become an international shipping tycoon. Founding his company, Alba Wheels Up International, his approach became sought after by some of the world’s most respected brands. His international client portfolio now includes iconic handbag makers, fine Italian chocolatiers, notable food suppliers and even the couture clothiers that dress the Hamptons.

“When I see one of our clients on display on a shelf or stand in a store, it only emboldens my sense of purpose, knowing that myself and my team played a role in getting it there,” he says. “Our clients are well known, and what they make is the lifeblood of their business, so knowing that they trusted us to get it there is humbling — but also, fuels my desire to do it the best, most effective way possible.”

In many ways, it is Stile who is the lynchpin between the factories and the retailers, and ensures that a brand’s newest and best products interact with the American consumer. While many people who found a $500 million per year business may not be involved in the nitty-gritty of the daily operations, it is Stile’s personal touch, he says, that helps his company succeed in a market that is ultra-competitive.

“I coined the phrase ‘title entitlement’ some years ago, to describe business executives who find some tasks to be too trivial,” he says. “Sometimes, I feel the need to get down into the trenches and handle something personally. There is nothing that I will not help a client overcome, personally. Leadership needs to come from the top, and I am the type of person who believes that the personal touch is what sets us apart.”

His shipping and logistics company’s influence can be felt in Europe and Asia, and at all the major ports their products come through. Throughout the pandemic, he was viewed as a trusted source for major news publications, as someone who told it straight about the real issues facing the supply chain.

“To say that effective and timely shipping is critical is understating it,” he says. “What I mean is, a major delivery of winter jackets does not make much use in June — unless the shoppers are all planning trips to the North Pole.

“The expression ‘time is money’ is never more true than in the shipping and logistics business,” he adds. “Delays in shipping could cripple a business and erode a time-tested reputation, and that is one of the many things that my company works to prevent.”

As the supply chain issues grew, so did Stile’s media footprint. He was often sourced as a guest on leading business programs like Mornings with Maria, and The Evening Edit on FOX Business. His insight and analysis have been sourced by The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, discussing much of what is most important to Americans and their wallets today.

Stile is also a renowned philanthropist, who dedicates tremendous time and resources to assisting those in most-need. He recently handed an unsolicited, $10,000 check to the leader of Long Island’s Ukrainian American Freedom Fund and Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, to aid the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

He also makes frequent returns to Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, the neighborhood where his father grew up, to help bring new opportunities to youth. He’s held Secret Santa events around Christmas time and funded a scholarship in his father’s name. He hosts a student-business roundtable where he provides constructive advice to students seeking a career in business, awarding them with anywhere from $250 to $1,000 in cash prizes for their efforts.

Stile recently funded a class trip for students at Stephen Decatur Middle School in Brooklyn. His financial support helped send several students to Washington, D.C. and various other iconic landmarks in the region. Without his generosity, only a portion of the class would have been able to participate in the trip to embrace our nation’s history.

“By allowing people to have opportunities and experiences, it gives them different perspectives on life” he says. “By helping a few, you are helping us all and providing hope. Hope is one of life’s greatest motivators, and it’s been instilled in me from my father to give back, be empathetic and do what you can to help others.”

Inspired by his father’s generosity and giving mindset, Stile adds: “the greatest inheritance I have received is kindness and humility.”

Stile, like many of us, spends time in both of Long Island’s counties. He calls Brookville home, but can be found in the summer months on the East End, vacationing in Southampton Village.

He enjoys the Hamptons for many reasons, and when asked, describes it as “tranquility with spark.”

“In the Hamptons, you can go from beach shorts to black tie in a couple of hours, which keeps life relaxing yet stimulating,” Stile says.

When asked about the restaurants that he frequents, Stile refers to himself as an “equal opportunity diner,” saying that he visits various establishments in each of the East End’s quaint villages and waterfronts while spending time on the South Fork. The East End, to him, is a getaway where all aspects of life are enjoyable.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.