The Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA) has elected Areas USA CEO Carlos Bernal to chair the Association’s Board of Directors for 2026 and 2027. Bernal, who succeeds Bryan Loden of HMSHost (Avolta), has more than two decades of experience in airport concessions and recently led Areas USA’s acquisition of Delaware North’s travel hospitality services.
“We’re excited to have Carlos take the helm of ARRA in his new role as chair,” said Andrew Weddig, executive director of ARRA. “He has been a valued member of the board since the Association’s founding in 2020. Carlos’ wide-ranging experience and leadership will be invaluable in guiding our mission to support airport concessionaires and the millions of travelers ARRA members serve each year.”
Weddig went on to acknowledge Loden, who will remain on the board as immediate past chair, for his work as chair in 2024 and 2025. “As we look ahead to the future of ARRA, I want to especially thank Bryan for his outstanding contributions as chair leading the Association through the industry’s difficult recovery from the pandemic,” he said.. “I also thank and greatly appreciate our outgoing board members Scott Socha (Delaware North) and Courtney Thornton (Hudson), who added invaluable insights from their many years of diverse experience in the travel industry. The ARRA board has always featured the most distinguished executives within our industry. Our new board continues this tradition as the association works to evolve a sustainable and equitable business framework for the future of the airport restaurant and retail industry and, most importantly, continuing to serve the traveling public with the exceptional guest experience we have all come to expect.”
“The airport industry has navigated an unprecedented period of change, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and innovation,” said Bernal. “I’m grateful to be elected to this role and, having served alongside many of my fellow board members, I’m optimistic about what we can accomplish together. I’m honored to work with the ARRA board to help strengthen the airport experience and position our industry for long-term growth.”
In addition to Bernal’s appointment, ARRA announced the addition of Jeff Yablun (OTG Management) to its board as well as the re-election of Greg Plummer (Concord Collective) and Kevin Westlye (High Flying Foods), who join ARRA’s continuing board members Bernal; Loden; David Bisset (Paradies Lagardère); Judy Byrd (Byrd Retail Group); Nick Crews (Crews Hospitality); Inez Daniels (Fresher LLC); Corliss Stone-Littles (Corliss Stone-Littles LLC); and Scott Welding (SSP America).
