Beti Ward, founder and CEO of Pacific Air Cargo, took a big risk earlier this year. She bought the ground services division of Aloha Airlines, which acts as an outsource for other airlines that fly to Hawaii. A number of major airlines that serve Hawaii, including American for example, use Aloha Contract Services for their Hawaii operations. In many cases everybody here works for the operation Beti Ward bought, including the people wearing some other airline’s uniforms behind the ticket counter. They provide refueling, cleaning and security. There are some synergies between Aloha Contract Services and Pacific Air Cargo, which flies a leased Boeing jetliner back and forth between here and LAX with side trips to other Pacific locales as required. Some of Beti Ward’s loyalest lieutenants are now working for the ground services company, so the acquisition provided management advancement opportunities. But mostly the two companies are in different businesses. And the acquisition happened as jet fuel prices were soaring. It took guts for Beti Ward to make her move. And what happened? Recession happened. But this has actually improved the business circumstances for these two companies taken as a whole. Business has fallen off at Pacific Air Cargo, but jet fuel prices have also fallen. The ground services operation is doing well because, for other airlines, it represents a significant cost savings from maintaining their own people here. Outsources are countercyclical, more attractive in a downturn. Aloha Contract Services has signed a new contract, Mesa Air Group, which is now using Aloha Contract Services personnel to represent go! everywhere but Honolulu.