Airport Insider | The Warehouse

Go inside the warehouse division that powers Houston’s world-class airports, one shipment at a time.

Jun 6, 2025

They’re not pilots. They’re not air traffic controllers. You won’t find them greeting passengers at the gate or tagging bags at the counter. But without warehouse team members like Dexter Howard and Reggie Curry, Houston’s award-winning airports would stall.

From a quiet warehouse tucked away from the rush of terminals and taxiways, these two men help to manage the lifeblood of daily operations at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU). Every paper towel. Every toilet paper roll. Every bolt, part, and supply needed to keep the infrastructure humming passes through their hands.

“We’re the guys behind the scenes,” said Dexter Howard, warehouse division manager for Houston Airports. “They never see us—or if they do, they don’t know what impact we have. But in actuality, the majority of what we put out the door is paper products. Imagine 60 million people getting off planes and needing to use our restrooms. You're going to go through quite a bit of toilet paper.”

In 2023 alone, the Houston Airports Warehouse Division pushed out 250,000 jumbo rolls of toilet paper. It’s not glamorous, but it’s essential.

And that’s the point.

“Our job is to ensure passengers have what they need to get from point A to point B,” Howard said. “We’re excited that Houston Airports is part of millions of travel experiences. Our job is to ensure that it is one of the best airport experiences passengers will ever have.”

At Houston Airports, customer service is measured not just in smiles, but in supply chains. The Warehouse Division is the invisible engine behind the 4-Star Skytrax rating at Bush Airport and the 5-Star Skytrax rating at Hobby. It’s also a cornerstone of the organization’s vision: to establish the Houston Airport System as a premier 5-star global air service gateway, a source of pride for Houstonians and the actively preferred choice for connecting passengers.

Reggie Curry, warehouse superintendent for Houston Airports, puts it plainly: “Without this product, our customers can’t do what they do on a regular basis. We can’t properly service our team members on a daily basis. This is very vital to keeping our presentation standards high, to keeping that Skytrax rating. Without these vital products that we use on a regular basis, we wouldn't be able to keep our expectations and keep our customers happy.”

Every shipment that arrives and every item that leaves is mapped with intention. And every day presents a new challenge.

“The best part about this job is that every day is a new day,” Curry said. “Even though the day is planned and you may plan for different scenarios, we may need to help with something totally different that we didn't plan for. But guess what? At the end of the day, it's all for the greater good.”

They may not wear wings, but make no mistake, Dexter Howard and Reggie Curry help the airport fly.

Watch Episode 2 of Airport Insider on YouTube and see how the Houston Airports Warehouse Division keeps this global gateway stocked, supplied and soaring.