CFI, an international truckload carrier based in Joplin, Mo., recently announced that Alex Verdin, Brian Matthews, Brad Church, Amalia Carrion and Tim Hughes have joined CFI as regional sales managers.
The company also announced that driver Stephan Kluge took top honors in the Sleeper Berth Class at the 2007 Missouri Motor Carriers Association Truck Driving Championships held in Joplin on June 8-9.
CFI also recently announced its monthly driver award recipients for May 2007.
Five new regional sales managers named
Recent promotions have opened up two new sales positions for Verdin and Matthews. Verdin has more than 18 years of experience in the transportation and logistics industry with both U.S. and Mexican companies such as Roadway Express and Elola. Most recently, he has held the position of operations manager at CFI. Verdin will be based in Mexico City and will cover the Mexico City and state of Mexico territories.
In his five years with the company, Matthews has held positions as a management trainee, operations team leader and terminal manager in West Memphis, Ark., before assuming his current position. Matthews’ sales territory will cover eastern Arkansas, Mississippi, western and central Tennessee, and mid-Kentucky. He is based in Memphis, Tenn.
The recent retirement of 10-year CFI sales veteran Larry Saylor opened a position for Church to join the team. Beginning as a driver, Church has 13 years in the transportation industry, where he gained experience working in customer service, recruiting and sales management. Before joining CFI, Church worked for Gainey Transportation Services, USA Carriers and Priority Express. He will be based in Kansas City, Mo., and his sales territory will cover northwest Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas.
Hughes has more than 20 years in the transportation industry. He earned his experience working for Yellow Transportation Inc. in the YRC worldwide division. Hughes also brings prior experience in sales, sales management and service center management. He will be based in Bel Air, Md., and will serve Maryland, Delaware, southern Pennsylvania, eastern Virginia and West Virginia.
Carrion will cover the Queretaro, San Luis Potosi and Guanajuato territories in Mexico. She brings five years of experience with customs brokers and 10 years of experience in the automotive industry.
Kluge tops among Missouri sleeper berth drivers
The 2007 Missouri Motor Carriers Association Truck Driving Championships, which drew more than 600 spectators, was made up of several components: personal interview, hour-long written examination, vehicle safety inspection and a field course featuring six precision driving problems, which simulated challenges a driver faces during actual everyday conditions.
Kluge, who has been with CFI for more than two years, started his driving career in 1978 as a firefighter and has competed in the state truck driving championship for four years. Kluge, who resides in Beloit, Wis., will compete in August at the National Truck Driving Championships in Minneapolis.
CFI had a total of 13 competitors, four of which placed in the top-five spots. In addition to Kluge’s first-place finish, Tom Frazier finished second, Greg Shaw finished fourth and John Kelly finished fifth.
Drivers of the Month recognized
CFI’s monthly driver award recipients for May 2007 were:
As the May 2007 winners, each driver and team is nominated for the 2007 yearend award in their respective category. All full-time over-the-road drivers who have been certified as a driver at CFI for one year are eligible for the awards. In addition, drivers must have:
