USA Truck Inc. announced Friday, Aug. 10, that Cliff Beckham has been promoted to the position of president and chief executive officer and elected to the board of directors. Darron Ming has been promoted to succeed Beckham as chief financial officer. Both promotions are effective immediately.
Beckham will succeed Jerry D. Orler, who has retired as president and CEO and from the board of directors. Beckham also has been appointed to succeed Orler as a member of the Nonemployee Directors Stock Option Committee of the board.
Orler will remain employed with the company in a management consulting capacity until his 65th birthday on Aug. 29. USA Truck’s board of directors has adopted a policy making it mandatory for executive officers to retire from day-to-day management positions upon the attainment of their 65th birthdays. Orler has served Van Buren, Ark.-based USA Truck since 1989 when he joined the company as its original chief financial officer.
“Jerry’s service to this company has been vital and distinguished, and we all wish him well during his well-deserved retirement,” says Robert M. Powell, the company’s chairman of the board. “While Jerry’s contributions will be missed, I am looking forward to the energy and vision that Cliff will bring to the table. He has earned the respect of our employees and our board, and has been instrumental in the recent evolution of our business model. Cliff is squarely focused on building shareholder value, and he understands that motivated employees and satisfied customers are critical to achieving our goals. Likewise, Darron has demonstrated technical and leadership skills throughout his tenure with USA Truck, and is ready for greater responsibility.”
Beckham, 35, has been employed by the company since 1994 in a variety of capacities, most recently as senior vice president of finance and CFO. During his 13-year career with the company, Beckham has served in various financial positions and also has extensive experience working with all of the company’s operating departments. He is a certified public accountant and serves on the board of directors for the American Trucking Associations’ National Accounting and Finance Council. He was recognized as one of Arkansas’s Forty Under Forty business leaders by Arkansas Business newspaper in 2007 and the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal in 2006.
Ming, 33, has more than nine years of service with the company, during which he has served as staff accountant, accounting manager and controller. In addition to his new responsibilities as CFO, he also will continue in his current capacities as vice president of finance and treasurer. Ming, who is a certified public accountant, serves on the boards of directors for the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas Best Federal Credit Union.
