ABF Freight System Inc. has announced the appointment of William David Evans to vice president of industrial relations, effective June 1. Evans assumes the position being vacated by A.J. Phillips, who is retiring from the company on May 31 after 37 years of service.
Evans — who currently serves as regional vice president of operations based in Kansas City, Mo. — joined ABF as a management trainee in 1979. Upon completion of training, he became an operations supervisor in Little Rock, Ark. He was promoted to branch manager in Newport, Ark., in 1980 and later served as branch manager for various service centers, including Atlanta and Little Rock. In 1994, he was promoted to regional vice president of sales based in Kansas City. He has served in his current position since 1997.
“David brings a broad and diverse base of experience into his new assignment, which will serve ABF and its customers well,” says Wes Kemp, president and chief operating officer of the Fort Smith, Ark.-based company. “ABF enjoys an excellent rapport with its employees. David is the right choice to continue that tradition of quality performance.”
Phillips joined ABF in Dayton, Ohio, as a dispatch assistant. While in Dayton, Phillips was promoted to linehaul manager in 1978, operations manager in 1979 and branch manager in 1987. In 1995, he was promoted to regional vice president of operations, where he served until he was promoted to his current position. He also oversaw ABF’s safety and security department for four of the seven years.
“Throughout his career, A.J. has been a significant contributor to the ongoing success of ABF,” Kemp says. “He was instrumental in helping ABF improve the services we provide to our customers in the LTL marketplace. He has been a most valuable asset to the company and will be missed.”
