Celadon Group Inc. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, announced changes to its executive team effective immediately, including the appointment of Paul Will as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer. Will previously served as vice chairman and chief financial officer.
“The board of directors is pleased to take the next step in the succession planning process we began three years ago,” says Steve Russell, chairman and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis-based company. “Paul has provided significant leadership for the organization for 17 years and through several economic cycles. We believe Paul’s industry knowledge and financial acumen will serve the company well in what has become a constantly evolving and fast-paced transportation marketplace.”
Chris Hines has been appointed executive vice president of sales and marketing. Hines previously had served as president and chief operating officer. “Chris has contributed greatly to Celadon’s ability to successfully navigate the challenging conditions in the trucking industry over the past three years,” Russell says. “Given the rapid shifts in supply and demand over the past several years and our intense focus on allocating assets to the right markets, our team decided that dedicating Chris’ efforts to sales and marketing would be best for the company. We appreciate Chris’s willingness to lead in this more focused role.”
Jonathan Russell, who has been with the company since 2000, has been named president of the company’s asset-light business units, which include TruckersB2B, Celadon Dedicated Logistics and the Company’s truckload brokerage and cross-border LTL business between the United States and Mexico. He previously had served as an executive vice president over the same business units. The board felt a title change was warranted based on the increasing size of the asset-light businesses and the importance of these businesses to the company’s strategy.
The company also announced promotions in the finance and accounting department and division of the CFO role into separate principal accounting officer and principal financial officer positions. Bart Middleton, who has been appointed vice president and PAO, worked as an auditor for Deloitte & Touche and is a CPA. Eric Meek, who has been appointed vice president, treasurer and PFO, worked as an auditor for Ernst & Young.
