The Alabama Trucking Association recently tapped Mobile business owner Bill Ward of Ward International Trucks to lead its board of directors for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Ward began his term as ATA’s top elected official July 1, replacing outgoing Chairman Gail Cooper of Boyd Bros. Transportation in Clayton, Ala.
“I am honored to accept this position for Alabama’s trucking industry,” Ward says. “Trucking is the lifeblood of our nation’s economy, and as chairman, I will work to bolster our longstanding commitment to highway safety and ensure that we serve our members’ needs as they deliver the many goods and supplies that Alabamians rely to maintain their businesses and households.”
Ward also pledged to increase the association’s membership numbers. “The past few years have been tough on trucking, and there were many trucking-related businesses that didn’t make it through the last recession,” he says. “We now need to focus on the ones that are still around and thriving, because they are among the most dedicated and well-managed businesses in Alabama. Their ranks will only make us stronger and more capable as a leader in Alabama’s economy.”
Frank Filgo, ATA president and chief executive officer, praises Ward’s can-do attitude and leadership abilities. “We are very fortunate to have Bill Ward as our chief elected officer,” he says. “His get-it-done management style will serve him well as he relates to the needs of our members and industry.”
Ward has worked in trucking for more than 40 years, starting his career in Memphis, Tenn., in 1969 at International Harvester (now Case IH) as a sales trainee. Over time, he held a variety of sales and managerial positions with the division and went through eight relocations before purchasing his dealership in 1985.
Since then, Ward International has added two Florida branches, one in Pensacola and one in Tallahassee, and two affiliate dealerships in Mississippi.
