- Knapp Logistics and Automation has announced that Raul Flores will head Knapp's newly opened office in Anaheim, Calif. Flores joined Knapp in late 2006 as the company's vice president, western division.
- Ron Bell has joined Vertical Systems International as director of sales and marketing. Bell has worked for many years in the material handling industry, including stints at Buschmann Conveyors, Interroll, Portec, and Transnorm. Vertical Systems International is a supplier of vertical lifts and pallet dispensers.
- FedEx subsidiary FedEx Custom Critical has announced that Jack Pickard, president and CEO, has retired. He has been succeeded by Virginia Albanese, vice president of operations and customer service. Pickard, who had been president and CEO since 2001, joined the organization in 1998, when the company he worked for, Roberts Express, was purchased by FedEx as part of the Caliber System acquisition. Albanese also came from Roberts Express, where she started out in customer service in 1986. She was named FedEx Custom Critical's vice president of service in 2001.
- Jeffrey (J.B.) Brashares has been promoted to chief operating officer for Pacer International's logistics segment. Previously, Brashares was vice chairman for commercial sales at Pacer International. He also was a partner and president of Rail Van, a company that became part of Pacer in 2000.
- FKI Logistex has appointed Manuel Barragan Ramirez general director of FKI Logistex de Mexico, the company's Mexican operating unit. He will manage the office in Mexico City, overseeing sales, engineering, service, and administration.
- Hyundai Forklift has added Tim Webb as a regional sales manager. He brings over 20 years of experience in forklift sales to his new position, which will include responsibility for sales, marketing, and dealer development.
- HighJump Software has named Chad Collins to the post of vice president of global strategy. He has been with HighJump since 2002, most recently as director of product strategy.
- Diamond Phoenix has made a number of appointments to its team. Robert Rienecke has assumed the role of vice president of business development, concentrating on developing strategic business partnerships. Greg Chaffee, vice president of systems sales, will now lead all direct sales efforts. Paul Roy has been appointed director of distributor sales, responsible for leading the Distributor Sales Group.
In addition, Tom Mower has been named plant manager, responsible for planning and directing the manufacturing, fabrication, and assembly of Diamond Phoenix products, and Stan Gzym has joined the company as senior project manager. - Montana trucking executive Ray Kuntz has been named chairman of the American Trucking Associations, a national trade and advocacy group for the trucking industry. Kuntz is chief executive officer of Watkins & Shepard Trucking Inc. of Helena, Mont.
- Dr. William DeWitt III has been appointed associate dean of the Loeb- Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics at the Maine Maritime Academy. He comes to the academy, which is located in Castine, Maine, from a post as professor of the Practice of Logistics, Transportation & Supply Chain at the University of Maryland.
- Old Dominion Freight Line has named two new members to its team. Richard Coleman has been added as the director of supply chain sales at the carrier's corporate headquarters in Thomasville, N.C. Jeffrey Bowen has joined the company as a business solutions analyst.
- International Asset Systems, a company that provides equipment management and tracking technology solutions to the container transport industry, has named two veteran transportation executives to senior management positions. Jim Schreitmueller is the new senior vice president of sales and marketing, and J.P. Giovanni is the newly appointed senior vice president of global container services.
- Less-than-truckload carrier Saia has named John Wright regional manager for the Los Angeles area. Wright, who most recently served as manager for the company's terminal in Fontana, Calif., will manage terminal operations in Calexico, Fontana, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego, Calif.
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