Saddle Creek, marking 50th anniversary, names Scott Thornton chairman

Saddle Creek Logistics Services, a large asset-based third-party logistics (3PL) provider, marked its 50th anniversary today by naming Scott Thornton its new chairman.

Thornton succeeds David Lyons, the Lakeland, Fla.-based company's founder, who died last July at 85. Thornton, who has been with Saddle Creek for more than 30 years, had been vice president of corporate development. In that role, he was responsible for strategic leasing decisions and building construction and for overseeing the development of millions of square feet of warehouse space, Saddle Creek said in a statement.

Saddle Creek was founded on May 4, 1966, with one 12,000-square-foot warehouse in Lakeland, located in central Florida. The privately held company has grown into one of the country's largest family-owned 3PLs. It has also been at the forefront of the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) as its energy source.