We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Leathers, Ottensmeyer tapped for CEO positions at Werner, Kansas City Southern
newsworthy

Leathers, Ottensmeyer tapped for CEO positions at Werner, Kansas City Southern

May 11, 2016
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

Two highly regarded transportation-industry executives were elevated to their respective companies' strategic chairs.

Effective immediately, Derek J. Leathers has been named CEO of truckload and logistics giant Werner Enterprises Inc. Leathers, 46, succeeds Clarence L. Werner, the company's founder, who will remain the company's executive chairman. Leathers will continue as president, but relinquish the chief operating officer's role to H. Marty Nordlund, 54, who was promoted to senior vice president and COO, Omaha-based Werner said.

The elder Werner, 78, returned to the company in August as temporary CEO after son Gregory L. Werner decided to retire. At the time of his return, it was telegraphed that Leathers would eventually become the first non-Werner CEO in the company's 60-year history.

Meanwhile, Kansas City Southern (KCS) yesterday tapped Patrick Ottensmeyer, currently president of the Kansas City, Mo.-based railroad concern, to become its CEO, effective July 1. As with Leathers at Werner, Ottensmeyer, 59, will also retain the president's title at KCS. And as with Leathers, Ottensmeyer's ascension was telegraphed as part of KCS' succession plan.

Another parallel between the two men is their deep experience in the Mexican market. After eight years at top posts at rival Schneider National Inc.'s Mexican unit, Leathers joined Werner in 1999 to run its Mexican operations. He became COO in 2008 and president in 2011. Ottensmeyer, who joined KCS in 2006 as executive vice president and CFO, is deeply enmeshed in Mexico because KCS' north-south network has heavy penetration in the country.

In a statement, KCS' board lauded Ottensmeyer for his work over the past year in strengthening the railroad's operations, a critical aspect of KCS' value proposition in serving a country like Mexico whose rail infrastructure is evolving. The board also noted Ottensmeyer's strong personal relationships with customers, investors, other rail executives, and employees on both sides of the border.

At Werner, it is unclear how much input its founder will continue to have in the company's strategic and tactical endeavors. C.L. Werner, who was also the first driver, has long been considered a hands-on chief executive, and his return last August was by no means ceremonial. Leathers, one of the trucking industry's most dynamic executives, is probably the only non-family member to which the elder Werner would entrust the future of the company.

Werner yesterday made another appointment that may actually be the most relevant to its day-to-day operations. Jim S. Schelble, 55, was promoted to executive vice president and chief administrative officer, responsible for driver recruitment; Werner's driver-school network; safety; pricing; human resources; and corporate communications. Schelble will be Werner's point man in the fight to attract and retain qualified commercial truck drivers, a problem that disproportionately affects the industry's largest fleets, including Werner.

Leathers has cited the continuing undersupply of drivers as one of the factors behind his forecast of a considerable tightening of truckload capacity in 2017.

Trucking Rail Truckload
KEYWORDS Kansas City Southern Werner Enterprises
  • Related Articles

    Ottensmeyer named president of Kansas City Southern

    Kansas City Southern promotes Hancock, Naatz

    BNSF, Kansas City Southern to launch cross-border intermodal runs

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

U.S. Xpress makes “significant investment” in self-driving tech vendor

Truckload carrier predicts challenging year ahead for industry

Train kept a rollin’

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

  • Thriving in the long haul: interview with Colin Yankee

  • Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

Now Playing on DCV-TV

2mw 01 18 21 thumb

LTL Carriers Using Yield Management Techniques to Identify New Accessorial Charges

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
As we head into 2021, shippers are not too optimistic about negotiating rates with their carriers. The reason for this, as highlighted in the three CODE RED Webcasts we've hosted with our friends from CSCMP and NASSTRAC, is that in today's transportation marketplace, shippers are operating in uncharted waters. With...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing