CEO retiring and COO moving up; aerospace logistics company filling newly created commercial role.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based CRST International announced Thursday that Dave Rusch, current president and CEO, will retire effective Dec. 31. Hugh Ekberg, COO and group president, will become president and CEO effective Monday.
Rusch, the president and CEO since 2010, will remain in a full-time advisory capacity to John Smith, chairman of the board for Admiralty Holdings and owner of the CRST International family of companies, until Dec. 31 and will remain on the CRST board of directors going forward.
After being a special agent for the FBI and 10 years of increasing responsibilities in operations and finance for North American Van Lines, Rusch joined CRST Malone as vice president of operations in 1991. In 1998, Rusch was appointed president and COO of CRST Van Expedited.
“Dave is one of the best operators in the industry and the master of negotiations,” Smith said. “He has acquired five trucking companies, significantly grew our revenue and charted the course for CRST to be debt-free again next year. Dave has brought CRST financial stability and operational excellence. We are most grateful to him for his 27 years of dedicated leadership to CRST, our employees and our customers. He’s an industry veteran who should be proud of his legacy, which includes positioning the company for continued growth and success.”
Ekberg joined CRST International in September 2016 with more than 25 years of strategic business leadership. He previously served as president of Kitchen & Bath Americas for Kohler Company. Prior to that, he was the division president and a board member at Weitz Company, a full-service general construction and design-build firm. Ekberg also was with Hirsh Industries, a manufacturer of consumer and commercial storage products, and served in various progressive roles, including EVP of operations, COO and president.
Aerospace logistics company B&H Worldwide, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, has appointed Mark Hollis to fill the newly created position of head of commercial for Oceania.
Effective immediately, Hollis will lead the business in all commercial activities to the region and will report to the executive board. He will work alongside Colin Kaltner, B&H’s recently appointed head of operations for Oceania.
B&H said, “Hollis has an extensive track record in strategic and client development with companies such as Toll Global Forwarding and Kuehne + Nagel.”
Rusch, the president and CEO since 2010, will remain in a full-time advisory capacity to John Smith, chairman of the board for Admiralty Holdings and owner of the CRST International family of companies, until Dec. 31 and will remain on the CRST board of directors going forward.
After being a special agent for the FBI and 10 years of increasing responsibilities in operations and finance for North American Van Lines, Rusch joined CRST Malone as vice president of operations in 1991. In 1998, Rusch was appointed president and COO of CRST Van Expedited.
“Dave is one of the best operators in the industry and the master of negotiations,” Smith said. “He has acquired five trucking companies, significantly grew our revenue and charted the course for CRST to be debt-free again next year. Dave has brought CRST financial stability and operational excellence. We are most grateful to him for his 27 years of dedicated leadership to CRST, our employees and our customers. He’s an industry veteran who should be proud of his legacy, which includes positioning the company for continued growth and success.”
Ekberg joined CRST International in September 2016 with more than 25 years of strategic business leadership. He previously served as president of Kitchen & Bath Americas for Kohler Company. Prior to that, he was the division president and a board member at Weitz Company, a full-service general construction and design-build firm. Ekberg also was with Hirsh Industries, a manufacturer of consumer and commercial storage products, and served in various progressive roles, including EVP of operations, COO and president.
Aerospace logistics company B&H Worldwide, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, has appointed Mark Hollis to fill the newly created position of head of commercial for Oceania.
Effective immediately, Hollis will lead the business in all commercial activities to the region and will report to the executive board. He will work alongside Colin Kaltner, B&H’s recently appointed head of operations for Oceania.
B&H said, “Hollis has an extensive track record in strategic and client development with companies such as Toll Global Forwarding and Kuehne + Nagel.”
