Chris Lofgren announces retirement effective April 2019; Mark
Rourke to be named CEO
GREEN BAY, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Schneider National, Inc. (NYSE: SNDR), a premier provider of trucking,
intermodal and logistics services, announced today that Chris Lofgren
will retire as president and chief executive officer following the
company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders in April 2019. The Schneider
board of directors has selected Mark Rourke, executive vice president
and chief operating officer, to succeed Lofgren and become the company’s
fourth president and CEO in its 84-year history. Today’s announcement is
consistent with a thorough succession plan that was developed and
executed under the board of directors’ oversight during the last several
years.
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Chris Lofgren will retire in April 2019 as president and CEO of Schneider National, Inc. Mark Rourke will succeed Lofgren in the role. (Photo: Business Wire)
“Mark is the absolute right person to lead Schneider moving forward,”
said Lofgren. “He is an exceptional leader, with experience across our
entire broad portfolio of services and a track record of proven success.
Among many other strengths, Mark is very intelligent, displays sound
judgement, understands our business and is an excellent team builder. He
is highly respected by the Schneider team and is passionate about the
success of our business, our customers, our associates and our
shareholders.”
“In this time of significant innovation in the transportation and
logistics industry, and the need for a relentless focus on operational
excellence, there is no question that Mark is the ideal executive to
assume the CEO position at Schneider,” said Dan Sullivan, non-executive
chairman of Schneider’s board of directors. “Mark has spent his entire
professional career at Schneider and has played a key role in setting
the direction of the company, ensuring its financial well-being and
positioning the organization for ongoing success.”
Rourke, 54, began his career with Schneider in 1987, at the company’s
Seville, Ohio, operating center where he mastered the critical role the
driver plays in serving customers and safely delivering business
results. Over his 30+ year tenure with Schneider, he has held a variety
of leadership roles, including director of driver training, vice
president of customer service, general manager of Schneider
Transportation Management and president of truckload services. He has
served in his current role, a key to the company’s succession plan,
where he has been accountable for all of Schneider’s service offerings
since 2015. During that time, the company has grown revenues by 20
percent, adjusted operating earnings by over 30 percent and adjusted
earnings per share by over 45 percent.
“I am humbled and honored with today’s announcement,” said Rourke. “I
have been privileged to serve this great company over the last 30+ years
and to have worked closely with Chris over the last 12+ years. Chris has
been a great mentor, and I will be forever grateful for the
opportunities he has provided me. He took over the leadership of this
company from an industry icon, Don Schneider. By leveraging the solid
foundation that Don had built, Chris accelerated the company’s position
as a transportation and logistics bellwether by embracing technology and
innovation, and challenging the status quo. Just as Chris has made the
company stronger, I am excited about our future and embrace Schneider’s
role in an industry with great opportunity for success.”
Schneider thrived during Lofgren’s 17 years as CEO with the company,
doubling its annual revenues to $4.4 billion. During that time, he led
the successful transformation of Schneider from a family-led
organization to a professional, independently managed enterprise.
Lofgren’s courage and vision guided the organization through the U.S.
financial crisis in the late 2000s, while also overseeing the company’s
seven-year Quest technology transformation. He also played an integral
role on the team that led the company through its successful initial
public offering in April 2017.
“I want to thank Chris for all he has done for Schneider, to include
positioning the company for this seamless transition with Mark,” said
Sullivan. “During his tenure as CEO, Chris has greatly enhanced the
financial performance of the company across our broad portfolio of
asset- and non-asset based services through excellent leadership,
accountability and sound strategic planning to include the important
role that technology plays in the company’s businesses. As importantly,
this success was attained by doing things the right way and not
compromising core values – what Chris would call ‘The Schneider Way.’”
About Schneider
Schneider is a premier provider of transportation and logistics
services. Offering one of the broadest portfolios in the industry,
Schneider’s solutions include Regional and Long-Haul Truckload,
Expedited, Dedicated, Bulk, Intermodal, Final Mile, LTL, Brokerage,
Warehousing, Supply Chain Management and Port Logistics.
A $4.4 billion company (2017 revenue), Schneider has been delivering
superior customer experiences and safely getting it done for over 80
years. For more information about Schneider, visit www.schneider.com
or follow on Twitter: @WeAreSchneider.
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Media Contacts:
Hiebing
Marcie Waters
(608)
256-6357
mwaters@hiebing.com
or
Hiebing
Holly
Wachtendonk
(920) 592-3573
hwachtendonk@hiebing.com
Source: Schneider SNDR