CEO Succession Announced for Schneider National, Inc.
GREEN BAY, WI… Schneider National, Inc. 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.
“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.’”
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.
For more information about Schneider,
visit www.schneider.com or follow on
Twitter: @WeAreSchneider.