Wabash Announces Executive Leadership Changes

Rhea-AI Summary

Wabash (NYSE: WNC) announced key executive appointments effective January 15, 2025. Drew Schwartzhoff has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, bringing over 25 years of marketing and business leadership experience, including previous roles at C.H. Robinson. Donald Winston has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, with more than 25 years of manufacturing leadership experience from companies including Novolex, Closure Systems International, and Ford Motor Company.

The appointments aim to advance the company's growth strategy and enhance value delivery to customers, partners, and stakeholders. Additionally, Kevin Page will retire from his role as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer after eight years with Wabash, continuing in a senior advisory role through June 1, 2025.

Positive

• Strategic leadership enhancement with two experienced executives
• Smooth transition plan with retiring CCO staying as advisor through June 2025
• New CCO brings valuable logistics industry experience from C.H. Robinson
• New COO has extensive manufacturing expertise from major companies

Negative

• Loss of 8-year veteran CCO Kevin Page could impact institutional knowledge
• Multiple simultaneous leadership changes may create short-term operational adjustments

LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wabash (NYSE: WNC), a leader in end-to-end supply chain solutions for the transportation, logistics and infrastructure markets, today announced key executive appointments effective January 15, 2025, aimed at advancing the company’s growth strategy and delivering greater value to customers, partners and stakeholders.

Drew Schwartzhoff has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, he will lead Wabash’s commercial organization, driving initiatives to enhance customer engagement, expand market opportunities and align the company’s innovative solutions with evolving customer needs. Schwartzhoff joined Wabash in 2023, bringing over 25 years of experience in marketing and business leadership. Previously, he held senior marketing roles at C.H. Robinson, a global logistics provider, where he enhanced customer experience and expanded market presence. His expertise spans business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing, with a strong focus on logistics and supply chain. Schwartzhoff earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from St. Cloud State University.

Donald Winston has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. With more than 25 years of manufacturing leadership experience, Winston has a proven track record of driving operational excellence, safety and quality. He joined Wabash in January 2024 as Vice President, Global Operations and was promoted to Senior Vice President later that year. Prior to Wabash, Winston held senior roles at Novolex, Closure Systems International, Ardagh Group and Ford Motor Company, where he developed expertise in building process-oriented operational environments. He holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Supervision from Purdue University, along with Executive Leadership Training through Duke Corporate Education.

“Drew and Donald are exceptional leaders who bring a powerful combination of strategic vision and operational expertise to Wabash,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Brent Yeagy. “Drew’s customer-first approach and proven ability to align strategy with execution, paired with Donald’s dedication to operational excellence and continuous improvement, position us to deliver even greater value to our customers and partners as we pursue our growth strategy.”

Kevin Page will retire from his role as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer after eight years with Wabash. Since joining the company in 2017, Page has played an important role in navigating new opportunities and advancing the company’s customer-focused strategy. To ensure a smooth transition, he will continue in a senior advisory role through June 1.

“Kevin has made significant contributions during his time with Wabash, leaving a lasting legacy of leadership and strategic vision,” Yeagy added. “We are grateful for his dedication and impact on the organization, and we wish him and his family all the best in this next chapter.”

These leadership changes reflect Wabash’s unwavering commitment to driving innovation, delivering exceptional service, and empowering customers and dealers to succeed. With Schwartzhoff and Winston in their new roles, Wabash is poised to continue delivering exceptional value to its customers, partners, and stakeholders while shaping the future of transportation, logistics and infrastructure.

For more information about Wabash’s executive leaders, please visit onewabash.com.

Wabash: Changing How the World Reaches You^®
Wabash (NYSE: WNC) combines physical and digital technologies to deliver innovative, end-to-end solutions that optimize supply chains across transportation, logistics and infrastructure markets. Headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, Wabash designs, manufactures, and services an extensive range of products supporting first-to-final mile operations, including dry and refrigerated trailers and truck bodies, platform trailers, tank trailers, structural composites and more. In addition, through the Wabash Marketplace and Wabash Parts, customers gain access to a nationwide parts and service network, Trailers as a Service (TaaS)℠, and advanced tools designed to streamline operations and drive growth. By enabling businesses to thrive today and prepare for tomorrow, Wabash is Changing How the World Reaches You^®. Learn more at onewabash.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements convey the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future events. All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, all statements regarding the Company’s outlook for trailer and truck body shipments, backlog, expectations regarding demand levels for trailers, truck bodies, non-trailer equipment and our other diversified product offerings, pricing, profitability and earnings, cash flow and liquidity, opportunity to capture higher margin sales, new product innovations, our growth and diversification strategies, our expectations for improved financial performance during the course of the year and our expectations with regards to capital allocation. These and the Company’s other forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. Without limitation, these risks and uncertainties include the risks related to the Missouri product liability action and the unfavorable jury verdict, the highly cyclical nature of our business, uncertain economic conditions including the possibility that customer demand may not meet our expectations, our backlog may not reflect future sales of our products, increased competition, reliance on certain customers and corporate partnerships, risks of customer pick-up delays, shortages and costs of raw materials including the impact of tariffs or other international trade developments, risks in implementing and sustaining improvements in the Company’s manufacturing operations and cost containment, dependence on industry trends and timing, supplier constraints, labor costs and availability, customer acceptance of and reactions to pricing changes, costs of indebtedness, and our ability to execute on our long-term strategic plan. Readers should review and consider the various disclosures made by the Company in this press release and in the Company’s reports to its stockholders and periodic reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

Media Contact:
Dana Stelsel
Director, Communications
(765) 771-5766
dana.stelsel@onewabash.com

Investor Relations:
Ryan Reed
Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations
(765) 490-5664
ryan.reed@onewabash.com

FAQ

Who are the new executive appointments at Wabash (WNC) announced for January 2025?

Drew Schwartzhoff has been appointed as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, while Donald Winston has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Wabash.

What experience does Drew Schwartzhoff bring to his new role at Wabash (WNC)?

Drew Schwartzhoff brings over 25 years of marketing and business leadership experience, including senior marketing roles at C.H. Robinson, with expertise in B2B and B2C marketing, logistics, and supply chain.

What is Donald Winston's background before joining Wabash (WNC)?

Donald Winston has over 25 years of manufacturing leadership experience, having held senior roles at Novolex, Closure Systems International, Ardagh Group, and Ford Motor Company.

When will Kevin Page retire from his CCO position at Wabash (WNC)?

Kevin Page will retire from his role as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer but will continue in a senior advisory role through June 1, 2025.

What is the strategic significance of these executive changes at Wabash (WNC)?

The appointments aim to advance Wabash's growth strategy, enhance customer engagement, expand market opportunities, and deliver greater value to customers, partners, and stakeholders.