Barry Blakely, Larry Mason And Kent Williams Have Grown In Their Careers PROMOTING FROM WITHIN KEEPS US STRONG An important part of our culture for the last 50 years has been our commitment to doing things The Averitt Way. That includes hiring and developing the best associates, and promoting fromwithin.
Several of our recent leadership promotions are great examples of that mindset. BARRY BLAKELY has been promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer. Taking Barry’s role as vice president of operations is LARRY MASON , who most recently served as our Region 5 vice president. Additionally, KENT WILLIAMS has been promoted from Region 4 vice president to executive vice president of sales and marketing, where he’ll fill the role previously held by the retiring PHIL PIERCE . CAREER- GROWTH STOR I ES Barry began his Averitt career in 1986 with our sales team, and he’s also served as Birmingham service center director and in regional leadership roles before becoming vice president of operations in 2017. Larry began in 1997 as a frontline leader in Louisville, and has also served as an operations manager
promoting from within helped him grow. “Someone told me long ago that if you’ll be the best at what you’re doing, opportunities will find you. You won’t have to go look for them,”
Larry recalls. “I believe that’s what’s happened for me. I’ve tried to be the best I could possibly be in every role I’ve been in, and that’s opened up opportunities for new things.”
Kent adds, “In my mind, our culture is everything. Over the years, our competitors have tried to duplicate our uniforms and clean trucks. But what they can’t duplicate is our culture. We’re fortunate that we work in a place where
KENT WI LL I AMS
people go out of their way to make it a great environment where you want to work. And it’s a great place for our customers to want to do business with us.” 50 YE ARS I S JUST THE BEG I NN I NG This year marks our 50th anniversary, and even better things are in store as we continue our culture, according to Barry, Larry and Kent. “If you think about it, the core group of our leadership has been in place for the majority of those 50 years,” Larry explains. “We have to continue to promote from within and grow people throughout Averitt in our culture. Doing that will help us continue to be successful.” Kent adds, “It’s important for associates to understand our culture and values. Understand why they’re so important, and make sure you do all you can to embrace our culture and be an example to others.” For Barry, our continued success boils down to our Winner’s Circle – Our Customers, Our Associates and Our Future. “We have to keep our eyes on the things that have allowed us to be successful,” Barry says. “It is our vision where associates win, where customers win, which helps our company win. Service has to be key. We have to provide competitive service with a safety-minded atmosphere for our associates and the driving public. And we have to have an atmosphere that allows our associates to excel. It has to be a positive environment for everyone. “I am proud to have been here for part of the 50 years, and to have had the opportunity to work with tremendous individuals,” Barry continues. “I am excited to see where we are heading for the next 50 years.” T m
(Cincinnati), a service center director (Owensboro and Charlotte), and as regional vice president of sales and regional vice president of operations. Kent came to Averitt in 1987 as a sales associate in
BARRY BL AKELY
Cookeville. Through the years, he was promoted to service center director roles in Montgomery, Birmingham and Orlando before becoming regional vice president. OUR CULTURE AT WORK Barry, Larry and Kent all say our culture has helped their career success, and that it’s the key to our continued strength as a team. “It all starts with who we select,” Barry explains. “Not everyone can work at Averitt Express, because we are different. That is why finding People Like You is so important. When we take the time to search our community, our friends and our family, and we find someone who wants to join our team, they will be a happier associate and also buy in to what we are doing very quickly and produce results.” Larry adds that he’s tried to excel in every role he’s served, and our culture of L ARRY MASON
Our leadership team has an incredible amount of experience, and two of our Over 20 Teammembers are adding to that wealth of knowledge and skill. Over 20 Team Members Moving Into Regional Leadership Positions MOVING TO NEW ROLES
continue building density within our footprint, and we know that Jason and Travis will do an excellent job leading our teams in Florida and the Carolinas.” Jason, who has been with Averitt
He began his Averitt career as our Tyler service center director, and has also served as Dallas operations manager. Travis, meanwhile, is a 25-year team member who began his Averitt career in 1996 in central dispatch. In 2010, Travis moved to operations manager at Charlotte, and in 2014 he was promoted to Charlotte service center director. We’re excited to welcome Jason and Travis to their new roles as we continue our culture of promoting from within! T m
JASON WHITAKER has been promoted to Region 4 vice president to fill the role formerly held by KENT
WEBSTER has been promoted to Region 5 vice president to fill the role held by LARRY MASON . “This is an exciting time for our team as we move forward with an eye on growth for the next 50 years and beyond,” says vice president of operations BARRY BLAKELY . “We are well-positioned to
for more than 21 years, was most recently our
WILLIAMS , while TRAVIS
Houston service center director.
TRAV I S WEBSTER
JASON WH I TAKER
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1
5
50 YEARS
FUTURE
PROUD OF OUR FIRST
MORE EXCITED ABOUT OUR
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