YRC Worldwide Picks Wicks as Operations Chief

YRC Worldwide realigned its senior management for the second time this year, naming Tim Wicks chief operating officer Oct. 5 and promoting or reassigning other key executives.

The goal is to streamline decision-making at YRC Worldwide, the largest trucking firm in the U.S. and parent of national less-than-truckload carrier YRC and regional LTL carriers, Holland, Reddaway and New Penn.

YRC Worldwide, which lost $582.8 million in the first six months of 2009, has been struggling to regain business and avoid bankruptcy, working closely with the Teamsters union and its banks to cut costs and extend credit and liquidity agreements.

In March the company merged its two national LTL subsidiaries, Yellow Transportation and Roadway Express, into one trucking company called YRC.

The new leadership changes will strengthen connections between finance, operations and sales across YRC Worldwide's organization, said Chairman, President and CEO William D. Zollars.

"Today's actions ensure these key functions are working directly together to meet our service commitments to customers and attain our strategic goals," he said.

As COO, Wicks, formerly executive vice president and chief financial officer, is responsible for sales, marketing, pricing, operations and financial strategy.

Reporting directly to Wicks are Mike Smid, president of YRC, and John Garcia, executive vice president and chief sales officer of YRC Worldwide. Garcia, a former Sprint Nextel executive, was hired as chief sales officer in June.

Greg Reid, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, and Andy Slusher, vice president of pricing, will also report to Wicks.

Other YRC Worldwide executives also were promoted or had their duties expanded in the realignment.

Sheila Taylor, formerly vice president of investor relations and treasurer, was promoted to executive vice president and chief financial officer. She leads a consolidated group directing all strategic and operational finance activities across YRC Worldwide.

Paul Liljegren is in charge of investor relations and treasury, and Phil Gaines is chief accounting officer.

Mike Naatz, executive vice president and chief information and service officer, will lead revenue management, in addition to billing, quality, information technology and customer service. That ties the company's IT efforts more closely to yield management as well as customer service.