FORT SMITH, Ark., March 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A.J. Phillips, vice president of industrial relations for ABF Freight System, Inc.(R), will retire May 30, 2009, after 37 years of service with the company. Mr. Phillips has served in his current position for the past seven years.
"Throughout his career, A.J. has been a significant contributor to the ongoing success of ABF. He was instrumental in helping ABF improve the services we provide to our customers in the LTL marketplace," said ABF President and Chief Operating Officer Wes Kemp. "He has been a most valuable asset to the company and will be missed. We congratulate A.J. on a stellar career and wish him and his wife Barbara the very best in the years ahead."
Mr. Phillips joined ABF(R) in Dayton, Ohio, as a dispatch assistant. While in Dayton, Mr. Phillips was promoted to linehaul manager in 1978, operations manager in 1979 and branch manager in 1987. In 1995, he was promoted to regional vice president of operations where he served until he was promoted to his current position. He also oversaw ABF's Safety & Security department for four of the seven years.
William D. Evans, who has 30 years experience with ABF, will assume the position vacated by Mr. Phillips. Previously, Mr. Evans served as regional vice president of operations in Kansas City, Mo.
Established in 1923, ABF is best-in-class for safety, security, technology and freight-handling. InformationWeek, CIO, InfoWorld, and BtoB magazines have cited ABF's strategic use of information technology as exemplary. ABF is the only five-time winner of the American Trucking Associations President's Trophy for Safety, the only four-time winner of the Excellence in Security Award, and the only four-time winner of the Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention Award. ABF also is the only carrier to earn both the Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention Award and the Excellence in Security Award in the same year, which ABF accomplished twice.
ABF provides guaranteed service for expedited or time-definite shipments via its TimeKeeper(R) service. Regional shipments are handled via the carrier's RPM(R) Network, providing next-day and second-day shipping. The ABF system stretches throughout North America, with local service centers serving all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Guam and Puerto Rico. Globally, the carrier serves 250 ports in more than 130 countries.
ABF is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation . Contact: Mr. Danny Loe, director of marketing & public relations Telephone: (479) 785-880 Websites: http://www.abf.com/ http://www.timekeeper.com/ http://www.freightvalue.com/ http://www.upack.com/
