Wabash Announces Executive Leadership Changes

LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wabash (NYSE: WNC), the innovation leader of connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries, today announced a series of strategic executive leadership changes designed to position the company for continued success. These changes will take effect on September 1, 2024.

Mike Pettit will transition from his current role as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Chief Growth Officer. In this new capacity, he will focus on driving growth initiatives, expanding market reach, and enhancing the company’s Parts and Services business through the merging of physical and digital technologies. His extensive experience in finance and operations will be instrumental in accelerating the company’s growth.

Patrick Keslin is promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer from his previous role as Vice President, Finance. With 23 years of financial experience and a proven track record in roles of increasing responsibility during his seven years at Wabash, Keslin brings a deep understanding of the company’s financial operations. He will be responsible for overseeing Wabash’s financial strategy, reporting and performance. Keslin’s extensive experience and strategic insight will ensure a seamless transition and continued fiscal responsibility as the company continues to expand across products, services and customer bases.

Donald Winston is promoted to Senior Vice President, Global Operations from his previous position as Vice President, Global Operations. Winston has demonstrated exceptional leadership and operational acumen. In this expanded role overseeing global procurement in addition to leading manufacturing and supply chain operations, he will continue to drive operational efficiencies and excellence across the company with a focus on safety, productivity and quality across all North American manufacturing sites.

Drew Schwartzhoff is promoted to Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing from his previous position as Vice President, Marketing. Schwartzhoff’s role will expand to include product management in addition to his existing responsibilities leading marketing and communications. His vision will drive the integration of marketing and product strategies to enhance customer experience and market penetration.

“These leadership changes reflect our commitment to developing top talent and aligning our organization to drive future growth,” said President and CEO Brent Yeagy. “Mike, Pat, Donald, and Drew have consistently demonstrated their ability to deliver results, and each of them brings unique strengths and experiences that will help us continue to deliver value to our customers. I am confident in their ability to further strengthen Wabash’s position as a visionary leader in the transportation, logistics and distribution industry.”

Additionally, Dustin Smith will step down from his role as Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer. He will transition to a senior advisory role to ensure a smooth transition until December 1, 2024. This planned transition allows Smith to assist with ongoing projects and support the leadership team during this period.

Yeagy commented, “Dustin has been an invaluable part of our organization for 17 years, contributing greatly to Wabash’s growth and transformation. His unwavering commitment, strategic vision and dedication have made a lasting impact, and his leadership has been instrumental in driving excellence across the entire organization. Dustin’s collaborative spirit and genuine care for the people at Wabash have made him not just a respected leader, but a truly valued member of our team. We wish him all the best as he embarks on this next chapter.”

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

Wabash: Changing How the World Reaches You
Wabash (NYSE: WNC) is the visionary leader of connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries that is Changing How the World Reaches You^®. Headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, the company enables customers to thrive by providing insight into tomorrow and delivering pragmatic solutions today to move everything from first to final mile. Wabash designs, manufactures, and services a diverse range of products, including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers, flatbed trailers, tank trailers, dry and refrigerated truck bodies, structural composite panels and products, trailer aerodynamic solutions, and specialty food grade processing equipment. Learn more at
www.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 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
Senior Director, Corporate Development & Investor Relations
(765) 490-5664
ryan.reed@onewabash.com