Finalists selected for inaugural Distinguished Woman in Logistics Award

The Women In Trucking (WIT) Association has announced the finalists for the inaugural “Distinguished Woman in Logistics” award established to promote the achievements of women employed in the North American transportation industry.

Finalists for the award are Faith Garcia-Ross, vice president, consumer services and Latin American operations, Menlo Logistics, Aurora, Ill.; Kristy Knichel, president, Knichel Logistics, Gibsonia, Pa.; and Jean Regan, president and CEO, TranzAct Technologies, Elmhurst, Ill. The winner will be announced by program sponsor TMW Systems on behalf of WIT on Friday, April 17, during the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) 2015 “Capital Ideas” Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla.

Building on the success of WIT’s “Influential Woman in Trucking” recognition program, the new award highlights the vital roles of leading women in the dynamic and increasingly influential field of transportation logistics, which includes logistics service providers and traditional trucking companies. TMW Systems, a Trimble Company, is this year’s award sponsor for the WIT recognition program.

“Logistics is a fast-paced, highly demanding discipline that is attracting thousands of talented and creative professionals each year,” said TMW Systems president David W. Wangler. “The impressive field of nominees for this inaugural award is both a testament to the significant accomplishments of women in the logistics sector and a validation that more opportunities are becoming available within the broader transportation industry.”

The finalists for the 2015 “Distinguished Woman in Logistics” award lead businesses or operating units that have achieved significant regional, national and/or global scale and which serve many of the industry’s premier shippers and transportation service providers. Each has demonstrated superior leadership within their company as well as with other professional, educational or philanthropic organizations.

In her role with Menlo Logistics, Garcia-Ross helps guide a business that optimizes some $2.5 billion in annual transportation spend on behalf of customers in more than 20 nations. She joined the company as customer service manager in 2000 and served in a variety of increasingly responsible roles before being named vice president in 2014. In nominating her for the new WIT award, a co-worker wrote, “Her deep knowledge of the logistics industry supports effective counsel and leadership that have driven numerous successful customer engagements with warehousing and transportation management solutions in the U.S. as well as Latin America. She is an exceptional performer…and her career path serves as an inspirational example for others to follow.” Garcia-Ross is a graduate of the Con-way Inc. ALPHA Management Development Program and past recipient of the “Superior Performance” award from Menlo customer Hurley Industries.

Knichel is a second generation logistics executive who began her career as an intermodal dispatcher in 1997. She and her father launched Knichel Logistics in 2003, with Kristy initially overseeing operations, finance and a variety of other functional areas. She was appointed president in 2007 and has helped direct the company’s growth from $2 million to nearly $50 million in annual revenue. Knichel Logistics has been ranked in the Inc. 500 list of North America’s fastest growing privately owned companies for four consecutive years. Knichel is actively involved in a women’s mentoring program in Pittsburgh and in 2014 received the Business Women First Award from the Pittsburgh Business Times. One of her company’s carrier partners wrote, “Kristy’s amazing connection with industry peers, clients and supporting carrier base affords Knichel Logistics continuous growth year after year.”

As president and CEO of TranzAct Technologies, Regan directs operational and financial activities for the largest woman-owned freight audit and payment company in the U.S. She joined TranzAct as vice president and CFO in 1987 and was appointed president in 2000. Regan has served on numerous boards and industry advisory committees, including the Northwestern University Transportation Center Business Advisory Committee and University of Illinois College of Business Dean’s Business Council. She also is a member of Vistage, the National Association of Corporate Directors, National Association of Female Executives, and National Association of Professional Women, which recognized her as the 2012-2013 “VIP Woman of the Year.” “Jean exemplifies the unwavering leadership our discipline needs,” wrote an industry association executive. “Her dedication…has proven to further the logistics and supply chain impact we have on modern, progressive businesses today.”

Finalists were selected from an extensive field of high-performing women representing warehousing, traffic and shipping, third-party logistics, supply chain management and related functional disciplines. Members of the judging panel were: Adrian Gonzalez, president, Adelante SCM; Kate Miller, president, Blue Edge Marketing Ltd.; Diane A. Mollenkopf, Ph.D., McCormick associate professor of logistics and director, Ph.D. program in supply chain management, University of Tennessee; Fred Moody, editor and publisher, Logistics Quarterly; and Ellen Voie, CAE, president and CEO, Women in Trucking, Inc.

The winner of the 2015 award will be announced Friday morning, April 17, during the TIA Annual Business Meeting and Opening Session at the Loews Royal Pacific Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

To learn more about the award and related events, please visit www.womenintrucking.org.