25-Year Industry Veteran Founded Menlo Worldwide Logistics
Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a global leader in transportation and
supply chain management solutions, today announced it has selected John
H. Williford to serve in the newly created position of President of
Global Supply Chain Solutions. Mr. Williford's appointment concludes an
internal and external search announced in November of 2007 as part of
the Company's strategic decision to implement a global management
structure to fully integrate its support of Supply Chain Solutions and
Dedicated Contract Carriage customers, wherever they may operate around
the world.
"We are very pleased to welcome John to Ryder's management team," said
Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Greg Swienton. "He brings a
well-earned industry reputation and a track record of proven results in
global logistics leadership. His experience will support our efforts to
apply Ryder's strengths in a consistent way for the company's
increasingly global Supply Chain Solutions customer base. John will add
to the current outstanding leadership, expertise, capabilities, and
customer relationships that exist within Ryder's domestic and
international Supply Chain Solutions operations. We also believe John's
extensive experience within this industry will enable him to achieve a
smooth, efficient transition into this important global role."
Mr. Williford will begin in his new role on June 23rd reporting directly
to Mr. Swienton as a member of Ryder's leadership team. He will be
responsible for management, operations, sales and marketing, and
financial performance of Ryder's Supply Chain Solutions business
segment, globally.
Mr. Williford comes to Ryder from Golden Gate Logistics LLC, a Palo Alto
California-based logistics company, for which he has served as President
and Chief Executive Officer since 2006. Prior to that role, Mr.
Williford spent 25 years as part of Consolidated Freightways - CNF,
serving most recently in a senior executive position as President and
CEO of the company's supply chain business, Menlo Worldwide, Inc. Menlo
was created in 1990, when Mr. Williford, then serving as CNF's Director
of Marketing, proposed the creation of a separate business unit within
CNF to capitalize on opportunities in the growing field of outsourced
logistics. During his tenure, Menlo Worldwide grew to become an
integrated global forwarding and logistics provider with approximately
12,000 employees operating in more than 100 countries.
About Ryder Supply Chain Solutions
Ryder Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) is the global logistics and warehouse
management business segment of Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R). Its
customized solutions involve management of the logistics pipeline as a
synchronized, integrated process -- from materials and components to
finished goods distribution. By improving business processes and
employing new technologies, the flow of goods and cash is made faster
and consumes less capital. Ryder's Dedicated Contract Carriage (DCC)
solution, which is managed within the SCS organization, provides
customers with vehicles, drivers, routing and scheduling. With combined
2007 revenue of $2.8 billion, Ryder's SCS business segment, including
DCC, enables customers to improve shareholder value and their customers'
satisfaction by enhancing supply chain performance and reducing costs.
About Ryder
Ryder provides leading-edge transportation, logistics and supply chain
management solutions worldwide. Ryder's stock (NYSE: R) is a component
of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor's 500
Index. Ryder ranks 371st on the FORTUNE 500(R) and 1,631st on the Forbes
Global 2000. For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit www.ryder.com.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and
information included in this press release are "forward-looking
statements" under the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be
evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties
inherent in our business that could cause actual results and events to
differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.
Important factors that could cause such differences include, among
others, our ability to obtain adequate profit margins for our services,
our inability to maintain current pricing levels due to customer
acceptance or competition, customer retention levels, unexpected volume
declines, loss of key customers in the Supply Chain Solutions (SCS)
business segment, unexpected reserves or write-offs due to the
deterioration of the credit worthiness or bankruptcy of certain
customers in our SCS business segment, changes in financial, tax or
regulatory requirements or changes in customers' business environments
that limit their ability to commit to long-term vehicle leases, changes
in market conditions affecting the commercial rental market or the sale
of used vehicles, labor strikes or work stoppages affecting our or our
customers' business operations, adequacy of accounting estimates and
accruals, changes in general economic conditions, sudden changes in fuel
prices, availability of qualified drivers, our ability to manage our
cost structure, changes in government regulations, including regulations
regarding vehicle emissions and risks described in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The risks included here are not
exhaustive. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible
for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact
of such risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation
to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as
a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Ryder System, Inc.
David Bruce, 305-500-4999
or
Lisa Hagen, 305-500-3668