Founded in an era that roared, Allied Logistics has prospered partly on the company’s ability to not only make transitions but to thrive through them, from one CEO to the next, from the depths of depression and recession to the economic peaks of the 1920s and beyond.
Several themes unify the company’s enduring success: Vision, teamwork and a constant drive toward growth.
“Our team helped build this company and helps it evolve,” said Rebecca Polan, president of Allied Realty and successor to her father, Allied Logistics CEO Lake Polan III.
Another step in the company’s evolution is under way.
Longtime Allied Transportation Vice President Ed Canterbury is retiring Dec. 31. He joined Allied in 1982 and worked in a succession of roles, including vice president of sales, vice president of transportation services and vice president of administration.
“Ed has been a driving force in the growth of our company,” said Rebecca Polan, citing his role in the company’s warehousing operations and in working with such clients as Union Carbide, now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical. “Always a connector of people, Ed propelled us into businesses that would have otherwise taken years to develop.
Lake Polan agreed.
“What has impressed us all, more so than his business success, is his character,” Lake Polan said. “His life is guided by his faith, he leads by example, and he has touched an of us who know him, inspiring us to be better citizens, neighbors, and family.”
Among other changes at Allied:
- The company named Michael J. Carroll president of West Virginia Operations. With 40 years of logistics experience, including more than 30 at Allied, Carroll formerly led warehouse operations and corporate accounts for major customers. Reporting directly to Lake Polan, Carroll takes charge of approximately 1 million square feet of warehouse space in Huntington, Charleston, Kenova and Parkersburg, West Virginia; transportation services throughout West Virginia and parts of Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Tennessee; and chemical blending, screening, and packaging services in West Virginia.
“Mike’s deep understanding of Allied and the logistics industry uniquely positions him for this role,” Rebecca Polan said. “His extensive background in public warehousing – including grocery, chemical and pharmaceutical products – gives him an intimate understanding of the storage challenges facing clients in the field of warehousing and distribution.”
- A Marshall University graduate like Carroll with nearly three decades of transportation and logistics experience, Carl Vance becomes vice president of West Virginia Operations reporting to Carroll.
- Former West Virginia Operations President Jeff Smith has been promoted to director of strategic analysis reporting to Lake Polan. Based on his more than 30 years of experience, Smith will evaluate business opportunities, risk control and overall sustainability across the company’s Virginia and West Virginia operations.
“Jeff will draw on his strong analytical focus and keen trend identification in this newly created role,” Rebecca Polan said. “He has been an important thought leader within the logistics and warehousing industries. We’re excited to see him return to his financial and analytical roots.”
- Matt Stephens has been named director of Allied Transportation overseeing operations throughout West Virginia and parts of Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. He will report to Vance.
Stephens has worked for more than 15 years in freight operations and nearly 23 years with the company.
“These leaders are passionate about our business and our focus on building our business,” Rebecca Polan said. “We have an exciting future ahead.”
