Strategic personnel moves to focus on consistency in sales, marketing and IT
January 3, 2005
EVANSVILLE, Ind. Saying 2005 isn't the time to rest on a year of acquisitions and record revenues, Atlas World Group chairman and CEO Michael L. Shaffer begins the new year with one resolution: to continue building the Atlas brand and promote consistency and success across all eight major subsidiaries.
"To sustain solid growth at our current pace, we must build a broader perspective and a more strategic approach to sales and marketing across the group," said Shaffer. "Along with that, it's critical to leverage our technologies for the benefit of all of our companies."
Effective immediately, Greg L. Hoover and Richard L. Arneson, long time Atlas Van Lines executives and industry professionals, have been promoted to positions with Atlas World Group, and will look at each subsidiary company's individual sales, marketing, and information technology strengths, to spread winning formulas across the rest of the organization.
"We make acquisitions and pursue growth to better position our company strategically, not only for our agents but for our customers. It makes sense that we would capitalize on the strengths of all of the Atlas World Group companies to replicate our successes," Shaffer added. "That is the goal of these promotions."
Hoover's promotion to senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Atlas World Group is a strategic move to create consistency in sales, marketing, and outreach opportunities, and grow an already popular and identifiable brand.
"As we leverage our opportunities, current and future customers will know that we offer a very diverse palette of services," said Hoover. "With a broader perspective and the ability to pull from our various strengths and successes, we can capitalize on marketing opportunities across the entire brand."
Hoover has 16 years in the van line industry, serving as president and COO of A.B.C. Moving & Storage, an Atlas agent based in St. Louis, before joining Atlas in 1999. He is a Mentone, Ind. native, and earned his bachelor's degree in history from Huntington College in Huntington, Ind. He is active with the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA), the Employee Relocation Council (ERC), and is a member of the Atlas Board of Directors Advisory Group.
Richard L. Arneson will remain as vice president of information technology for Atlas Van Lines, and with his promotion assumes the responsibilities of chief technology officer for Atlas World Group. Arneson will begin assessing technology issues across the eight-company family, including a review of security, disaster recovery plans and accounting.
"The point is to improve our business, and that's also the challenge. As we take advantage of the expertise of our sister companies, we will be able to provide better service for everybody," said Arneson.
Arneson is a 17-year veteran of the van line industry, joining Atlas in 1987. He's been instrumental in continuous expansion and improvements in design and implementation of technological developments and support. The Minneapolis native earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota.