Mike Williams to Become Next CEO at uShip
Williams previously was a general manager of corporate real estate firm Accruent, the largest provider of software for real estate and facilities management. During his time with Accruent, enterprise software revenues tripled, uShip said.
Williams will replace former CEO and uShip founder Matt Chasen, who left the company last December.
“There are all kinds of transformations underway in the transportation and logistics industry. If you’re a shipper looking for better types of service, if you’re a motor carrier looking to fill loads, if you’re a 3PL, there is a lot of opportunity to leverage technology and innovation to deliver better service,” Williams said.
Interim CEO Jim Martell has been appointed executive chairman of the board.
“Mike’s enthusiasm, business acumen, disciplined management and track record of revenue growth make him an ideal fit for this role,” Martell said. “In uShip, Mike will be guiding a true market leader that’s advancing in this space at a time when logistics is seeing unprecedented disruption, innovation and investment, unlike anything I’ve seen in my four decades in the industry.”
He takes the helm at a busy time in the freight brokerage and third-party logistics industry. Cargo Chief and uShip have established themselves on the tech front, but there other venture capitalist startups are entering each year. Amazon also might start an international and domestic transportation and logistics business. The online retail giant generated $136 billion in total sales last year, earned $2.4 billion in profits and $9.7 billion in free cash flow.
“It’s going to keep everyone on their toes,” Williams said. “It’s causing companies of all shapes and sizes across the supply chain to take notice and ask whether they’re doing everything they can to satisfy their customers’ needs and leveraging technology to stay competitive.”
He envisions the core uShip customers in three areas. One, customers buying larger items and needing to ship them to other locations. Two, less-than-truckload carriers looking for loads to haul. Three, selling enterprise software to companies such as third-party logistics provider DB Schenker.
“We at uShip face different types of competitors across all three markets. Amazon might compete in all of them, but the market is large enough that we’ve got a great opportunity to add value. Amazon can’t serve it all,” Williams said.
As for his first year on the job, he hopes to grow revenue, earnings and enterprise value. He also wants to hire development and customer service staff to handle the increasing number of loads and clients while maintaining high-quality service. The Austin, Texas-based company operates in 19 countries and has teamed with DB Schenker on a European product called Drive4Schenker, powered by uShip Pro.
“We want you to think of uShip as leading this transformation in shipping logistics," he said. "It’s just clear. We’re top of mind to people. That’s what success looks like to me."
DB Schenker USA ranks No. 17 on the Transport Topics Top 50 list of the largest logistics companies in North America.
