Shorty Whittington Steps Down as CEO of Grammer Industries

(Left to right) Shorty Whittington, Bart Middleton, John Whittington via Grammer Industries

Charles “Shorty” Whittington, American Trucking Associations’ chairman in 2008-2009, has stepped down as CEO of Grammer Industries, the Indiana-based carrier announced Nov. 30.

The 70-year-old Whittington, who founded the company that became Grammer Industries in 1977, is now vice chairman of the board of directors. Bart Middleton, who had been Grammer’s chief financial officer, takes over as CEO.  John Whittington, the founder’s son, moved from vice president to vice president of government affairs and special projects. The younger Whittington recently completed his tenure as chairman of the Indiana Motor Truck Association and currently is an officer of the National Tank Truck Carriers.

“The timing is right for a new CEO at Grammer,” Shorty Whittington said in a press release. “The direction of the company has not changed but will take on new energy and additional goals. The team of professionals at Grammer have molded and bonded together as we have approached this new leadership in a manner that will make the company stronger tomorrow than it is today.”

Prior to joining Grammer in 2013, Middleton was vice president and principal accounting officer as well as corporate controller during nearly 18 years with Celadon Group Inc. in Indianapolis.

“It’s an honor to follow Shorty,” Middleton told Transport Topics. “It’s been a privilege to learn from him over the last three years, but it’s also a challenge because it’s a family business and the same person has been the head of it for 40 years.”

Middleton said the switch at the top of Grammer was a possibility when he was hired from Celadon. Linx Partners, a private equity firm, bought a majority stake in Grammer in 2012.

“It’s been a long-term progression,” Middleton said. “It depended on where the company went and where I went in relation to the company and their comfort with my ability to handle the load. It’s been three years for me to learn the business and for Shorty and I to get comfortable with another.”

Mike Rees, who had been Grammer’s controller, has assumed Middleton’s former role as vice president of finance.

Shorty Whittington developed Grammer from a small fertilizer and grain trucking firm in its tiny namesake town into a force in the realm of transportation of hazardous materials, with more than 200 tankers and 10 locations in Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Ohio.

Grammer specializes in the transport of anhydrous ammonia, liquefied petroleum gases, carbon dioxide, nitric acid and other bulk hazardous materials and liquids. Grammer serves industrial and agricultural customers, including the fertilizer production, food production, power generation and chemical manufacturing industries.

“We look to continue to grow and capitalize on the success of the company over the last 40 years and continue to be the best in our industry,” Middleton said.