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Access America Transport, a leading third party logistics provider based in Chattanooga, Tenn., announced that John Shulman has been named Director of Sales. In March, Shulman left the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he served as the head men’s basketball coach for nine years and twice reached the NCAA Tournament.

“John’s intensity and passion make him a perfect fit at Access America,” said Jason Provonsha, who was recently promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales. “His track record as a recruiter and motivator speaks for itself; he will be an incredible asset to our corporate sales team.”

Access America Transport is coming off a record sales year in 2012 with over 85 Fortune 500 companies as customers. Total sales are expected to exceed $550 million in 2013. “The competition in Division I sports is fierce, but the relentless drive at Access America to be an industry leader and deliver the best customer service possible is on another level,” said Shulman. “I’m excited to be a part of their unique culture and look forward to playing a role in
making AAT a billion-dollar company.”

Before being hired at UTC’s head men’s basketball coach in 2004, Shulman was an assistant coach on Jeff Lebo’s staffs at Tennessee Tech and UTC. He and his wife, Amy, live on Missionary Ridge with their three sons.

“Access America is a people company. We are constantly looking for people of John’s caliber to make us better and keep our momentum going,” said Access America CEO and co-founder Ted Alling. “And it doesn’t hurt that John is best in the clutch and was nearly unbeatable as a coach if he had a lead in the final minutes.”

Earlier this year Forbes named Access America Transport its 9th Most Promising Company in America. The company operates nine locations and specializes in truckload, less-thantruckload, and supply chain management services. AAT is ISO 9001:2008 certified, SmartWay approved and an industry leader in technology. Access America was recently featured by Forbes as one of America’s Most Promising Companies. For more information, visit www.aat.com.

Access America Transport, a leading third-party logistics company is pleased to announce the company’s inclusion on Forbes list of America’s Most Promising Companies for 2013. Access America has been listed at No. 9 on the annual ranking – a list of one hundred privately held, high-growth companies with bright futures. AAT is one of the nation’s fastest growing third party logistics providers. Annual sales are expected to exceed $575 million by year end 2013.

Methodology:
One metric never says it all. For the Most Promising list, Forbes strove for a holistic gauge of young, privately-held companies, trying to pin down their trajectories by looking at a slew of variables. Over the course of six months Forbes reviewed thousands of applications. The final assessment is based on growth (both in sales and hiring), quality of management team and investors, margins, market size and key partnerships. Forbes turned to CB Insights, a Manhattan-based data research firm that specializes in assessing private companies, to refine the search. Their MOSAIC software scans 45,000 sources to measure a company’s health. A new distribution deal, for example, marks a positive signal, while the loss of an executive is a negative. MOSAIC gathers those myriad signals into a final score that Forbes uses as an initial guide in producing the list. After verifying sales numbers, speaking with each company and debating their merits and blemishes, Forbes produces a final ranking.

Access America Transport is a third-party logistics company based in Chattanooga, TN. The company operates nine locations and specializes in truckload, less-than-truckload, and supply chain management services. AAT is ISO 9001:2008 certified, SmartWay approved and an industry leader in technology. Visit their website at http://www.accessamericatransport.com

On Friday, Jan. 25, Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Access America will celebrate moving its Twin Cities office from space it has outgrown in Ramsey to 30,000 square feet of leased office space in Brooklyn Park, where it will have room to grow.

Access America, which acts as a broker between clients with shipping needs and trucking companies, added about 100 employees to its Twin Cities operations in the past two years, said Steve Cox, an executive vice president who heads the Brooklyn Park office.

“It’s why we don’t think we should have any issue hitting 500 jobs in five years,” Cox said.

The company expects to hire between 80 and 90 new workers just this year, he said.

Access America was founded in 2002 in Tennessee. Cox, a Minneapolis native, said he established the Twin Cities branch in Ramsey in 2006 after working for the company in Tennessee.

The Ramsey office began with a humble 400 square feet for just himself and a new employee hired straight out of college, Cox said.

Since then, the Twin Cities outpost grew to about 15,000 square feet and has become Access America’s second-largest office in sales, contributing $145 million to the company’s expected $360 million in 2012 revenue, Cox said.

The office in Brooklyn Park includes 190 cubicles arranged in a horseshoe shape. It has

enough space for 300 employees. If the company needs more room, it has right of first refusal on some adjacent office space, Cox said.

“There’s a constant, loud chatter. It really gets everyone’s adrenaline going, and everyone likes that,” he said, likening the atmosphere to a brokerage floor.

The Upper Midwest seems to attract third-party logistics providers, Cox said. C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc., the largest U.S. provider with $10.34 billion in revenue in 2011, calls Eden Prairie home. Many of Access America’s competitors operate out of Chicago, Cox said.

Third-party logistics providers like to tout their size because clients need reassurance that the broker has the financial heft to weather setbacks, Cox said.

Access America works with more than 20,000 trucking companies and counts 75 Fortune 500 companies as customers, including Anheuser Busch and Caterpillar Inc., company officials said.

The job of third-party providers, Cox said, is to make sure loads are picked up and delivered on time. The task requires constant communication with the client and the trucking companies.

“We have a saying — if the customer calls you and asks, ‘Where’s your truck?’ then you’ve failed,’ ” he said. “We want the customer to hand their load off to us and not think about it again.”

The company expects to announce Friday that it will seek a state job training grant in partnership with St. Cloud State University to provide Access America with a steady stream of job candidates, Cox said. About half of the company’s employees are St. Cloud graduates, he said.

Logistics Company to Create 450 Jobs in Chattanooga, 100 Jobs in Knoxville Over Five Years

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty along with Access America Transport officials today announced the company will expand its Chattanooga and Knoxville facilities and create 550 jobs during a five year period – 450 additional jobs at the Chattanooga facility and 100 additional jobs at the Knoxville facility.

“I want to congratulate Access America Transport on the expansion of both its Tennessee facilities and the creation of more than 500 new jobs in the Chattanooga and Knoxville areas,” Haslam said.  “One of our priorities is focusing on companies and businesses already located in Tennessee with the goal of becoming the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”

“Access America Transport is a true Tennessee success story and a prime example of the prosperous entrepreneurial spirit we have in our state,” Hagerty said.  “Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, I congratulate the company on its continued growth.  We are proud to have Access America Transport as part of the Tennessee business community and look forward to working with them on future expansions.”

Access America Transport is a full service transportation company headquartered in Chattanooga, Tenn. Founded in 2002, the company handles all modes of transportation including truckload (van/flatbed/reefer), less-than-truckload, intermodal and specialized freight. Along with the company’s Chattanooga and Knoxville facilities, Access America Transport has operations in Minnesota, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Texas and Colorado.

“While Access America Transport has a major presence in several cities across the country, we are proud of our roots in Tennessee and anticipate enormous growth in our Chattanooga and Knoxville offices over the next five years,” Ted Alling, CEO, Access America Transport, said.  “By 2017, we expect that at least 500 additional East Tennesseans will join our unique company culture as we continue to work towards being the best employer in the country. We are a people company and most of our success to this point rests of the shoulders of the passionate people who represent Access America every day.”

“We applaud Access America for continuing to create family wage jobs in our community,” Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger said. “They are leading the way for many other entrepreneurs to make the most of Hamilton County’s business assets.”

“Access America keeps proving Chattanooga is a great place for growing companies,” Chattanooga City Mayor Ron Littlefield said. “These young business leaders are the first of many examples of how Chattanooga is drawing more and more young, talented people who are driving job creation.”

“The team at Access America exemplifies Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial culture,” Charles Wood, vice president of Economic Development, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, said. “They continue to strengthen our entrepreneurial environment, and we are working hard to support them in doing so.”

“The city of Knoxville welcomes the expansion of Access America, which is already providing solid jobs to the area and contributing to the local economy,” Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero said. “This is a good sign that our economy is continuing to recover.  We eagerly anticipate these new job opportunities.”

“I want to thank Access America for deciding to expand its operations in the Knoxville Oak Ridge Innovation Valley,” Doug Lawyer, vice president of Economic Development, Knoxville Chamber, said.  “This is yet another example of corporate services, an Innovation Valley target industry growth sector, making a smart decision to expand in our region.”

To apply for a position with Access America Transport, visit www.accessamericatransport.com/careers/.

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tn.gov/ecd.  Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd.  Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.

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Chattanooga-based Access America Transport is responding to the ongoing supply and relief efforts to support local, state, and federal government missions along the eastern seaboard as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Teams at Access have been working 24/7 to ensure critical supplies such as tarps, water, ice, generators, and meals are being delivered to those areas most affected by the devastating effects of the storm.

“This is the part of our jobs that really support our mission to be America’s best and most reliable logistics company,” says Chad Eichelberger, Access America’s president. “Sometimes our work really becomes personal, as many of our team members have family in the affected areas. It’s a mission we take seriously and it feels good to know we are helping those in need.”

Access America has already mobilized more than 500 truckloads to the Northeast—hauling supplies for both government and commercial customers—and the volume shows no sign of slowing down.

Ronald Ramsey, senior vice president and lead project manager for the Emergency Service Group, is a veteran of storm-related movements. “We haven’t seen this kind of demand since Hurricane Katrina. It’s truly a labor of love for us knowing we are getting help to those who need it most. I’m amazed at the dedication of our team.”

Access America Transport is a third-party logistics company specializing in truckload, less-than-truckload, specialized freight, and supply chain management solutions for approximately 8,000 customers throughout North America. The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company employs approximately 400 people in nine offices in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, Minnesota, Texas, and Colorado. The company is ISO 9001:2008 certified, SmartWay approved and an industry leader in technology. Visit Access America’s website at www.accessamericatransport.com

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If you would like more information about Access America, or to schedule an interview, please contact Jason Provonsha at (423) 821-8044 x 126 or via email at jprovonsha@accessamericatransport.com

CHATTANOOGA, TN – Access America Transport, a leading-based third-party logistics company is pleased to announce the promotion of Ryan Doherty to the position of Regional Sales Director. Access America Transport is one of the nation’s fastest growing third party logistics providers. 2012 sales are expected to double to more than $400 million.

Ryan has been with AAT since 2007 and has worked in sales and operations roles. “Ryan’s promotion is very well deserved. He is extremely driven and has an unbelievable work ethic,” said Sr. VP Ronald Ramsey. “He has a passion for helping customers.”

Access America Transport is a third-party logistics company based in Chattanooga, TN. The company operates seven locations and specializes in truckload, less-than-truckload, and supply chain management services. The company is ISO 9001:2008 certified, SmartWay approved and an industry leader in technology. Visit their website at http://www.accessamericatransport.com