VIENNA, Va. (PRWEB) October 22, 2021
LaserShip, the largest regional e-commerce parcel carrier in the U.S. and leader in e-commerce last-mile delivery, today announced the appointment of Mark Holifield as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Holifield comes to LaserShip from The Home Depot, where he is currently Executive Vice President of Supply Chain & Product Development, and brings decades of experience to the company. As the new CEO, Mr. Holifield will assume day-to-day leadership of the company effective November 8, 2021, and will succeed interim CEO Mike Roth, who will remain a Board member.
“We are pleased to welcome Mark as CEO of LaserShip,” said Will Manuel, Chairman of the Board of LaserShip and a Managing Director of American Securities. “I have known Mark for more than a decade and he is an exceptional leader with a consistent track record of success. His deep expertise in supply chain and clear customer mindset will ensure our continued commitment to world class service. In addition, Mark’s experience building large-scale networks will enable our successful combination with OnTrac as we look to merge the companies’ networks to provide expanded customer service in 2022. We are confident that the combined LaserShip/OnTrac network will continue to grow and prosper under Mark’s leadership.”
“I am honored and excited to lead LaserShip in its next phase of growth,” said Mr. Holifield. “We have exceptionally talented teams at both LaserShip and OnTrac who are focused on providing best-in-class delivery services to our retail and shipping partners. That focus will continue to generate innovative, impactful delivery solutions as we combine to help our customers build more flexible and resilient supply chains to support the needs of their consumers.”
Mr. Holifield is joining LaserShip from The Home Depot where he served as Executive Vice President – Supply Chain & Product Development. Prior to The Home Depot, Mr. Holifield was Executive Vice President of supply chain management at Office Depot. He earned his B.B.A. from the University of Texas and an M.B.A. from Baylor University.
Earlier in October, LaserShip and OnTrac announced they will combine to form the first coast-to-coast partner of choice for last-mile e-commerce deliveries. The combination is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. LaserShip and OnTrac will focus on ensuring seamless service for customers during the 2021 peak holiday season, and plan to begin linking their networks in 2022.
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About LaserShip, Inc.
LaserShip is the leader in e-commerce last-mile delivery for retailers and shippers that desire reduced transit times and increased flexibility within their supply chain. Founded in 1986, LaserShip has evolved into the leading provider of same-day and next-day delivery services in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. for premier e-commerce and product-supply businesses, including five of the largest retailers in the U.S. For more information, visit LaserShip.com.
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Last-mile delivery specialist LaserShip Inc. on Friday said it named Mark Holifield chief executive, poaching the veteran supply-chain executive from retailer Home Depot Inc. as the regional parcel carrier pushes for a national presence.
LaserShip said Mr. Holifield, who has been executive vice president of supply chain and product development at the Atlanta home-improvement giant since early 2014, will take the helm on Nov. 8.
Vienna, Va.-based LaserShip, owned by private-equity firms American Securities and Greenbriar Equity Group, earlier this month struck a deal to acquire OnTrac Logistics Inc. in a roughly $1.3 billion deal aimed at extending its reach across a wider swath of the U.S. at a time of surging e-commerce demand.
“Mark’s experience building large-scale networks will enable our successful combination with OnTrac as we look to merge the companies’ networks to provide expanded customer service in 2022,” said Will Manuel, chairman of LaserShip and a managing director of American Securities.
Home Depot credits Mr. Holifield with engineering a supply-chain transformation at the company, adding its network of rapid deployment centers aimed at supplying stores more quickly and efficiently. Mr. Holifield joined Home Depot in 2006 as senior vice president of supply chain after spending a dozen years at office-supplies retailer Office Depot.
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Mr. Holifield’s departure from Home Depot comes as myriad sectors of the economy grapple with supply-chain bottlenecks that have led to shortages and higher consumer costs.
Home Depot said John Deaton, who had been senior vice president of supply chain since 2017 before becoming senior vice president of retail operations earlier this year, will succeed Mr. Holifield as executive vice president of supply chain and product development, effective Nov. 1.
Mr. Deaton joined Home Depot in 2007 and also helped lead the rollout of the rapid deployment centers.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a strong bench of talented leaders like John, who has delivered outstanding results with every challenge he’s taken on over the past 14 years at The Home Depot,” Craig Menear,
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the retailer’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.The combination of LaserShip and Chandler, Ariz.-based OnTrac, slated to close by the end of the year, comes as regional package carriers are pushing into new coverage areas while shippers jockey for parcel capacity.
The combined entity would have more than 100 sorting and delivery hubs in 30 states and the District of Columbia, creating a network allowing two-day shipping to 74% of the U.S. population.
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—Jennifer Smith contributed to this article.
Write to Colin Kellaher at
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“Brett brings a wealth of experience in managing large, high growth companies,” says Mr. Averill. Prior to joining LaserShip, Mr. Bissell was responsible for CEVA’s multibillion-dollar Contract Logistics business, which included warehousing, manufacturing support, inbound/outbound distribution and e-commerce fulfillment. “I am excited to hand the reins over to Brett,” said Mr. Averill, “as his experiences over the course of his accomplished career make him uniquely qualified to build on LaserShip’s market-leading position and navigate the Company through this next period of continued high growth.” Added Tom Escott, LaserShip’s Chairman, “We appreciate all of Blake’s contributions to the business over the course of his thirty-three year tenure. Looking forward, we are excited for what the future holds with Brett as CEO.”
Mr. Bissell possesses a track record of developing world class operational processes that deliver excellence to customers. “The e-commerce space is a dynamic one and, as we grow, our emphasis will be on continuing to innovate our offering to provide best-in-class services to support our shipper partners and their customers,” he said. A key element in that endeavor, according to Mr. Bissell, is “continuing to build a positive culture and great team environment that people want to join.”
In addition to a process-based and culture-centric approach, Mr. Bissell will bring extensive commercial experience to bear at LaserShip. He began his career with Toshiba Corporation as an engineer, and after stints with Motorola and Qualcomm, he joined Flex Corporation as General Manager in Nagoya Japan and then subsequently as Vice-President and Country Manager for Brazil operations for Flex, leading a period of significant growth and expansion. Mr. Bissell joined Ceva Logistics in 2011 as Executive Vice-President of Latin America and in 2014 was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Ceva’s Contract Logistics business line responsible for Ceva’s multibillion-dollar global operations.
Mr. Bissell graduated from Union College with a degree in Electrical Engineering and earned a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, as well as his MBA, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Mark Holifield as LaserShip’s new CEO, effective November 8.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the e-commerce industry has experienced a whirlwind of unprecedented growth and challenges. Our team at LaserShip has been working tirelessly to help our retail partners overcome these challenges and build flexible, resilient supply chains that meet evolving consumer expectations. Mark’s leadership will enable us to continue providing innovative and impactful delivery solutions for our customers as we enter peak season and merge networks with OnTrac in 2022 to help even more retailers achieve fast and reliable delivery that creates competitive advantage.
Mark is a well-respected industry veteran with 40 years of experience in supply chain and logistics. He comes to LaserShip from The Home Depot, where he spent 15 years and was most recently the Executive Vice President of Supply Chain & Product Development. Mark oversaw Home Depot’s logistics, distribution, delivery, transportation, and inventory planning and replenishment operations, as well as product development for the company’s private brands. He championed their supply chain transformation, developing the company’s network of Rapid Deployment Centers to supply their stores more quickly and efficiently and expanded their e-commerce business.
Mark will be an exceptional leader for LaserShip, and we are proud to have him guide our company through the next phase of growth. We are thrilled to welcome Mark to the LaserShip team and look forward to working with him to further serve our customers with best-in-class last-mile delivery solutions.
Learn more about Mark’s appointment as LaserShip’s new CEO.