Daseke, Inc. (DSKE) Names Chris Easter as Permanent CEO

Daseke, Inc. (NASDAQ: DSKE) (“Daseke” or the “Company”), the largest flatbed, specialized transportation and logistics solutions company in North America, announced that on February 7, 2020, its Board of Directors appointed Chris Easter, former Interim Chief Executive Officer, as permanent Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”). In addition to his role as CEO, Chris Easter has also become a member of the Board of Directors.

Brian Bonner, Executive Chairman, noted, “Following a six-month nationwide search of qualified candidates, I am pleased to announce that Chris Easter has been selected and agreed to lead Daseke as its permanent CEO. Chris’ deep industry knowledge and leadership skills have been apparent to everyone at Daseke since he joined us as COO in January of 2019. However, his outstanding performance as our Interim CEO since August of last year clearly set him apart from the other candidates we reviewed. Over the last six-months, Chris acted with a clear sense of urgency to implement immediate change and transformation by significantly accelerating and expanding his previously announced operational and cost initiatives. He then created a new leadership structure to better leverage the talent at our operating units and rallied our team around our new operational/cost goals, which allowed us to deliver strong financial performance in the face of soft market conditions. Most importantly, he’s pulled our organization together through a time of great change and developed a sense of passion and pride in our employee base that will help Daseke grow and thrive in the future. He’s the right person to lead this organization and we all look forward to seeing him and our industry-leading team drive long-term value for all of our stakeholders.”

Chris Easter, Chief Executive Officer, added, “I am honored by the Board’s decision to appoint me as CEO of Daseke. The Board has been very engaged and supportive of our management team’s work during the short six months since we launched our transformation plans. I am very fortunate to work alongside a team of leaders who are the best operators in our industry. These seasoned Leaders are not only fantastic operators, but they have successfully built and grown businesses. As we look forward, we believe it is critically important to keep this work simple and execute aggressively. We will continue to act with a sense of urgency and make the necessary changes to drive immediate and sustainable value for our customers, shareholders and other stakeholders. We are just getting started.”

Chris Easter Background

Chris Easter began his career at Daseke as its Chief Operating Officer in January of 2019 and assumed the additional responsibility as its Interim Chief Executive Officer in August of 2019. His background includes more than 30 years of operational leadership serving in key transportation and logistics roles with the United States Army, Walmart and Schneider National. From 2012 to 2017, he served as CEO of Keen Transport, a specialized transportation, warehouse, and logistics company focused on serving the industrial equipment market. During more than a decade with Walmart, he was responsible for overseeing the transportation of goods from around the world. Easter graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point; he then served with distinction in the U.S. Army, where he was a leader in heavy machinery logistics. Easter was awarded the Bronze Star during Operation Desert Storm.

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