Pictured above – Barry Blakely (left) and Wayne Spain (right)
Spain arrived at Averitt in 1980, in a decades long career he served in management all the way up the chain before being named President and COO
Cookeville – Averitt has a new President and COO following the retirement of President Wayne Spain.
Spain has been with Averitt for over 40 years, and his retirement will be effective July 1. Barry Blakely, currently the chief operating officer, will succeed Spain as he expands his role in what Averitt calls the “company’s ongoing leadership succession plan.”
“Under Wayne’s thoughtful, grounded leadership, we have built the strongest team in the transportation industry,” said Gary Sasser, Averitt’s chief executive officer. “His exceptional ability to execute our vision has helped us achieve outstanding, sustained performance. Quite simply, we are who we are today in large part because of Wayne, and we wish him well as he moves into this next chapter of his life.”
Spain arrived at Averitt in 1980.
It “was a sign of the company’s commitment to delivering a wide array of services to its customers. After focusing on LTL services in its early days, Averitt hired Spain to help launch its full truckload service,” said the company in a release.
In his decades long career, Spain grew into leadership opportunities including general sales manager, vice president of sales, executive vice president, chief operating officer and president.
The shipping giant says Blakely brings “decades of Averitt experience to the role of president and COO.”
He joined Averitt as a transportation sales specialist in 1986 before being promoted to service center director. As the years rolled by, he served as a regional vice president and vice president of operations before being named executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2021.
“Barry has been with us for more than 35 years, and he’s an excellent example of career growth and promoting from within,” said Sasser. “Because of his experience and outstanding track record of leadership, I’m confident that we’re in a great position to continue the Averitt legacy while moving forward toward an even brighter future.”
For more information, call 1-800-AVERITT (283-7488) or visit Averitt.com
Photo courtesy of Averitt.
