The Alabama Trucking Association (ATA), a prominent member of the state’s business community, will soon have a fresh face at its helm.
ATA on Thursday announced that it has selected Mark Colson to be its next president and CEO, succeeding longtime ATA CEO Frank Filgo, who will retire in July after 24 years of exemplary service.
Colson, who currently serves as a senior advisor for the Business Council of Alabama (BCA), will start his tenure with ATA as president-elect on June 1 and will assume his full responsibilities and duties as president on August 1.
“Having served the Association for so long, I know that this is the best job ever,” Filgo stated. “As my tenure at ATA comes to an end, I look forward to helping Mark make a smooth transition in leadership. This Association has made an excellent choice for its future.”
Church Transportation and Logistics President Fenn Church, the current ATA chairman of the board, welcomed Colson to the organization in a statement.
“On behalf of the Alabama Trucking Association, I am excited to welcome Mark Colson to our organization,” Church said. “Mark’s passion, energy and vision will serve this Association well as we prepare for the many challenges that lie ahead for trucking.”
“Mark is an energetic leader who can build coalitions to get results and inspire those around him to do great things to push Alabama’s vibrant economy forward. We look forward to his leadership and this exciting new chapter for the Alabama Trucking Association,” he concluded.
Over the past decade, Colson has served in multiple senior roles for BCA, including senior vice president for governmental affairs, chief of staff and recently as interim president during the organization’s highly publicized transition period.
He is a native of Chilton County where he grew up working for his family’s tire business. Colson is a graduate of Huntingdon College where he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and was recently inducted into the Huntingdon Athletics Hall of Fame (football). He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Troy University.
“The growth and success that ATA has experienced is remarkable and directly attributed to the tremendous efforts of the staff, the members, and the volunteer leaders,” Colson said. “I’m excited to work with all of these talented individuals to continue this legacy of success and take ATA to the next level.”
BCA President and CEO Katie Boyd Britt celebrated Colson’s new role, where he will continue to help make Alabama the most pro-jobs state possible.
“Mark has been an extremely valuable and talented advocate for Alabama’s business community for more than a decade, and we are fortunate that he will continue to serve our state by leading the trucking industry,” Britt advised.
“I am proud of the legacy that Frank Filgo established during his career building a strong and important relationship between the BCA and ATA,” she continued. “I look forward to continuing to work with Mark in his new role and continuing the collaboration between the BCA and ATA.”
The strong working relationship between BCA and ATA was exemplified this week in the passage of HB 479.
Colson was named in Yellowhammer Multimedia’s Power & Influence: Who’s Next? list in 2016.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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