Erlanger, KY, June 30, 2008—Chris Painter has been appointed CEO of Transfreight’s group of five North American companies in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Painter succeeds Masao Hara, who has been named Chairman. Painter and Hara are based in Erlanger, Kentucky.
“Mitsui and I have tremendous confidence in Chris and believe that this move will further enhance Transfreight’s effectiveness for North America,” said Hara. “Given our dynamic business environment, we believe it is a very positive step toward an even brighter future for the company.”
“I’m excited about the opportunity to lead such a great company,” Painter said. “We’re quite fortunate to have a very high-caliber group of team members, excellent long-term relationships with great customers, and the sound backing and support of Mitsui.”
Since beginning his Transfreight career in 1997, Painter has held several positions with increasing responsibility, leading both operational and administrative groups. Most recently, he was Chief Development Officer. A native of Canada, he holds an MBA, as well as undergraduate degrees in marketing and human resources.
Painter announced that Areki (Alex) Tsujita has been named to the newly created position of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). In this role, he will head Transfreight’s corporate governance and compliance functions.Tsujita is based in Kitchener, Ontario.
Erlanger, Kentucky-based Transfreight is a premier third-party logistics (3PL) provider that engineers customized lean supply chains for top manufacturers. Founded in 1988, the company is a subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., one of the world’s most diversified and comprehensive trading, investment, and service companies. Transfreight customers include Toyota, CAMI (joint venture of General Motors of Canada Ltd. and Suzuki Motor Corporation), Bosch, Yamaha, Emerson Climate Technologies, Kubota, and Subaru. For more information, visit www.transfreight.com.