Embracing Change, Ha Industry thought leader Tom McLeod is lending his experience and expertise to maximize a year of transition and opportunity for the Alabama Trucking Association. By Ford Boswell
HOOVER, Ala. – Tom McLeod won’t be the typical chairman for the Alabama Trucking Association – and that’s precisely what’s needed in this pivotal year for ATA. With the Association in the midst of a transition with new President and CEO Mark Colson coming on board and the retirement of a long-time ATA maven, Jane Nixon, someone of McLeod’s innovation and experience is a blessing for an organization poised to revamp itself to score big wins for Alabama truckers. About every third year, the Board of Directors elects an executive from the Association’s Allied industry to serve as Chairman. The idea is that in doing so the Association gets a more complete perspective of the industry from all sectors, and thus allows for a larger pool of ideas and innovation to fully address the Association’s needs and mission. And while the chairmanship itself is mostly a figurehead position, there are crucial responsibilities and tasks that require a sizeable commitment of time and planning for each new term. And yet, despite all McLeod has on his plate running his own successful corporation, he has dutifully accepted the reins of the Association as Chairman of the Board for FY 2019-2020, to oversee an era that will surely set the organization’s pace and trajectory for years to come. Positioning him well to lead ATA is his unique perspective. For starters, he’s the founder of one of the industry’s leading software providers, McLeod Software Corp., a successful business with more than 450 4
employees at three locations, including Salt Lake City and Chicago, providing transportation management and trucking software solutions to nearly 1,000 trucking firms. He is also a trusted thought leader for the transportation industry, specifically on the use of current and upcoming technology to support trucking and brokerage operations. ATA’s Colson calls McLeod ATA’s “transition chairman” since former Association President Frank Filgo took the helm of the organization in 1994. “It’s on Tom’s watch that we are conducting this major leadership transition, and it is already off to an incredible start,” Colson says. “His vast knowledge and experience in business management have had a major impact on our operations. Achieving operational excellence for us has become a top priority with someone of Tom’s caliber and depth serving as Chairman. We’re in great hands with him at the wheel.”
Industry Involvement McLeod has had ties to ATA for three decades, serving on its executive board and several committees for more than 20 years. He’s also very involved with the American Trucking Associations and its state affiliates,
as well as the Truckload Carriers Association, holding several leadership positions for those organizations. Because of his commitment and support as a board member, his selection as Chairman of the Board was inevitable. Prior to his appointment, he successfully led major ATA events, including the 2019 ATA Annual Meeting — the most financially successful to date — and the 2017 ATA Golf Classic. His company has been the presenting sponsor (Presidential Sponsor) for both events more than a half dozen times combined, donating cash and resources to ensure success. Supporting his “home association” is something he believes strongly. “The trucking industry has been so incredible to me and my family through the years,” he says. “Alabama is our home. There are many wonderful, talented people in Alabama’s trucking industry that it’s not surprising that trucking is so vital to our state’s economy. I look forward to helping this Association any way I can. It’s truly an honor and privilege to be a part of this great organization.”
Background After graduating from Berry High School in Hoover, Ala. in 1972, McLeod enrolled at Samford University to study music with an emphasis on piano performance. “Music has always been a very important part of my life, and I wanted to learn as much as I could about playing piano,” he says. “Music is such a wonderful thing to be part of. My wife is a talented singer, and three of my children majored in music.” But McLeod realized earning a living as a musician, either as a teacher or a performer, probably wasn’t going to provide the type of lifestyle he wanted. After completing his degree, he bounced between sales jobs – first, selling cash registers and later selling office copiers. Working in sales was good money, but it wasn’t something he particularly enA LABAMA T RUCKER • 3 RD Q UARTER 2019
