John M. Smith
Chairman of the Board
John Smith began his career in the family business in 1971. Over the years, Smith held various roles in the organization, including his appointment of President and Chief Executive Officer in 1987 and most recently, Chairman of the Board in 2010.
Smith has been actively involved in the transportation industry, including appointments with the American Trucking Association, Inc. (Executive Committee and Secretary), Truckload Carriers Association (Executive Committee, Officer and President) and Iowa Motor Truck Association (Executive Committee and Past Chairman).
An active member of his community, Smith has held numerous roles, including, Chairman – Cornell College Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees – Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Board of Directors – U.S. Bank, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Chairman—Economic Planning and Redevelopment Corporation, Investor – Block by Block Flood Recovery Program, Past Chairman - Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, Past President – Cedar Rapids Symphony, Past President – Cedar Rapids Symphony Foundation, Past Chairman – Young Presidents’ Organization – Iowa Chapter, Past Chairman – Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, Past Chairman – Red Cedar Chamber Music and Past Chairman – Priority One.
Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cornell College and an MBA from Cornell University School of Business.
David L. Rusch
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dave Rusch was appointed President/CEO for CRST International in 2010.
Dave joined CRST International in June 1991 as Vice President of Operations for CRST Malone, Inc. In 1998, he was appointed President/Chief Operating Officer for CRST Van Expedited in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In March 2002, he assumed responsibility for all of CRST International's asset based subsidiaries including, CRST Van Expedited, Inc., CRST Malone, Inc., CRST Dedicated Services, Inc., and CRST Capacity Solutions, Inc. At that time, he was named to the new position of President/CRST Carrier Group, which includes the above operating companies.
Prior to joining CRST International, Rusch was Vice President of Transportation Services for North American Van Lines, Inc. in Fort Wayne, IN. He held various senior management positions in both operations and finance for 10 years. Prior to this Dave was a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A Certified Public Accountant, Dave has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree from the University of North Dakota.
Wes Brackey
Chief Financial Officer
Wes Brackey is Chief Financial Officer for CRST International, responsible for the overall financial direction for the company.
Brackey joined CRST in 1985 as Assistant Controller. He was promoted to Vice-President in 1994 and was promoted to his current post in 1997.
A Certified Public Accountant,Brackey received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Northern Iowa and his MBA from The University of Iowa.
Michael Gannon
President, Group President, Fixed Asset Division
Mike Gannon is Group President of CRST’s Fixed Asset Division. In this role, Gannon oversees the company’s current product lines of CRST Expedited, Inc., CRST Dedicated Services, Inc., CRST Malone, Inc. and Lincoln Sales & Service. Gannon has been with CRST International, Inc. for 27 years, holding his most recent role for four years. Prior to that, Gannon held the roles of President – CRST Malone and various other operational roles.
Gannon began his career at CRST International in 1983. He has held a variety of progressive leadership roles, including President of CRST Malone, President of CRST Expedited, and most recently Group President of CRST’s Fixed Asset Division, a role he assumed in January, 2011.
Gannon holds a bachelor’s degree in Transportation Logistics from Iowa State University and an MBA from The University of Iowa.
Cameron Holzer
President, CRST Expedited, Inc.
Cameron Holzer was appointed President of CRST Expedited, Inc. in 2011, where he oversees all facets of the organization. Holzer joined CRST in 2007, where he has held progressive management roles, including; Director of Operations for CRST Expedited, VP/GM for CRST Capacity Solutions and most recently Vice President Operations at Expedited.
Prior to CRST Cameron held several successive management roles with at CR England.
Holzer is a graduate of The University of Phoenix with a bachelor's degree in Accounting.
Jim Schommer
President, CRST Malone
Jim Schommer was appointed President of CRST Malone, Inc. in 2011, where he oversees all facets of the organization. Schommer joined CRST in 1998, where he has held various management roles, including; Director and VP of Operations for CRST Expedited and most recently as VP of Operations for CRST Malone. Prior to joining CRST, Schommer was with Heartland Express and Direct Transit. He has over 25 years of industry experience.
Schommer holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from Morningside College.
Scott Pruneau
President, CRST Logistics
Scott Pruneau
President, CRST Logistics, Inc.
Scott Pruneau was appointed President of CRST Logistics, Inc. in 2012, where he oversees all facets of the brokerage organization. Pruneau joined CRST as VP – Logistics in 2011, bringing over 17 years of transportation experience.
Prior to CRST Scott held several successive management roles with at Knight Transportation and CH Robinson Worldwide.
Pruneau sits on the board of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) and is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University.
Ian Nicolson
President, Specialized Transportation, Inc.
Ian Nicolson was appointed President and CEO of Specialized Transportation, Inc. (STI) in 2009 after serving on its Board. Nicolson oversees all facets of the organization and has direct responsibility for the U.S. and Canadian companies.
Prior to joining STI, Nicolson held various progressive leadership roles for North American Van Lines, including CEO and Executive Vice President of the High Value Products Division, Fort Wayne, Indiana, currently known as STI. Nicolson also held the position of President/CEO for Interdean International Relocation and Sterling International Relocation, both headquartered in London, UK. Nicolson’s experience represents over 38 years in international and domestic logistics management.
Nicolson holds a bachelors degree in business management from Herriott-Watt University, and post graduate education concentrated in marketing studies, Sighthill College both of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Brooke Willey
Vice President, Human Resources
Brooke Willey joined CRST International in 2010 as Vice President of Human Resources. She is responsible for leading all Human Resource functions across the 4,000+ employee organization.
Prior to joining CRST, Willey held leadership roles in both operations and human resources at Yellowbook and Target Corporation for more than 20 years.
A graduate of The University of Iowa with a degree in Communications, Willey is a member of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) and Iowa Senior SHRM. She is actively involved with non-profit organizations in her community and a current board member for Young Parents Network.
Steve Hannah
Chief Information Officer
Steve Hannah is the Chief Information Officer for CRST International, a position he has held since 2004. He leads the organization that is responsible for creating the company’s overall technology vision, planning implementations and developing and operating all systems across the enterprise.
Since joining CRST, Hannah has directed the company’s efforts in establishing a technology vision for the company that has delivered technologies that have impacted the business, such as: Server Consolidation, Unified Communications, Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence.
Hannah’s 26 year career in IT management includes four years as Vice President of Technology for the former Knight-Ridder, then the nation’s second-largest newspaper publisher.
Hannah earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Eastern Michigan University.