BNSF Logistics LLC has named Nancee Ronning to the new position of chief commercial officer. Ronning has more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and account and relationship management. Most recently, she was president for Print Craft, a commercial printing and packaging company based in Minnesota. She also spent more than eight years in strategic sales, marketing and account management leadership at C.H. Robinson and prior to that held various positions with Merrill Corp. and GE Capital.
ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Cooksey Communications has added Joel Rowe to its creative department as senior graphic designer.
Rowe previously worked as a freelance graphic designer for a range of clients in the real estate, technology, travel and retail markets. He has worked at companies such as Texas Instruments, Travelocity, Animal Supply Co. and ReachLocal.
BANKING & FINANCE
Auto finance industry veterans Mark Floyd and Kenneth Wardle have acquired an equity stake in Horizon Digital Financial Holdings Inc., an online auto finance technology firm in Irving. Horizon Digital is the parent company for online consumer loan marketplace leader myAutoloan.com.
Floyd will be chairman and CEO of Horizon Digital, the holding company for several consumer lending websites, including myAutoloan.com. Greg Thibodeau will be president of myAutoloan.com. Wardle will be chief operating officer of Horizon Digital.
BOARDS & COMMISSIONS
The North Texas Commission has added new members to its board of directors. They are: Robert Chereck, Dallas Citizens Council; Darcie Durham, The Boeing Company; Paul Grimes, City of McKinney; Matt Holster, Alcon Laboratories Inc.; Matthew Johnston, Bank of America; John Land, City of Farmers Branch; and Virginia Schaefer, Texas Instruments Inc.
EDUCATION
The online nonprofit university WGU Texas has hired Emma Bush as community relations manager for its Fort Worth region.
Jon McCarry, a University of North Texas alumnus with wide experience in private equity, has been tapped as the senior director for the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation housed in UNT’s College of Business.
John Pollard of Hurst, announcer for Music for All and Bands of America championships, has been elected to the Music for All board of directors. Music for All is a nonprofit educational organization with a mission to create, provide, and expand life-changing experiences through music. Music for All annually presents more than 30 programs and events nationwide, including the Bands of America Grand National Championships, Music for All National Festival, and the Music for All Summer Symposium, a national summer camp for school music students and teachers.
From 1997-2005, Pollard was an associate director of bands at L.D. Bell High School in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District, alongside Music for All’s current vice president and chief operating officer, Jeremy Earnhart.
ENGINEERING
Nathan Sims, a leader in operational airport systems, joins Burns & McDonnell as an aviation systems project manager. He joins the aviation special systems team to focus on systems integration, wireless networks, baggage handling program management and design services.
“As critical technology needs rise for our clients, we are focusing on growing a team of professionals to tackle their challenges,” said Scott Clark, vice president and regional office manager for Burns & McDonnell in Dallas-Fort Worth. “Adding to the depth of our team will help us be better partners and provide a higher level of service to our clients, here in Dallas-Fort Worth and nationally.”
HONORS & AWARDS
CMIT Solutions of Fort Worth Downtown, one of the region’s leading information technology service providers, announced that CRN, a brand of The Channel Co., has named president Shirley Peterson to its 2018 Women of the Channel list. The executives on this annual list span the information technology field, representing vendors, distributors, solution providers and other organizations that figure prominently in the channel ecosystem. Each is recognized for her outstanding leadership, vision and unique role in driving channel growth and innovation. Peterson is a six-time recipient of this award and she continues to serve the small- and medium-sized business community in Fort Worth. Peterson also received the Franchisee of the Year award from the CMIT Solutions Corporate office in 2014.
Fidel Mitchell, convention services manager at the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, has been chosen as one of 30 of the tourism industry’s “brightest stars” under 30 years of age by Destinations International, a professional organization representing destination marketing organizations and convention and visitors bureaus worldwide and connecting them to educational, networking and advocacy programs.
OFFICE & DESIGN
VARIDESK has added former Southwest Airlines executive Jeff Lamb to the company as chief operating officer.
Lamb has been a leader in corporate America for 37 years – but his first job out of high school was assembling furniture at night for T. Boone Pickens at Mesa Petroleum. Lamb spent over a decade at Southwest Airlines as executive vice president of corporate services and chief people officer, where he helped continue the company’s award-winning work environment and culture. He also previously worked for Roger Staubach as an executive and in senior leadership at Belo.
He is on the board of directors at Lionheart Children’s Academies and previously served on the National Board for Make-A-Wish and Dallas Children’s Hospital.
REAL ESTATE
NAI Robert Lynn’s Fort Worth president, Todd Hubbard, was named as one of the top 10 producers worldwide for NAI Global out of 7,000 agents from over 400 offices worldwide. Hubbard, Executive Vice President of Industrial Michael Newsome and Associate Jeffry Jackson were named as a top five producing team in the world.
TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS
Send newsmakers to Robert Francis at rfrancis@bizpress.net.
