Executive Moves: GPA, USA Truck, Baltic Exchange

   The board of directors of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) on Monday elected William D. McKnight (pictured above) as chairman.
   “As an entrepreneur and business leader with more than 30 years in the construction industry, Will McKnight has the experience necessary to keep GPA at the forefront, delivering opportunity for growth to large and small businesses across the state,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
   McKnight, who has served as vice chairman since 2018, will assume his new responsibilities July 1.
   McKnight said, “Our ports’ role in helping Georgia companies connect with buyers across the globe can mean a world of difference to small operations hoping to expand.”
   The board also elected Patrick “Kelly” Farr Jr. as vice chairman. Joel Wooten will remain in his role as secretary-treasurer.

   Van Buren, Ark.-headquartered USA Truck Inc. has hired Justin Kreimer as vice president of truck operations.
   “As we continue to build our capabilities as a business, Justin is a perfect fit for the operational expertise that we’ve been searching for,” said USA Truck President and CEO James Reed. “He has been on site with us for several months in a consulting role, and as we began our search for world-class trucking expertise, it became clear that the absolute best choice was already in the building.”
   Kreimer has 19 years of network and operations experience in logistics and transportation. He previously served as vice president of operations for Marten Transport. Before his 11 years at Marten, he spent eight years at Knight Transportation.
   “There are only a handful of people in our industry with the kind of marquee experience and results that Justin brings to the table. We consider it a coup that we’ve been able to add this level of talent to our team again, just as we’ve done throughout our executive team. Justin is another high-caliber add to our team and has already made significant contributions to our self-help strategy,” Reed said.


   Denis Petropoulos has been elected chairman of the Baltic Exchange Council, effective June 1.
   He will replace Duncan Dunn, who has served as chairman since January 2018.
   Petropoulos was a founding partner of Braemar Tankers Ltd. and remains a Braemar Shipping Services PLC shareholder. He most recently headed Braemar’s Singapore office for seven years before returning to the U.K.
   He has been a Baltic Exchange member since 1999 and held positions on the board from 2002 to 2007.
   “Denis Petropoulos is a highly respected and well-known ship broker who played a critical role in the setting up of the Baltic tanker indices in the late 1990s. We’re delighted that he will be dedicating his time to chairing the Baltic Council,” said Mark Jackson, Baltic Exchange chief executive.