Ed Gatlin, Chairman & CO-Owner  Although not involved in the day-to-day operations of Empire Express, Inc., Mr. Gatlin, age 57, provides managerial expertise to the company due to his many years of business experience.  Mr. Gatlin was Owner/CEO of Ig-Lo Products Corporation, 1962-1985; part Owner and CEO of Memphis Motor Sports Park, 1986-1996; and Owner/CEO of Empire Products Corporation, 1986-present.  Mr. Gatlin serves on various boards in the Memphis community and contributes sales, strategic planning, and financial expertise to the company. Email Ed    Tim Gatlin, President & CEO  Tim Gatlin, age 34, joined the company in January, 1989, and was named President & CEO in March, 1989. He purchased one-half of the company stock from Ed Gatlin in September, 1994.  Prior to joining the company, he served as a Lending Office with Trustmark Bank, Columbus, Mississippi. He holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi.  Mr. Gatlin provides the company with strong leadership, managerial, financial, and analytical skills and has been instrumental in developing a company culture that emphasizes service excellence, safety, continuous improvement, and the philosophy of treating people right.  He has personally led the company's quality improvement process, continually monitors service performance, and demands that the organization meet and exceed each customer's service requirements. Email Tim    Ken Tankersley, VP - Operations  Mr. Tankersley, age 54, joined the company as Operations Manager in November, 1991, and became Vice President of Operations in April, 1992.  Mr. Tankersley's strong operations experience in the industry includes two years as Vice President, Operations of Ozark Motor Lines; four years as Vice President, Sales and Operations of G&H Carriers; and five years as Operations Manager of M.S. Carriers. Prior to joining MS Carriers as Operations Manager, Mr. Tankersley drove a truck in interstate commerce for 12 years.  Mr. Tankersley is responsible for the Operations, Customer Service, and Dispatch Departments of Empire Express. Email Ken    Wayne Hodges, VP - Sales  Mr. Hodges, age 49, joined the company in November, 1998, and is the newest member of the Empire Express, Inc., management team.  His experience in the industry includes over twenty-five years in the trucking industry. His most recent position concluded three years as Vice President, Sales for Trailer Bridge, Inc.  Prior to Trailer Bridge, Mr. Hodges spent fourteen years at MS Carriers in the positions of Marketing Representative, Regional Sales Manager, Division Sales Manager, and General Sales Manager. At MS Carriers, he was responsible for helping the company grow annual revenues from $6.8 million in 1982 to $295 million in 1995.  In his role as Vice President, Sales, he is responsible for the Business Development, Marketing, and Sales Departments of Empire Express. Email Wayne    Bruce Erlandson, VP - Administration, Human Resources & Quality  Mr. Erlandson, age 45, joined Empire as Vice President, Safety, Human Resources & Quality in July, 1995.  He was promoted to Vice President, Administration, Human Resources & Quality in March, 1998. In his role, he is also responsible for the company's Information Systems and Fuel Economy Program.  His managerial experience in transportation includes 17 years at Federal Express Corporation, including eight years in Aircraft Maintenance, six years in Information Systems, and three years in Sales & Customer Automation.  Mr. Erlandson also has three years consulting experience working with top managers in a variety of industries in the areas of strategic planning and leadership. Email Bruce    Nelson Firmin, Director of Maintenance  Mr. Firmin, age 50, joined the company as Director of Maintenance in April, 1994.  Mr. Firmin's leadership experience in Maintenance includes eight years as Lead Mechanic at Yellow Corporation and twenty-two years with McLean Truck Lines. He has also operated his own Contract Maintenance Business serving private fleets in the Memphis area.  Mr. Firmin is responsible for the Equipment Maintenance, Parts, Warranty, and Quality Control Departments of the company. Email Nelson    Richard Tolbert, Director of Safety  Mr. Tolbert, age 51, joined the company as Assistant Director, Safety and Recruiting in January, 1994. In August of 1995, he became Director of Safety.  Mr. Tolbert's experience in transportation includes twelve years as an OTR Driver and five years as a Driver Trainer for MS Carriers.  He has fifteen years managerial experience with Foodway Corporation and eight years running his own construction and trucking businesses.  Mr. Tolbert is the current Vice Chairman of the West Tennessee Chapter of the Tennessee Trucking Association's Safety Management Council. Mr. Tolbert is also a certified Hazardous Materials Technician.  Mr. Tolbert is responsible for the Safety, Driver Recruiting, Driver Training, and Loss Control Departments of Empire Express. Email Richard      Donna J. Nicholas Vice President of Administration & Information Systems.  Ms. Nicholas joined the company in December 1999.  Ms. Nicholas had been involved in the accounting and technology field since 1984. She ran her own enterprise, Top Priority Services, Inc., from January 1990 through December 1999. Through Top Priority Services she provided accounting and software computer services to small and mid-sized companies(including several transportation companies) for their PC and AS/400 systems.  In 1999 Ms. Nicholas worked for Innovative Computing Corporation as a field consultant, performing software implementation and training to over 40 transportation companies.  Ms. Nicholas holds Degrees in both accounting and computer science. Email Donna