April 24, 2023 Two AFS Leaders Honored As Pros To Know

AFS Chief Analytics Officer and Chief Information Officer recognized for industry leadership and innovation.

SHREVEPORT, La. – AFS Logistics (afs.net) announces two members of its leadership team, Chief Analytics Officer Mingshu Bates and Chief Information Officer Nathan Johnson, have been named Pros to Know for 2023 by Supply & Demand Chain Executive (SDCE). Each recipient of this honor is recognized by SDCE for being “an outstanding leader who reinvents what it means to be a supply chain professional.”

“Mingshu and Nathan are both highly accomplished leaders who have managed to distinguish themselves even amongst their exemplary colleagues,” says Tom Nightingale, CEO, AFS Logistics. “Their contributions are integral to the success with which our team produces results for customers. They are both tremendous ambassadors for our brand, and for the broader industry.”

In her role as Chief Analytics Officer, Bates leverages big data capabilities to monitor, analyze and predict transportation industry trends and help clients make informed decisions about their logistics networks. She works with her team to build advanced analytical models, optimizing client transportation costs and delivering actionable intelligence to support data-driven business decisions.

Under Bates’ leadership, AFS produces the TD Cowen/AFS Freight index, which provides historical and forward-looking pricing trends for truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL) and parcel transportation markets. Her expertise has made her a resource to media outlets, from industry publications like Supply Chain Dive to the Wall Street Journal. Her contributions have led her to be named a Top Woman to Watch in Transportation for 2023 by the Women in Trucking Association and a 2022 Women in Supply Chain award winner by SDCE. She has also been featured by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

As the leader of the IT organization at AFS, Johnson serves as a shared resource for all departments, not only improving the IT infrastructure and security for the organization, but also creating world-class applications and innovative solutions for internal and external users. He works extensively with the data team to enhance the company’s ability to capture, store, and process huge volumes of shipping data, creating increased visibility into the logistics industry.

Within the last year, Johnson has led the development and launch of AFSmartAudit, a proprietary, world-class freight audit and payment application that automates the audit of billions of dollars of freight transactions. The system provides cost savings and prevents overcharges, duplicates and late payments for over 1,800 clients, and was recently recognized as one of the year’s groundbreaking business IT developments with a CIO 100 award.

About the award
SDCE’s Pros to Know recognizes outstanding executives whose accomplishments offer a roadmap for other leaders looking to leverage the supply chain for competitive advantage. SDCE received close to 400 nominations this year, a record for this award program.

About AFS Logistics
AFS Logistics helps more than 1,800 companies across more than 35 countries drive sustained savings and operational improvements, while turning their logistics operations into competitive, customer-centric differentiators. As a non-asset based and non-asset biased 3PL, AFS provides a range of logistics services, featuring freight and parcel audit, parcel cost management, LTL cost management and transportation management, which includes freight brokerage and freight forwarding. Founded in 1982 and employing a team of more than 380 logistics teammates in eight major locations across the U.S. and Canada, AFS is regularly part of the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies. To learn more, visit www.afs.net.

AFS contact:
Anna Claire Stevens
AFS Logistics
318.548.0413
astevens@afs.net

Media contact:
Dan Gauss
Koroberi
336.409.5391
dan@koroberi.com

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