Daseke Announces Appointment of Bruce Blaise to Board of Directors

ADDISON, Texas, Aug. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Daseke, Inc. (NASDAQ: DSKE) (“Daseke” or the “Company”), the premier North American transportation solutions specialist dedicated to servicing challenging industrial end-markets, announced today the appointment of Mr. Bruce Blaise to its board of directors, effective August 1, 2022. Additionally, Mr. Blaise will serve on the board’s Compensation and Corporate Governance and Nominating committees.

Charles “Chuck” Serianni, Chairman of the Board, commented, “It is a pleasure to welcome Bruce Blaise to the board of directors. Over the past few years, we have thoughtfully added several veteran executives to the Daseke Board, ensuring well-represented, cross-functional expertise in critical areas such as Operations, Strategy, Finance, Information Technology and Human Resource Management. Bruce brings extensive operational experience in transportation that adds additional depth to this diverse expertise of Daseke’s board. His record of accomplishment in building a market leader in specialized transportation and logistics complements Daseke’s shift in strategy to one focused on end-market leadership. Bruce’s addition further bolsters our already strong Board and will undoubtedly help us drive long-term value for Daseke shareholders as we continue on with our transformation.”

Mr. Blaise has 38 years of experience in the trucking and transportation industry. Most recently, Blaise served as the President of Kenan Advantage Group (KAG)—the largest tank truck transporter and logistics provider in North America—from 2011 to 2021 and held both CEO and President roles from 2018 to 2021. Prior to joining KAG, Blaise served in various management roles with Miller Transporters from 1983 to 2001. Mr. Blaise earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Mississippi State University, where he recently served on the Marketing Advisory Board. He served on the board of directors of the National Freight Transportation Association (NFTA) through March 2022, and is a past member of various industry related associations, including the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA), National Tank Truck Carriers Association (NTTC) and the Ohio Trucking Association (OTA).

Bruce Blaise added, “With a thoughtful transformation plan now underway, it’s an exciting time to join the Company’s board of directors. Daseke’s scale and diversification across the industrial complex is a strong differentiator in the transportation sector, and I look forward to applying my many years of industry experience in support of Daseke’s ongoing transformation and revitalized growth strategy.”

Jonathan Shepko, Chief Executive Officer, noted, “We are delighted to add yet another very talented director to our board. Bruce’s extensive leadership in the areas of strategy and sales and marketing will be invaluable as we look to build sustainable footholds across a spectrum of specialized, industrial-facing sub-verticals. Bruce’s journey with Kenan shares a number of parallels to that of Daseke’s own transformation, and the ability to leverage the perspectives of another industry veteran as we prosecute our repositioning will be a tremendous asset to our company.”

About Daseke, Inc.

Daseke, Inc. is the premier North American transportation solutions specialist dedicated to servicing challenging industrial end-markets. Daseke offers comprehensive, best-in-class services to a diversified portfolio of many of North America’s most respected industrial shippers. For more information, please visit .

Forward‐Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “continue,” “estimate,” “project,” “believe,” “plan,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “forecast,” “seek,” “target,” “predict,” and “potential,” the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology. Projected financial information, including our guidance outlook, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may also include statements about the Company’s goals, business strategy and plans; the Company’s financial strategy, liquidity and capital required for its business strategy and plans; the Company’s competition and government regulations; general economic conditions; and the Company’s future operating results.

These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this release, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that the Company anticipates. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any subsequent date, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties (many of which are beyond our control) that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic and business risks, such as downturns in customers’ business cycles, disruptions in capital and credit markets and inflationary cost pressures, the Company’s ability to adequately address downward pricing and other competitive pressures, the Company’s insurance or claims expense, driver shortages and increases in driver compensation or owner-operator contracted rates, fluctuations in the price or availability of diesel fuel, increased prices for, or decreases in the availability of, new revenue equipment and decreases in the value of used revenue equipment, impact to the Company’s business and operations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, seasonality and the impact of weather and other catastrophic events, the Company’s ability to secure the services of third-party capacity providers on competitive terms, loss of key personnel, a failure of the Company’s information systems, including disruptions or failures of services essential to our operations or upon which our information technology platforms rely, data or other security breach, or cybersecurity incidents, the Company’s ability to execute and realize all of the expected benefits of its integration, business improvement and comprehensive restructuring plans, the Company’s ability to realize all of the intended benefits from acquisitions or investments, the Company’s ability to complete divestitures successfully, the Company’s ability to generate sufficient cash to service all of the Company’s indebtedness and the Company’s ability to finance its capital requirements, restrictions in its existing and future debt agreements, increases in interest rates, changes in existing laws or regulations, including environmental and worker health safety laws and regulations and those relating to tax rates or taxes in general, the impact of governmental regulations and other governmental actions related to the Company and its operations, and litigation and governmental proceedings. Additional risks or uncertainties that are not currently known to us, that we currently deem to be immaterial, or that could apply to any company could also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or future results. For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements, please see Daseke’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at , including Daseke’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, particularly the section titled “Risk Factors.”

For more information, please contact:

Investor Relations:

Alpha IR Group

Joseph Caminiti or Ashley Gruenberg

312-445-2870