Fort Smith Trucking Firm Named Innovator of the Year
by March 5, 2001 12:00 am 88 views
Arkansas Best Freight Inc. of Fort Smith has been named Network World’s E-comm Innovator of the Year.
The award is given annually to companies with extraordinary business-to-business e-commerce initiatives, using advanced technology while supporting business objectives.
ABF is a 65-year-old trucking company with over 14,000 employees. ABF earned $1.38 billion in 2000 operating revenue.
ABF, a less-than-truckload transportation company, ranked No. 772 on the 2000 Fortune 1000 list.
The company’s e-commerce infrastructure — eCenter — has more than 23,000 registered users from more than 17,000 ABF customers. These customers generate more than 70 percent of ABF’s annual revenue and shipment volume. ABF’s Web site is abf.com.
Network World said ABF was awarded the honor “for serving as an example of old-to-new economy transformation.”
“For many companies, eCommerce causes as many problems as it solves,” said Julie Bort, Network World’s signature series executive editor. “But ABF stands as an example of how to do eCommerce right. Their network design lets the mainframe be accessed by anything from Web browsers to telephones to wireless devices. This, in turn, has freed them to create loads of innovative online features.”
Some of the companies receiving honorable mention for the award include General Motors, Staples and Eastman Chemical.
David Stubblefield, president and CEO of ABF, said, “We’re obviously pleased that Network World has recognized our use of technology to make life easier for our customers. The focus of ABF’s Internet site has always been to add value for our customers through innovation. From simple tracking to shipment rerouting to advanced logistics planning, abf.com has simplified shipping for thousands of customers.”