Grande West Transportation Group Inc. has announced the addition of Christopher Strong to the Board of Directors.
Strong is an operationally focused senior executive with prior CEO experience in publicly traded Canadian and U.S. companies. Strong served as an independent director of Savanna Energy Services from 2013 to 2015 and then as CEO until the company was acquired by another TSX traded company in 2017. He was CEO of Union Drilling, a NASDAQ traded oilfield service company, from 2005 until it was acquired by a private equity group in 2012. He has over thirty years of experience with startups, acquisitions, IPOs, turnarounds and sales. He also has a strong finance background with previous roles as audit committee chair, CFO and numerous other finance-related positions earlier in his career. Strong is a former U.S. Navy Officer and received his MBA in finance from the Wharton School of Business.
Strong stated, “Grande West identified an underserved market in mass transit and spent years developing multiple products with innovative engineering and design to supply it. The company is now experiencing rapid growth in sales and backlog as their vehicles are proving to be a reliable, cost-effective solution to multiple transit requirements. I look forward to working with management and the board on this new phase of the company’s evolution, which often provides a different set of challenges that must be overcome to be successful. “
Jean-Marc Landry, CEO of Grande West commented, “We are very fortunate to have Chris join our board as an independent and Audit Committee Chair. We continue to strengthen the entire organization in 2018 and Chris’ experience with optimizing operational results fits very well with our current focus on cost reductions and U.S. sales growth. The entire Grande West team is excited to have Chris on board.”
The company has granted Strong 250,000 stock options with a strike price of $1.45 for his incentive plan that will vest over a three-year period. The options are exercisable until May 30, 2023, subject to exchange approval.
