Wabash National Corp Bain Award For Strategy Excellence Finalaist
27 October 1998
Wabash National Corporation Chosen As Finalist For The Bain Award For Strategy Excellence
LAFAYETTE, IN--Oct. 27, 1998--Award Recognizes Midwest Companies Whose Strategy Best Reflects
Factors Most Critical To Achieving Sustained Profits and Growth
Wabash National Corporation has been recognized as one of 12 finalists for The 1998 Bain Award for Strategy Excellence, an award created to honor mid-size ($500 million to $1 billion), Midwest companies that have translated breakthrough strategy into superior results. The award was presented recently by worldwide strategy consulting firm, Bain & Company, after more than 500 dynamic-growth companies were evaluated by a panel of Chicago-area business leaders.
"We are very pleased to be honored as a finalist for this very prestigious award," said Donald J. Ehrlich, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Wabash National Corporation. "Our annual sales growth has been running at more than 20 percent over the last five years and much of the credit for this success goes to our investment strategy and our dedicated employees."
Finalists were chosen to represent six categories: retail, industrial products and services, technology and information, consumer products, financial services and transportation. Indiana-based Wabash National Corporation, a company engaged in the design and manufacturer of standard and custom truck trailers, was a finalist in the transportation category.
Wabash National Corporation, which has sole supplier partnership agreements with 13 companies, including Federal Express, US Xpress, Schneider National and Heartland Express, has grown its market share by striving to generate loyalty among key customers.
"The management teams from the firms honored as finalists for this award have led their companies to superior market position with their visionary ability to create and implement strategies that will generate sustainable results," said Mark Horwitch, vice president of Bain & Company, Chicago, and a member of this year's judging panel. "Being selected as a finalist from such a large candidate pool by a judging panel of this caliber is a credit to Wabash National Corporation's management team."
Finalists emerged from a pool of more than 500 high-growth companies in the Midwest region after being evaluated to determine excellence in the areas of strategic vision, financial value created, marketplace endorsement, customer and employee loyalty and investment in strategic planning and innovation.
The nine-member judging panel was made up of Chicago-area business leaders and academia. The panel included: William Farley, Chairman and CEO of Fruit of the Loom; Ed Noha, Chairman of CNA Financial; Philip Rooney, Vice Chairman of ServiceMaster; W. James Farrell, Chairman, President and CEO of Illinois Tool Works; John F. Sandner, Special Policy Advisor of Chicago Mercantile Exchange; Robert S. Hamada, Dean of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business; Donald Jacobs, Dean of Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management; Charles Falk, Dean of Northeastern Illinois University College of Business and Management; and Mark Horwitch, Vice President of Bain & Company, Chicago.
About Wabash National Corporation
Wabash National Corporation designs, manufactures and markets standard and customized truck trailers under the Wabash and Fruehauf trademarks. The Company believes it is the world's largest manufacturer of truck trailers, the leading manufacturer of composite trailers and, through its RoadRailer products, the leading manufacturer of bimodal vehicles. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Fruehauf Trailer Services, Inc., is one of the leading retail distributors of new and used trailers and aftermarket parts.
About Bain & Company
Bain & Company is one of the world's leading strategy consulting firms, serving clients across six continents. In addition to working with over 1,500 major national and multinational corporations, Bain has worked extensively with high-growth, mid-sized companies through its business strategy and private equity practices. Founded in 1973, Bain has over 2,000 professionals in 25 offices worldwide. Sponsored by Bain & Company's Chicago office, The Bain Award for Strategy Excellence was established to celebrate the firm's 25th anniversary.