Former Amazon executive joins Covenant Transport as chief transformation officer

Covenant Transport Services has hired a former executive at Amazon and rival U.S. Xpress Enterprises to serve in the newly created position of chief transformation officer.

Ryan Rogers, a 19-year veteran of the logistics industry, will head up Covenant's merger and acquisition programs, innovation and technology and strategic planning at the Chattanooga-based trucking giant.

Ryan Rogers

A Chattanooga native who earned his MBA at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Rogers worked last year as a transportation executive at Amazon after previously serving in multiple roles at national truckload provider U.S. Xpress Enterprises, including corporate treasurer and chief operating officer at the company's logistics division at a time of extensive growth in revenue.

He currently serves as a mentor at Chattanooga-based transportation and logistics incubator Dynamo, a member of the Chattanooga Technology Council and, along with his wife, Nicole, owns a mail-order men's apparel company known as the SilverFox.

Joey Hogan, president of Covenant Transport Services, said Rogers is the right man in the right role at the right moment for the multi-company enterprise.

"Ryan's track record speaks for itself," Hogan said. "He knows transportation and logistics, and he understands, as we do, that technology and data have the power to positively transform the way we do business, allowing us to work smarter and better, while leading the way for our industry."

Rogers said coming to Covenant as chief transformation officer is the culmination of his professional experiences to this point - the melding of his knowledge and skills in operations, finance, logistics, innovation and mergers and acquisitions.

"This transition is an opportunity for me to capitalize on the background and experience I have, and to do so at Covenant, which has put itself in a very good position with its diverse operating companies," he said. "We have a great organization and industry-leading people here. I'm excited about where we're going, and I look forward to continuing to bring top talent and other industry leaders into the Covenant group of companies."

Founded in 1986 by David Parker, Covenant Transport has grown into one of the nation's largest long-haul trucking companies. Last year, Covenant earned $55.4 million on revenue of $705 million.