Made4net, a global leader in warehouse management systems (WMS) and supply chain execution software, today announced that Wagner Logistics, a Top 100 third-party logistics (3PL) provider with more than 80 years of experience, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Made4net Award for Advancing Innovation in Third-Party Logistics.
Ryan Brown started his career with an entry-level position at Jacobson Companies. Over the years, he advanced to roles including Operations Manager, Regional Manager, and Vice President of Operations, where he was responsible for 7 million square feet, 6 direct reports, 350 associates, and financial oversight of 27 warehouse operations. Most recently, Ryan served as the VP for Ruan’s warehouse division. He lives in Des Moines with his wife of 25 years and has three daughters
Matt has over 25 years of experience in warehousing, distribution and third-party logistics (3PL) operations. Now, as Director of Implementation, Contract Logistics at Wagner Logistics, he leads the successful onboarding and integration of new customer accounts across our national network. Matt is the critical link between Wagner’s operational capabilities and customer expectations, ensuring a seamless transition, rapid value creation and long-term partnership success.
Before joining our team, Matt held leadership roles at several respected 3PL providers, including FW Logistics, DB Schenker, Penske Logistics and Saddle Creek Logistics. Most recently, he served as Director of Operational Excellence at FW Logistics, where he drove company-wide improvements in warehouse performance, compliance processes and operational standardization across a diverse customer base.
Throughout his career, Matt has built a reputation for developing scalable logistics solutions that support complex supply chains. His deep expertise in customer onboarding, cross-functional collaboration and process improvement makes him a key contributor to our continued growth and service excellence.
Jim Headley serves as the Director of Transportation for Wagner Logistics, bringing over 25 years of leadership experience in transportation, logistics, and supply chain management. With a strong track record of scaling businesses, building teams, and driving strategic growth, Jim is committed to delivering innovative solutions that enhance service, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Prior to joining Wagner Logistics, Jim held executive leadership roles at M&M Quality Solutions, Smart Warehousing, and Emery Worldwide / UPS Supply Chain Solutions. In these roles, he spearheaded large-scale operational transformations, successfully expanded business footprints across North America, and led large international sales teams. He drove exponential growth through a consultative approach to solving complex supply chain challenges. His expertise includes transportation strategy, multimodal logistics, warehousing, fulfillment, and developing scalable solutions that optimize efficiency and enhance global supply chain performance.
Jim is a passionate leader and problem-solver with extensive experience in international logistics and cross-border operations. He remains dedicated to fostering high-performing teams and delivering exceptional solutions for customers. Having lived and worked in multiple markets around the globe, he brings a deep understanding of international logistics and supply chain dynamics.
Jim has been recognized for his contributions to logistics and supply chain innovation. He has presented at global trade shows and conferences, sharing his expertise on emerging trends and best practices. He is a founding member of a Vistage group for professional business leaders and has served as a panel speaker at Seton Hall’s Stillman School of Business. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for excellence in sales, operations, and leadership, earning the prestigious Presidents Council and Presidents Club awards at Emery Worldwide.
Jim is fluent in Spanish and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kansas, where he completed two semesters of study abroad at the University of Costa Rica. He is married with three daughters, enjoys outdoor activities and travel, and is a huge Kansas City sports fan.
Before joining Wagner as Vice President of Sales, Seth was the Owner and President of Fulcrum Logistics, Inc., a warehousing services provider he founded in 2020, specializing in food and beverage storage and handling, based in Portland, Oregon. Prior to starting Fulcrum, he was the Vice President of Oregon Transfer Co. Seth is a strong leader with a deep understanding of warehouse operations across multiple product types and industry sectors.
Under Seth’s leadership, Fulcrum Logistics quadrupled in size while maintaining a reputation for operational excellence and a strong customer focus which made him and his team a natural fit for Wagner’s platform. In December 2023, Wagner acquired Logistics Fulcrum with Fulcrum operating as a division of Wagner post-acquisition.
In addition to his role at Wagner, Seth has been active in industry organizations. He was elected as a Director of the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) in 2021 and continues to serve on the IWLA Board of Directors, contributing to the association’s leadership. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board for Associated Warehouses Inc. (AWI), a third-party logistics consulting firm.
Carlos Naylor is the Director of Operations managing the GPI account in Monroe, Louisiana. He oversees a team that handles the daily receiving, picking, shipping and inventory for GPI in an 800,000-square-foot, semi-automated facility.
Carlos has over 20 years of diverse experience in engineering and management, dealing with warehousing, production and transportation. Over the years, he has worked in multi-unit management, process improvement, work standardization and software implementation.
Tyler Trucco is a Director of Non-Asset Based Transportation at Wagner Logistics, specializing in optimizing transportation and efficiency within our customers’ supply chains. With a robust background in trucking since 2014, he has excelled in roles at Fulcrum Logistics, Ashley Furniture and Wilson Logistics, focusing on asset management and transportation solutions.
Tyler was raised in the Chicago suburbs where, as a sports fan, he learned to “lose with grace.” He set his sights west to the University of Montana where he developed an affection for Missoula, logistics and the outdoors. A true “jack of some trades,” Tyler occupies his time feeding Oregon’s steelhead population, under-preparing for running events and customizing frozen pizzas.
Karen develops and executes Wagner’s human resource initiatives and human capital strategies that support our long-term direction. She is a force behind aligning our culture with Wagner’s mission, vision, and values to attract and retain top talent.
Karen believes in recognizing and rewarding performance while strengthening development and providing growth opportunities. She is an advocate for inclusivity and fostering a diverse workplace that promotes physical, emotional and financial wellness.
Brian oversees our strong and experienced leadership team, focused on ensuring all customers receive exceptional service, innovative solutions, continual process improvement and strong operational systems. He knows every customer is a big deal and treats them that way. He also understands that Wagner would not have been successful since 1946 without amazing employees.
Brian’s started with Wagner as Director of Solutions in 2005 and became the first-ever, non-family member to become CEO. Working in an industry in which companies must innovate or flounder, he focuses on resilience, foresight, a commitment to excellence and the Wagner Way.
Eric has over 20 years of experience in the logistics industry, specializing in warehouse and transportation operations, sales, pricing, customer management, and asset-based and non-asset transportation. He oversees sales and business development from our corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri.
Every day, Eric strives to generate positive outcomes and create a genuine experience for Wagner’s customers, employees and partners. He earned an MBA with an emphasis in supply chain management.
Joe brings a unique “location, location, location” perspective to Wagner’s leadership team and oversees our top-notch sales team and real estate activity across our coast-to-coast portfolio. On a daily basis, he coordinates with professionals across our organization to solve the biggest challenges facing our new and long-time customers.
Even before joining Wagner, he was impressed with our team. Today, as a part of it, he’s honored to contribute to our clients’ successes.
Chad has been with Wagner Logistics since 2010, working his way through our transportation division. He oversees the transportation brokerage. He is one of the first and final contacts for any new or existing customers in need of transportation services. Each customer has a dedicated customer service representative so you are 100% top priority to a Wagner team member ready to go above and beyond.
Joe is responsible for internal and external IT-related solutions. He leads a group that is focused on the reliability, accuracy and security of systems and providing leading-edge technical solutions. Joe’s seasoned IT team represents many years in the logistics, warehousing and transportation space.
Joe is committed to providing visibility to your products, so you can focus on your core competencies without worrying about supply chain technology. Our integration team has experience with a wide variety of systems and formats to meet your needs, especially when it comes to finding ways we can enhance technology service offerings.
Jeff partners with our leadership team, our board and equity partners to drive exceptional performance and customer value. With a career rooted in private equity-sponsored enterprises, he has developed a broad range of skills covering accounting, finance, IT, HR and operations.
Since joining Wagner in November of 2021, Jeff has been leading the accounting & finance and risk management functions, as well as using his diverse background to support operations and our commercial team.
Robert is a high-performing logistics industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in operations and business development. His most recent experiences were with Jacobson Companies as Director of Operations, Vice President of Operations, and then Executive Vice President of Operations, where he was responsible for 15 million square feet of warehouses and 3,000+ employees.
Most recently, Robert was President of a regional third-party logistics company handling food customers, including two freezer operations that included blast freezing. Today, he uses all his decades of experience in Wagner clients’ best interests.
Derek is responsible for our employees’ health and safety, our environmental footprint, and training drivers to mitigate risk on the road. This heavy load requires him to work with multi-disciplinary teams and employees to ensure threats are identified and we build plans to avoid hazards. This doesn’t just reduce risk to our employees, but also it helps ensure we have dependable, agile teams to support our customers.
Derek believes our workforce aren’t laborers but rather teams with direct responsibility for their own safety. He manages the STOP WORK program and safety committees so everyone has a voice.
Justin’s responsibilities include ensuring all of Wagner’s internal and external customers’ needs are addressed while following our core values of innovation, agility, integrity, accountability and teamwork. He has been with Wagner since 2005 and Vice President of Operations since 2015.
Justin truly enjoys creating the strategy for our equipment maintenance, facility maintenance and warehouse operation teams so that their success supports your success.
Dan works with prospective and current clients to review their specific logistics needs and present solutions to address those needs. He joined Wagner Logistics with over 21 years of experience in 3rd party warehousing and transportation sales. This included both temperature-controlled and ambient services, working with clients to develop tailored distribution solutions.
Adam has 17 years of expertise in food-grade third-party logistics (3PL), managing eight facilities for over 70 clients, including Unilever and other notable names. His leadership has ensured facility compliance with rigorous standards such as AIB, BRCGS and FDA. He has extensive knowledge of Warehouse Management Systems like Maves and SAP, among others, as well as customer proprietary systems.
Adam is a Project Management Professional (PMP) with a track record of active participation in the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA), emphasizing his commitment to operational excellence and customer satisfaction. His approach centers on team building (with 12 years of managing Teamster Union facilities), continuous improvement, problem-solving and efficient communication, which drive success in warehouse operations and yield significant value for our clients.
