Optym, a privately-held world leader in new-generation automation and optimization software for transportation and logistics companies in the airline, railroad and trucking industries, has appointed Dallas-based Vic Keller to its board of directors, effective July 1. Keller brings more than 20 years of experience in establishing, growing and operationally optimizing national and international companies.
Since 2000, Optym’s novel optimization solutions for planning, scheduling and real-time execution for logistic and transportation companies have reduced operational costs, increased profitability and improved service quality, and is the most innovative transport software on the market.
Keller is a passionate and successful business builder. Currently, he is the managing director for Ancor Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm based in Southlake, Texas, where he pursues his passion of driving strategic and operational transformation in his portfolio of companies. Keller most recently acquired STATinMED Research, where he serves as chairman of the board. He also serves on the board of several other companies.
Before joining Ancor, Keller built the ZAK Automotive enterprise, which included three vertically integrated entities – ZAK products, a professional-use automotive fluid and maintenance products company that was an official partner of NASCAR; ZAKTEK, an insurance protection program sold exclusively within franchised car dealerships; and NEXEMO, a B2B e-commerce purchasing platform for the automotive industry.
In 2015, the ZAK Automotive Companies were successfully acquired by Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. Keller maintained his founder & CEO role at ZAK and formally assumed senior executive responsibilities for Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, where he oversaw several operating departments in the multibillion-dollar organization, including the parts and service business. He also had the privilege of building and leading the Berkshire Hathaway automotive professional development department, which provided training, human capital, talent acquisition, sales strategy, customer experience and dealer academy services to more than 10,000 associates.
“We are pleased to welcome Vic to Optym’s board of directors,” said Dr. Ravi Ahuja, Optym’s founder & CEO. “Vic is a visionary leader and will bring to Optym over 20 years of experience in establishing, growing and operationally optimizing both national and international companies. He is recognized for his ability to build businesses from concept to fruition, and we plan to leverage his balanced philosophy of aligning talent, timing and the need to deliver profitability. This is an exciting time for Optym, and we are looking forward to experiencing exponential growth with new business verticals and flawless execution with Vic’s guidance and leadership.”
Since its inception almost 20 years ago, Optym has developed software solutions for some of the most complex problems in transportation, including determining airlines’ most profitable flight schedules, determining railroads’ train schedules that increase network capacity, and optimizing the routing plans for less-than-truckload companies to reduce their drivers’ cost, etc. Optym’s client roster includes customers such as Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), easyJet (NYSE: ESYJY), YRC Worldwide (NYSE: YRCW), BHP Group (NYSE: BHP), BNSF Railway (NYSE: BNI) and CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX). Optym’s mission is to develop intelligent solutions that help companies reduce their operational costs, increase their profitability and improve their service quality. Optym’s software has created value in tens to hundreds of millions of dollars annually for its clients.
Optym’s global headquarters is located on 10 acres campus in Gainesville, Florida, with additional offices in Yerevan, Armenia; Bangalore, India; and Perth, Australia.
About Optym
Founded in 2000, Optym makes transportation more efficient through optimization. Optym’s software solutions find the best solutions to optimization problems in airlines, trucking and railroads by evaluating millions of feasible possibilities. Through building realistic models for business problems, Optym’s technology creates solutions that are implementable and easy to use. For more information on Optym, go to www.Optym.com.
About Vic Keller
Vic Keller is a visionary leader, public speaker and investor with more than 20 years of experience in establishing, growing and operationally optimizing national and international companies. His innate entrepreneurial spirit has helped businesses transform and grow by converting strategic plans into tactical realities and creating strong cultural foundations. Many of his companies were successfully acquired by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in 2015, when Vic assumed senior executive responsibilities for Berkshire Hathaway Automotive. There, he oversaw several operating departments in the multi-billion-dollar organization. In December 2017, he joined the private equity firm Ancor Capital Partners as managing partner. Vic’s current portfolio is comprised of 11 companies ranging from biotech to industrial manufacturing. For more information on Vic Keller, go to https://vickeller.com.