CALGARY, Alta. — Manny Calandrino, president and CEO of Fastfrate Group announced  the appointment of Richard Rose to the newly-created position of v.p. Prairie Region. Based out of Calgary, Richard will be responsible for all Fastfrate activities in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. He will also oversee Thunder Bay, Ont. and Kelowna, B.C.

Rose came to Fastfrate as the Calgary terminal manager in the fall of 2016.

Previous to that, he held management positions within the various courier divisions of TFI and other carriers.

Richard said: “Calgary is the largest of our western facilities. Besides being a destination terminal for the balance of Canada, my mandate is to grow our intra-west activities within our Western Canada network. The shipment immediacy and technological support of the courier environment prepared me well for my new role at Fastfrate. Identifying best practices throughout the Western region, heightening intra-branch communication and preparing for the integration of a more robust technology structure is definitely in my wheelhouse. I look forward to the challenge.”

In his new role, he will report directly to Manny Calandrino.

The Fastfrate Group also appointed Tony Kelly to the newly created position of v.p. BC Region. Based out of Vancouver, Tony will be responsible for the Vancouver and Vancouver Island terminal locations.

Kelly has an extensive background in transportation, distribution and logistics that has taken him around the globe. Before coming to Fastfrate as Vancouver terminal manager, Tony was the Western Regional manager for XPO Logistics.

Kelly had this to say about his recent promotion: “I love Vancouver and the new responsibilities Manny has entrusted me with. I feel my background has prepared me well for this opportunity and collectively our leadership team is geared up to make the upcoming months a time of positive change and growth for Fastfrate.”

Manny Calandrino explains the move to regional v.p.s in the West: “Our new fiscal starts in October of this year and we are literally firing on all 12 cylinders as we approach 2019. Every aspect of our company has been examined and we are taking the actions necessary to not only grow our business but to do it with greater understanding and insight into our overall operation. The west operates differently than the rest of Canada. Our locations there are not only inbound terminals but also our third largest generator of outbound tonnage. Our 2 new VPs in the West can be more hands on in directing our future success there.”