Chuck Costanza, PhD.

U.S. Army Veteran and Former CEO of McLane Advanced Technologies

Chuck Costanza has over 40 years experience with a background that is a combination of military service and work in both the public and private sectors.

Commissioned in 1967 as an Infantry officer, he spent 6 years on active duty including 2 combat tours in Vietnam. He spent an additional 8 years in the U.S. Army Reserve. Military schools completed include Infantry Officers Basic Course, Infantry Officers Advance Course, Command and General Staff College, Airborne and Ranger Courses.

Upon leaving active duty, he initially worked for a total of 7 years within the Federal Government at both NSA (Ft. Meade, MD) as a systems analyst and the Food & Drug Administration in Washington, DC as a program analyst.

Since leaving the Federal Government, Chuck has spent the last 30 years working in the area of logistics for a number of different companies.  In 1980, he joined the Southland Corporation (7-Eleven) where he initially was the Strategic Development Manager for the Distribution group and later managed distribution centers in both Champaign, IL and Tyler, TX. When the Southland Distribution Group was acquired by McLane Company in 1992, Chuck initially managed the Southwest Distribution Center in Temple, TX and later became Senior President for the Southwest Region with additional DCs in both Brookhaven, MS and Lubbock, TX. For a brief period, he worked for Blue Line Distribution in Detroit, MI as SVP / GM for Operations. He was responsible for a total of 15 distribution branches of which 14 were in the U.S. and 1 in Toronto. Subsequently, he worked for Ingram Micro. Headquartered in Santa Ana, CA, Ingram has a large distribution network for computers, associated hardware, software, peripherals, etc. within the U.S. and Canada. As VP for Distribution, Chuck was responsible for 5 DCs within the U.S. and one in Vancouver, as well as 2 Returns Operations. Sites included approximately 2,500 employees. During his time with Ingram, Chuck was responsible for building 2 DCs (600,000 ft sq in Harrisburg, PA and 800,000 sq ft in Mira Loma, CA). Primary additional role included operational support for Ingram’s initial entry into the 3PL market for logistics services.  He was also responsible for functional support for the Logistics Group in the area of Quality (ISO), Project Management, and Engineering Design.

Chuck then worked for Exel as the President for the Technology Sector – Americas. This included responsibility for a total of 36 site operations in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil for technology based customers and approximately 3,000 employees. In this role, he was responsible for operational performance, customer relationships, new business growth and delivering the budget for the Sector. He also held the role of Global Executive Sponsor for a major global account which included coordinating the support of multiple business units.

From 2007 to 2010, Chuck held the title of Chief Executive Officer for McLane Advanced Technologies and guided the company to revenue growth of approximately 290% over the three-year timeframe. MAT garnered several awards for this unprecedented growth including the Inc. 500, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and the Aggie 100. With a focus on diversifying the business, Chuck also had the vision to enter into a development partnership with Microsoft to create a more robust warehouse management system embedded in Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP solution.

Throughout his career, Chuck has focused on operational excellence, customer service, quality, safety, people development, and financial performance – all built on the guiding principles of honor, candor, and commitment.

Chuck’s educational background includes a BS degree in Engineering from West Point and both a MBA and PhD in Business Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Chuck’s post-graduate work was in the area of Information Technology and Operations Research. He has also been certified as a Lead Auditor for ISO Quality Programs. His military awards include Silver Star, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Purple Heart, Ranger Tab, Parachutist Badge, and Combat Infantryman Badge.

He and his wife Maren reside on South Padre Island in Texas and have 3 sons and 5 grandchildren.