Arkansas Best, Fort Smith, Ark., announced that Wesley B. Kemp, current president and CEO of its largest subsidiary, ABF Freight System, will retire on Dec. 31.
He will be succeeded by Roy M. Slagle, ABF's current senior vice president of sales and marketing, effective January 1, 2012.

Kemp, 65, has served as the president and CEO since January 2010. Throughout his nearly 43-year career with ABF, beginning as a management trainee in 1969, he continually advanced in ABF leadership positions with increasing responsibility.

"During his ABF career that has spanned more than four decades, Wes Kemp has been an integral part of ABF's transformation from a small LTL carrier with revenues totaling $45 million and service centers in 12 states to a flexible, innovative, and full-service LTL carrier with $1.7 billion in revenues and 275 service centers across North America," said Judy R. McReynolds, Arkansas Best president and CEO.

Slagle, 57, has been in his current position since February 2006. During his 35 years with ABF he also served as vice president administration and treasurer, vice president and treasurer, and regional vice president of sales. His early years with the company included a variety of field operations positions in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He began his ABF career at the Dayton, Ohio, distribution center and was the branch manager of ABF's Carlisle, Pa., distribution center for three years. These are the two largest facilities in the ABF network.