Members of the Unishippers executive management team are seasoned professionals with diverse backgrounds, and many are also successful Unishippers franchisees. Learn more about this group of strong, visionary leaders.
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Steve Nelson, Chairman of the Board and Founder As a co-founder, Steve Nelson has been affiliated with Unishippers since its inception in 1987. Along with his partners, Nelson has grown the Unishippers system to 265 plus locations throughout the U.S. Nelson has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors since January 1996 and has been a member of the Board since 1987. Nelson has more than 25 years of business experience, including nearly 20 years in residential and commercial real estate development. |
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Dan Lockwood, President and Franchisee Dan Lockwood was appointed President of Unishippers in July 2006. Prior to this appointment, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Products Officer beginning in October 2002. He began his Unishippers career as a franchise owner in San Bernardino and Riverside, California, in 1991. Since then he has acquired franchises in Las Vegas and San Diego. Before Unishippers, Lockwood worked in Portland for Traditional Concepts Management Group. Lockwood received a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and continued his graduate studies there. |
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Steve Leavitt, Executive Vice President, COO and Franchisee Steve Leavitt began his Unishippers career as a franchise owner in Ohio in 1988. In September 1999 he joined the corporate office, serving as Executive Vice President and COO. Prior to joining Unishippers, Leavitt spent 16 years owning and managing six "Yankee Lunch" fast-food restaurants. He also has worked as a real estate broker and, from 1984-1988, owned and managed a one-hour photo shop called "Snap Shot Express." |
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Kevin Lathrop, Executive Vice President, CIO and Franchisee Kevin Lathrop also began his Unishippers career as a franchise owner. He has owned the Unishippers of Orange County franchise since 1992. In September 1999 he joined the Unishippers corporate offices, serving as Executive Vice President and CIO. Prior to joining Unishippers, he worked for Hughes Aircraft Company in a variety of engineering and management positions. Lathrop earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and an MBA degree at University of California, Los Angeles. |
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Dennis Heaps, Vice President, CFO Dennis Heaps joined Unishippers in 1996 as a Controller, managing all aspects of accounting, payroll, budgeting and employee benefits. Heaps has been instrumental in developing and implementing a budget structure which is used for both forecasting future expenditures and reviewing current ones. |
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Joe Curtis, Vice President of Sales Joe Curtis became Unishippers’ Vice President of Sales in January 2008 after a 17-year career at DHL where he worked in various capacities such sales representative, sales manager, regional director, VP of Marketing, VP of Field Sales and, most recently, VP of Channel Sales and Telesales. He has a BS degree from USC and is an entrepreneur with ventures ranging from recreational rentals to helicopter services for the agriculture industry. |
