Producing extraordinary results in an extraordinarily short period of time. That begins to describe a recent accomplishment of Jonathan Pierangeli, strategic account operations manager for Watco Logistics.

Pierangeli is based at Watco Logistics’ Operations Center in Lowell, Arkansas.  He is part of the Highway Logistics team that provides a variety of customized truckload services to service-sensitive retailers.

From June 2026 to July 2026, Pierangeli led what Charles Polach, vice president of Highway Logistics, called one of the most significant financial turnarounds seen in Logistics. His team effectively turned around their year with a price adjustment that was enabled by their loading service, as measured by critical customers.

In fact, during a time in this truckload market when Watco Logistics negotiated a substantial increase, Pierangeli’s team was also asked to take on significant additional volume. Not only did they fix the financial issues, they improved the sector-leading service and gained market share. “This was not simply the result of market conditions,” said Polach. “It was the direct result of Jonathan’s leadership, analytical approach, and willingness to challenge the way the business was being managed.”

To come from behind financially and also lay groundwork for future success, Pierangeli embraced technology. Polach said Pierangeli has become an exceptional user of artificial intelligence (AI). He used AI and data analytics to create reporting tools that give his team a clearer understanding of where opportunities and deficiencies exist. For example, he created a Carrier Utilization Report that provides trend information that allows the team to improve utilization of key vendors and evaluate on an ongoing basis.

The results demonstrate that this approach is working. Repeat carrier load share increased steadily for five consecutive weeks, from 5.8% to 6.9%, 9.4%, 10.8%, and ultimately 12.6%, while July’s full-month share reached 58.7%. That means more loads were handled by carriers already familiar with the customer’s operations, helping drive consistency and service across the network.

Polach stressed that Pierangeli’s contribution goes beyond the numbers. “He has demonstrated the ability to remain calm and focused during a challenging period, providing direction to his time, and, and introducing new ways of working without losing sight of the fundamentals of the business. He has combined leadership, technology, analytics, and accountability to create a significant improvement in efficiency, profitability, and most importantly, customer satisfaction. And just as significant is the foundation he is building to make those improvements sustainable.”

See more stories