Jack Martin was recently named president of Crossett, Inc., but he doesn’t put much stock in titles.

Alex Keddie, chief executive officer for the company, said Martin originally came on board about four years ago as a consultant to troubleshoot problems in areas like information technology and others. He was eventually hired as an employee about a year ago.

Keddie said Martin’s unofficial title was “vice president of anything that is broken,” although the official designation was vice president of business performance. He added, “We don’t care what the title is, we just do what needs to be done.”

Martin didn’t just work on IT problems, he took on finance as well, Keddie said, adding, “He’s very bright. When I told him he was going to be president, he said he isn’t big on titles.”

Keddie said Martin doesn’t look at problems as IT or finance or operations, he sees them simply as business problems and looks at the system as a whole. “Jack goes back to the root cause. ‘How do we change the system,'” he said.

He said that Martin, as a former professor, has a natural tendency to teach rather than criticize, and other employees appreciate that. He has a bachelor’s degree in science for math, an MBA in business and a PhD in operational research.

Martin said he has had the opportunity to work for much larger companies.

“I don’t want to go anywhere else,” he said. “If I have a small part in helping the company grow, succeed and remain viable, I’ll be happy.”

“We don’t own the product we transport. What do we have? Top-notch people. That’s our differentiator,” he said. “When you are in the service industry, people are your competitive advantage. That’s why Crossett has been in business since 1928. But it’s not about the history, it’s about the future.”

“Our people, in general, are part of the Warren community,” he added.

As company officers, Martin said they are, in essence, support structure for the employees. “Our customers care about our drivers and our logisitic people,” Keddie said.

Keddie noted that the company has grown beyond the borders of Warren. It had five terminals three years ago, and has 10 today, including Pittsburgh, three in Ohio and several in New York State.

He said the growth reflects the needs of the company’s customers.

The company stands out from others in several ways.

“How many companies have been around since 1928, are privately owned and are still growing?” Keddie asked. “”It’s a perfect trifecta.”

He said the company’s motto is, “To be the high-value tank hauler in the areas we service.”

Martin added, “We don’t compete in price alone.”

The company, in addition to employee drivers, has leased operators that have been with Crossett for over 20 years, Keddie said, adding, “At the end of the day, Crossett people are committed.”

And, “Do what needs to be done.”