To facilitate further expansion, Acertus appoints Alisha Buelt as COO and Michael DeLuca as CFO

Acertus, which provides an automotive logistics-as-a-service platform, has announced that it has made two significant changes to its executive team in the wake of recent acquisitions – Alisha Buelt has been promoted to chief operating officer (COO) and Michael DeLuca has joined the company as chief financial officer (CFO).  

Buelt has been with Acertus for almost 15 years. Starting in an operations role, she has since held positions in a variety of its different departments, including car haul, drive away, and title and registration. In her new role as COO, she has responsibility for managing the company’s daily operations with the goal of improving efficiency and adopting innovative technology.  

She hopes the “unique opportunity” of her route to the role, as she initially joined in an entry-level position, will aid her as she now is able to “understand [the] business from multiple perspectives.”  

DeLuca, meanwhile, joins Acertus after gaining financial leadership experience in other industries. He has previously held roles overseeing strategic and financial planning. As CFO, he will have responsibility for overseeing financial operations and processes, with the aim of strengthening the company’s finances as it continues to grow. He commented that he is excited to aid the company’s expansion through “strategic financial leadership.” 

Acertus hopes that these appointments will aid in future expansion 

The company has made a string of acquisitions in recent years, effectively purchasing a new company every year since 2017. Following its purchase of Guardian Auto Transport last summer, the company said that it had the goal of becoming the leading logistics platform for finished vehicles.  

Since then, it has continued to using M&As to achieve this aim, as the company recently announced that it had acquired Bluestar Auto Movers and Bluestar Corporate Relocation Service in a move that it hoped would expand its market reach and capabilities.  

While M&As are a common means for logistics companies to expand – especially when the company being purchased has a significant share of the desired market – there is a risk that operational effectiveness will be lost in both the short and long term.  

Acertus CEO Trent Broberg hopes that by welcoming to new members to the executive committee, such risks can be mitigated. Instead, he argues that an increase in shared expertise in the C-Suite can instead help encourage future growth and help facilitate further expansion. He comments: “[Buelt’s] deep understanding of our business operations, combined with her strategic vision and leadership capabilities, makes her the ideal person to help drive our next phase of growth. [DeLuca] brings valuable financial acumen that will help optimise our resources and identify new opportunities as we continue to redefine automotive logistics.”