Operating Committee

Chris Patterson - President & CEO

As President and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, Mr. Patterson provides vision and direction for Daimler's NAFTA Truck Operations, including all management responsibilities for Daimler Trucks North America LLC and affiliated companies -- Freightliner Trucks, Sterling Trucks, Western Star Trucks, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, Detroit Diesel Corporation and Axle Alliance Company.

Mr. Patterson was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Freightliner LLC in April 2005. Prior to that, he had served since 2002 as the company's Senior Vice President, Service & Parts, responsible for parts sales and distribution, warranty and service development. In this role, he also represented the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation business unit on the company’s Operating Committee.

Mr. Patterson has over 25 years’ experience in the North American truck manufacturing industry. He previously served as President, Freightliner of Canada, Ltd., and Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Freightliner Trucks, from 1992 to 1997. Prior to returning to Freightliner LLC in 2002, he served in an executive sales capacity with a competing U.S. commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Mr. Patterson holds a B.A. degree in Economics and a M.B.A. from the University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario, Canada.


Roger M. Nielsen - Chief Operating Officer

In his role as COO, Roger Nielsen leads and guides the core functions of Daimler Trucks North America LLC. He is responsible for Daimler Trucks North America LLC's entire North American truck manufacturing network, as well as all levels of operations in manufacturing engineering, information technology, purchasing, logistics, customer application engineering, and truck order administration. He was appointed Chief Operating Officer in May 2001.

Mr. Nielsen joined Freightliner LLC in 1986 as an Industrial Engineer. He has since held positions of increasing responsibility, including Industrial Engineering Manager; Plant Manager, Gastonia Parts Manufacturing Plant, North Carolina; General Manager, Materials; and General Manager, Manufacturing Operations. Mr. Nielsen transferred to Daimler in Germany in 1998 where he served as Director, Production Network Planning and Technical Clearing, within Daimler's Commercial Vehicles Division before assuming the position of General Manager, Operations, at Western Star Trucks in 2000. In January 2001, Mr. Nielsen was promoted to President, Freightliner Specialty Vehicles Group, responsible for Freightliner LLC's American LaFrance, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation and Thomas Built Buses business units.

Mr. Nielsen earned his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University and is a registered Professional Engineer. He has served on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Alliance for Competitive Technologies, the Gaston North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and Oregon State University's Engineering Cooperative Education Program.


Elmar Boeckenhoff - Senior Vice President, Engineering & Technology

Elmar Boeckenhoff is responsible for all Daimler Trucks North America LLC Engineering activities for Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star models and has executive responsibility for the Thomas Built Buses business unit. He oversees Product and Custom Engineering consisting of: Design, Test, Styling, Analysis, Compliance and Planning functions.

Prior to joining Freightliner LLC in July 2005, Mr. Boeckenhoff served as Head of Testing for Mercedes-Benz Vans. He also previously held positions at Daimler as Head of Computational Analysis for Commercial Vehicles and Assistant to the Board Member for Truck Development. Mr. Boeckenhoff joined Daimler in 1991.

Mr. Boeckenhoff holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Stuttgart. His educational credentials also include graduate and undergraduate work in physics at RWTH Aachen University and the University of Cologne.


Jack Conlan - Senior Vice President, Customer Support

As Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s Senior Vice President of Customer Support, Jack Conlan leads Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s efforts to provide unsurpassed customer support across the spectrum of its brands and products. He is charged with the company’s parts and service business including key strategic initiatives related to parts support, service development, service quality and warranty.

Before taking his current position in April 2005, Mr. Conlan had been serving as president of FCCC since 1998. He first joined Freightliner LLC in February 1998 as Assistant Plant Manager at the company’s Cleveland, N.C., Truck Manufacturing Plant. He has over twenty years experience in truck and automotive manufacturing, and has held a range of management positions in production, quality and plant and division operations.

Mr. Conlan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois and a M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.


Michael Delaney - Senior Vice President, Marketing

As Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Michael Delaney is responsible for the development of the Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star truck brands. He also guides the efforts of the Detroit Diesel, Thomas Built and Freightliner Custom Chassis business units to establish their nameplate identities within the markets they serve. Mr. Delaney’s duties include top level management of market planning, product strategy, brand advertising, segment development, product promotion and new truck pricing. Delaney joined Freightliner LLC in July 2005.

Mr. Delaney previously served the North American truck market as Vice of President of Marketing for a competing U.S. heavy-duty truck manufacturer. He also previously was Vice President of Marketing for Transport International Pool, a G.E. Capital subsidiary. In addition, he has been a partner in two Greensboro, N.C.-based marketing firms and served as Vice President, Commercial Operations, for Unifi, a producer of synthetic fibers worldwide.

Mr. Delaney holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington State University.


Juergen Kritschgau - Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Control

As CFO, Mr. Kritschgau directs operative and strategic controlling, treasury, accounting, and taxes for Daimler Trucks North America LLC and its affiliated companies.

Mr. Kritschgau joined Freightliner LLC in 2002. Prior to that, he was with Daimler where he served most recently as Vice President, Finance and Controlling, MBUSA. Other assignments within Daimler included among others Director, Finance and Controlling, MB Argentina; Vice President, Strategic Projects, at corporate headquarters in Germany. Juergen Kritschgau started his professional career with the international accounting firm KPMG in Munich, Germany and New York.

Mr. Kritschgau earned a M.B.A., and a Ph.D. degree in Economics at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.


Mark Lampert - Senior Vice President, Sales

As Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Mark Lampert has responsibility for the development of sales for the Freightliner Trucks, Sterling Trucks and Western Star Trucks brands, as well as for the Detroit Diesel on-highway engine business unit and the company’s proprietary components sales. He also oversees the company’s used truck operations managed by the Daimler Trucks Remarketing Corporation business unit.

Prior to taking his current position in July 2005, Mr. Lampert served as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Freightliner Trucks. In this position, he oversaw the brand’s dealer operations, product planning, marketing communications, four U.S. regional sales organizations, the Canadian regional sales organization, and all direct sale accounts. Previous positions at Daimler Trucks North America included responsibilities for retail truck operations and used trucks. His initial position was Vice President of Sales, Freightliner Canada. Mr. Lampert joined Freightliner LLC in 1993.

Mr. Lampert earned his B.S. degree from Ohio State University.