Dear Benton Customer,

We are pleased to announce the sale of Benton Express by the Matthews family to Perdue Partners is completed marking a significant moment in the company’s history.  Benton Film Express, later to become Benton Express, began in 1934 when the innovative Benton brothers bought a truck to meet an unfulfilled transportation need that required fast, reliable delivery, trust and hard work.  Today we use fancier names for these services such as third-party logistics, expedited, quality assurance, customer service, specialized cargo.  And yet when you boil it all down, 78 years later, we believe Benton customers still want the fundamentals:  fast, reliable delivery from a trusted company.  We want to assure you as you read about the changes taking place at Benton our commitment to these founding principles remain unwavering.  Our top priority is you and continuing to meet your transportation needs.

Perdue Partners is a four person partnership of Sonny Perdue, David Perdue, Trey Childress and Heidi Green whose mission is to grow American businesses through trading, partnerships, consulting services and strategic acquisitions.   Below are brief biographies for your information.  Together we have combined experience of more than 90 years in management of multi-billion dollar operations.  We take pride in a proven track record of customer service and results-driven management.

With the acquisition of Benton Express, Perdue Partners intends to build on the company’s strong transportation legacy, southeastern United States service area and quality LTL service.   We will invest in Benton to support your business’ logistics needs and will be hands on in the operations as we seek to exceed your expectations.

You are a valuable customer to Benton and we would like to call on you to introduce ourselves.  We hope that you will share with us your thoughts on what Benton does well and how we can better serve you today and in the future.  If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to call us at Benton, 1-800-292-6211.

We look forward to the opportunity to serve you.

Sonny Perdue, a founding partner of Perdue Partners, LLC, served as Georgia’s 81st Governor and is the owner of a successful commodity trading company and logistics company in the southeast. On October 26, 2010 Governing Magazine named Governor Perdue a Public Official of the Year for his outstanding leadership. Reason Foundation’s 2009 Innovators in Action Magazine recognized Governor Perdue as a leader who “aggressively pursued new strategies to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of government and deliver better value at less cost to taxpayers”.  And in 2008 the Pew Center on the States ranked Georgia among the best managed states in the nation emphasizing the value and impact of improvements made by Governor Perdue’s Commission for a New Georgia.

David Perdue, a founding partner, of Perdue Partners LLC, has enjoyed a 39-year career in retail and branded consumer products. His career, focused on international consumerism, required him to live in France, Singapore and Hong Kong as well as several locations within the U.S. During his career, Perdue served as Chairman and CEO of Dollar General, a Fortune 500 Company, with oversight of 8,000 stores nationwide. He was CEO of Pillowtex, a textile manufacturing company. He also served as President and CEO of the Reebok brand and is credited with revitalizing the athletic brand in the early 2000s. From 1994 to September 1998, Perdue served as a Senior Vice President of Haggar Inc., where he was responsible for all aspects of operations from planning through distribution. Prior to Haggar, Perdue was Senior Vice President Sara Lee’s Asia Operations, where he established the firm’s first Asia headquarters.

Trey Childress, a founding partner of Perdue Partners, LLC, served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the State of Georgia where he was responsible for leadership and supervision of Georgia’s 50 state departments, agencies, and their boards and commissions. Prior to being named as COO, Childress served as the Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning & Budget, responsible for the State’s $35 billion budget, annual capital outlay portfolio of $1 billion and strategic planning.  In these roles, Childress has provided critical financial leadership, leading reorganizations and business process reforms improving customer service and operational efficiencies.  With his leadership, Georgia maintained its AAA bond rating during unprecedented financial challenges and worked to reformed Medicaid for over $3 billion savings.

Heidi Green, a founding partner of Perdue Partners, recently concluded four years with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), serving as Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce and then Commissioner.  While at GDEcD, Green managed a staff of 200 people and an annual budget of $27 million.  Under her management the Global Commerce team was reorganized into industry clusters to better serve clients, systems and business operations were streamlined to adjust to 25% reduction in budget appropriations, and a new four-year $10 million international marketing campaign was launched.  Despite budget reductions, GDEcD attracted more 65,000 new jobs to the state under her tenure. She led the agency’s work to grow Georgia’s small business and international trade sectors as well as its global, national and statewide market penetration.