Former Pilot Flying J CFO Mitch Steenrod to head ZDi board
Jim Gaines
Mitch Steenrod, former chief financial officer for Pilot Flying J, is chairman of ZDi Solutions LLC’s newly-seated board of directors, as well as an investor and advisor, ZDi announced Tuesday.
Knoxville-based ZDi makes Z-System devices to position patients for cancer radiation therapy.
“My mother is a cancer survivor, so my wife and I felt it only fitting to partner with ZDi to progress radiation and proton therapy to an unprecedented level,” Steenrod said in the news release.
Steenrod was Pilot Flying J CFO from 2004 until August 2018, when he retired.
Following a high-profile federal investigation and trial, at least 19 executives and employees of Pilot Flying J admitted to or were convicted of defrauding trucking companies of $56.5 million over five years.
Four top executives stood trial last year, with former Pilot Flying J President Mark Hazelwood sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
But Steenrod was not one of them. Testimony in Hazelwood’s trial showed now-incriminated staff worked to keep Steenrod out of the paperwork loop, and he’s not mentioned in any publicly-released court records of the fraud plot.
New Pilot CFO announced last month
In November, Pilot Flying J announced Kevin Wills – formerly CFO of a New York fashion firm – would become the travel center operator’s CFO in February.
Prior to Pilot Flying J, Steenrod was an accounting executive for Marathon Oil Corp. for 12 years, the news release said. He then became manager of pricing and product acquisition for Speedway SuperAmerica LLC, and in 2011 joined the board of CarMax Inc.
"I have known Mitch a long time, and there isn't anyone I know through business that I respect more," ZDi Executive Vice President Tim Sykes said in the announcement.
Steenrod serves on the board of several local nonprofits, the news release said.
"We could not be happier to have Mitch join our company," ZDi CEO John Hawkins said in the announcement. "He will be a tremendous asset. As a former CFO for a Fortune 100 company, his expertise will give ZDi a considerable advantage for ongoing business strategy."
ZDi unveiled its first Z-System devices, for breast and thoracic cancer treatment, in September 2016. They won FDA approval two months later.
In February 2017, ZDI announced it would get more than $100,000 – the maximum allowable – from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The company planned to use the money to finish its first round of production.