Cargas Systems names new CEO

Nate Scott was named CEO of Cargas Systems, succeeding founder Chip Cargas, in the company’s first CEO transition.

Scott

According to the company, Cargas will continue to serve as chairman of the board.

Scott originally joined the company as a sales consultant in 2005 and eventually went on to manage the sales and marketing team. When the company launched Cargas Energy, a separate business unit devoted to its proprietary software, Scott moved to vice president. During his time as vice president, Scott doubled the business unit’s staff and revenue, says Cargas.

Four years ago, the Cargas board named Scott as a potential CEO candidate and outlined a plan to move him into the role of president and eventually president and CEO if all went well, according to the company.

Scott became president in September 2015, while Cargas gradually reduced his hours and phased out his involvement in tasks such as company planning, employee meetings and speaking at company events.

Meanwhile, the board continued to update the leadership succession plan as they evaluated Scott. The change was officially approved at the November 2017 board meeting.

Cargas

Cargas, who has been preparing for this transition, will continue as chairman of the board, according to the company.

“I can’t help but think of our company as my baby,” Cargas says. “I want it to continue forward and be beneficial to a lot of people in this world, and whatever I can do to help, I’m willing to do, but I don’t want to be in the way or cause confusion in anybody’s mind. We all have to remember, Nate is our CEO and we listen to him.”

The company says Scott intends to maintain a focus on culture, particularly scaling it to fit the growing Cargas team, which now consists of more than 100 employees. Strategically, he is focused on expanding the company’s resale offerings and identifying new opportunities for its proprietary products.

“Facilitating more innovation, helping our team achieve success, and reducing roadblocks—that’s really what I’m focused on,” Scott says.

Although the transition is now official, Scott is grateful to have an ongoing advisor and sounding board in Cargas.

“I’m glad Chip’s not going anywhere anytime soon,” Scott says. “I’ve been really lucky to be able to tap into Chip’s experiences, wisdom and talents over the years. I feel very fortunate coming into a role where such an awesome foundation has been laid.”