SVP Business Development
MV Transportation Inc.
MV Transportation Inc. began as a small California based paratransit provider and has become the largest privately owned transportation contracting firm in the United States. W.C. Pihl, senior vice president of Business Development, has had a major role in this growth since joining the company in 2000.
As senior vice president of Business Development, Pihl manages five vice presidents, and is responsible for transportation services sales across North America. He shares responsibility for forming and achieving the company’s vision for strategic growth, establishing and maintaining long-standing client relationships and communicating the company’s message to new and existing clients. Pihl’s management style is one of contagious enthusiasm, where those around him get caught up in his excitement and are driven to succeed.
Pihl came to MV at a time when the company only had 12 divisions (now there are more than 190); he was immediately selected to manage MV’s oldest operation at the time – San Francisco Lift and Group Van services under MUNI. After nearly two years in San Francisco, he moved on to start up the company’s largest Florida operation at the time, in Orlando. Here he helped the client agency take a fragmented service with six different providers and combine it into one contract. This caused tremendous improvements to safety, productivity and on time performance in addition to deploying innovative technology to make service more accessible and reporting more robust. He also initiated a new program of passenger advocacy that has developed into a national program for MV.
In 2004, Pihl was promoted to business development manager. Since that time he has used his operations background to help develop proposals that are grounded in reality while still competitive in the marketplace. Since joining the business development team, Pihl has been promoted through several positions to his current role of senior vice president. He has led his team to an impressive record of new business sales, and retention of existing company contracts. As part of the MV family, Pihl has helped the company grow from $26M annual revenue to more than $750M annual revenue.
“I often worried while in college if the job I would end up in would be one that I would find fulfilling and meaningful. I can truly say that doing what I do each day does indeed make me feel fulfilled, and is definitely meaningful. There are few jobs out there where every aspect of it is about helping others, and I am proud to have the job I have. When you believe in the product your company provides as strongly as I do, it makes it easy to go to work each day. And honestly, I love the fact that in transportation, you NEVER have the same day twice, and there is no possible way to be bored. You step into the roller coaster and it takes you somewhere new each day. I have really enjoyed my 19 years in the transportation industry.”
“I would like to see more protected funding for the services we provide (all too often our funding is seen as not as critical, and as such is sacrificed for other areas of budgets). I would also like to see more public/private partnerships. Both sides can bring a lot to the table, and the formula is a very successful one, as is proven time and time again.”
