FWRD · Forward Air Corp · Executive Compensation

$15.76 +0.45 (+2.94%) At close · Oct 21

Russell 2000 member Rebalance outlook locked

Market Cap

$532.39M

33.78M

Volume · Oct 21 260.42K Avg daily vol (3M) 537.45K

Named-executive compensation from the company's DEF 14A proxy statements — salary, bonus, stock and option awards, non-equity incentive, and the company-reported total per executive per fiscal year, exactly as disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table.

Fiscal 2025

Executive	Role	Salary	Bonus	Stock Awards	Option Awards	Incentive	Other	Total
Shawn Stewart	Chief Executive Officer	$900,000	—	$4,037,990	—	$617,400	$5,919	$5,561,309
Jamie G. Pierson	Chief Financial Officer	$625,000	—	$2,187,990	—	$321,563	$5,413	$3,139,966
Jerome Lorrain	Executive Chairman	$234,176	—	$1,184,250	—	—	$48,336	$1,466,762
Michael L. Hance	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary	$500,000	—	$600,000	—	$257,250	$6,269	$1,363,519
Eric Brandt	Chief Commercial Officer	$525,000	—	$500,000	—	$261,226	—	$1,286,226

Fiscal 2024

Executive	Role	Salary	Bonus	Stock Awards	Option Awards	Incentive	Other	Total
Shawn Stewart	Chief Executive Officer	$588,462	$400,000	$3,234,892	—	$336,000	$4,905	$4,564,259
Michael L. Hance	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary	$593,462	—	$1,160,000	—	$210,000	$32,424	$1,995,886
Chris C. Ruble	Former President and COO	$600,597	—	$1,250,000	—	—	$113,268	$1,963,865
Jamie G. Pierson	Chief Financial Officer	$300,481	$250,000	$1,025,000	—	$131,250	$1,985	$1,708,716
Nancee Ronning	Former CPO	$195,442	—	$730,000	—	$74,374	$663,658	$1,663,474
Joseph M. Tomasello	Chief Information Officer	$349,481	—	$605,000	—	$147,000	$2,967	$1,104,448
Rebecca J. Garbrick	Former CFO and Treasurer	$277,404	—	$550,000	—	$103,530	$6,332	$937,266
Thomas Schmitt	Former President and CEO	$273,435	—	—	—	$30,408	$613,485	$917,328

Fiscal 2023

Executive	Role	Salary	Bonus	Stock Awards	Option Awards	Incentive	Other	Total
Thomas Schmitt	Former President and CEO	$902,000	—	$2,543,333	$1,271,667	$123,080	$26,241	$4,866,321
Chris C. Ruble	Former President and COO	$606,000	—	$525,000	$175,000	$97,263	$12,955	$1,416,218
Michael L. Hance	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary	$456,000	—	$393,750	$131,250	$51,300	$11,712	$1,044,012
Rebecca J. Garbrick	Former CFO and Treasurer	$400,000	—	$375,000	$125,000	$55,800	$10,689	$966,489
Kyle R. Mitchin	Chief People Officer	$350,000	—	$262,500	$87,500	$54,600	$9,699	$764,299

Fiscal 2022

Executive	Role	Salary	Bonus	Stock Awards	Option Awards	Incentive	Other	Total
Thomas Schmitt	Former President and CEO	$877,777	—	$1,916,667	$958,333	$2,280,250	$22,783	$6,055,810
Chris C. Ruble	Former President and COO	$585,000	—	$468,750	$156,250	$1,146,893	$9,452	$2,366,345
Michael L. Hance	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary	$440,000	—	$393,750	$131,250	$853,380	$10,832	$1,829,212
Rebecca J. Garbrick	Former CFO and Treasurer	$385,000	—	$326,250	$108,750	$743,820	$10,689	$1,574,509
Kyle R. Mitchin	Chief People Officer	$312,000	—	$206,250	$68,750	$606,528	$8,369	$1,201,897

Fiscal 2021

Executive	Role	Salary	Bonus	Stock Awards	Option Awards	Incentive	Other	Total
Thomas Schmitt	President and CEO	$875,000	—	$2,156,250	$718,750	$2,275,000	$23,000	$6,048,000
Chris C. Ruble	Chief Operating Officer	$585,000	—	$625,000	—	$1,134,608	$10,196	$2,354,804
Michael L. Hance	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary	$440,000	—	$525,000	—	$854,700	$9,593	$1,829,293
Scott E. Schara	Chief Commercial Officer	$505,000	—	$275,000	—	$989,295	$9,223	$1,778,518
Kyle R. Mitchin	Chief People Officer	$312,000	—	$275,000	—	$605,124	$7,994	$1,200,118
Michael J. Morris	Former CFO and Treasurer	$148,616	—	$750,000	—	—	$50,580	$949,196
Rebecca J. Garbrick	CFO and Treasurer	$272,782	—	$65,000	—	$373,902	$3,870	$715,554

Fiscal 2020

Executive	Role	Salary	Bonus	Stock Awards	Option Awards	Incentive	Other	Total
Thomas Schmitt	President, CEO and Chairman	$850,000	—	$1,593,750	$531,250	$204,000	$21,911	$3,200,911
Matthew J. Jewell	Former Chief Commercial Officer	$293,285	—	$375,000	—	$37,650	$682,353	$1,388,288
Chris C. Ruble	Chief Operating Officer	$571,000	—	$450,000	—	$102,780	$9,120	$1,132,900
Michael J. Morris	Former CFO and Treasurer	$471,000	—	$500,000	—	$84,780	$12,667	$1,068,447
Michael L. Hance	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary	$413,000	—	$330,000	—	$74,340	$10,320	$827,660
Scott E. Schara	Chief Commercial Officer	$166,667	$153,000	$220,000	—	$30,000	$45,815	$615,482
Kyle R. Mitchin	Chief People Officer	$306,000	—	$220,000	—	$36,720	$8,465	$571,185

Fiscal 2019

Executive	Role	Salary	Bonus	Stock Awards	Option Awards	Incentive	Other	Total
Thomas Schmitt	President, CEO and Chairman	$800,000	—	—	—	$472,640	$60,081	$1,332,721
Chris C. Ruble	Chief Operating Officer	$560,000	—	$450,000	—	$241,752	$12,865	$1,264,617
Michael J. Morris	Former CFO and Treasurer	$462,000	—	$500,000	—	$203,326	$14,326	$1,179,652
Matthew J. Jewell	Former Chief Commercial Officer	$492,000	—	$330,000	—	$247,064	$12,697	$1,081,761
Michael L. Hance	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary	$405,000	—	$330,000	—	$177,633	$12,697	$925,330

Fiscal 2018

Executive	Role	Salary	Bonus	Stock Awards	Option Awards	Incentive	Other	Total
Thomas Schmitt	President, CEO and Chairman	$249,231	$413,000	$1,606,500	$1,684,660	$317,997	$92,521	$4,363,909
Matthew J. Jewell	Former Chief Commercial Officer	$478,000	—	$577,500	$82,500	$514,627	$10,694	$1,663,321
Chris C. Ruble	Chief Operating Officer	$533,000	—	$577,500	$82,500	$450,638	$11,250	$1,654,888
Michael J. Morris	CFO and Treasurer	$440,000	—	$577,500	$82,500	$380,424	$12,644	$1,493,068
Michael L. Hance	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary	$389,000	$20,000	$577,500	$82,500	$336,329	$11,250	$1,416,579

Executive changes

Person	Role	Change	Effective	Filed
Christine M. Gorjanc	independent Chair of the Board	Appointed	2026-07-10	2026-07-10
Jerome Lorrain	Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors	Resigned	2026-07-10	2026-07-10
Jason Ringgenberg	interim Chief Information Officer	Appointed	2025-10-14	2025-10-15
Joseph M. Tomasello	Chief Information Officer	Resigned	2025-10-13	2025-10-15
Michael B. Hodge	member of the board of directors	Resigned	2025-08-29	2025-09-02
Jerome Lorrain	Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors	Appointed	2025-06-11	2025-07-14
Chris Ruble	President and Chief Operating Officer	Terminated	2024-12-06	2024-12-06
Kyle Mitchin	Chief People Officer	Terminated	2024-11-22	2024-11-08
Craig Carlock	director	Resigned	2024-10-15	2024-10-03
Jerome Lorrain	director	Appointed	2024-10-01	2024-10-03
James Faught	Chief Accounting Officer	Appointed	2024-07-03	2024-07-05
Jamie G. Pierson	Chief Financial Officer	Appointed	2024-07-03	2024-07-05
Jamie G. Pierson	interim Chief Financial Officer	Appointed	2024-05-20	2024-05-21
Shawn Stewart	director	Appointed	2024-04-28	2024-04-26
Shawn Stewart	Chief Executive Officer	Appointed	2024-04-28	2024-04-26
George S. Mayes	independent Chairman of the Board	Appointed	2024-02-06	2024-02-07
Michael L. Hance	Interim Chief Executive Officer	Appointed	2024-02-06	2024-02-07
Thomas Schmitt	Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer	Terminated	2024-02-06	2024-02-07
W. Gil West	Board of Directors	Appointed	2024-02-01	2024-02-07
John J. Schickel, Jr.	President of Forward and member of the Board	Terminated	2024-01-30	2024-01-31
Michael Hodge	director	Appointed	2024-01-25	2024-01-31
Robert Edwards, Jr.	director	Appointed	2024-01-25	2024-01-31
Charles Anderson	director	Appointed	2024-01-25	2024-01-31
John J. Schickel, Jr.	President of Parent	Appointed	—	2023-08-14
John J. Schickel, Jr.	Board of Directors of Parent	Appointed	—	2023-08-14

Leadership

Michael L. Hance CEO
Shawn Stewart CEO, Board Member
Christine M. Gorjanc Chairman
George S. Mayes Chairman, Board Member
Jerome Lorrain Chairman, Board Member
Jamie G. Pierson CFO
Rebecca Garbrick CFO
Jason Ringgenberg CIO
James Faught Chief Accounting Officer
Charles Anderson Board Member
Chitra Nayak Board Member
George Mayes Board Member
Javier Polit Board Member
John J. Schickel, Jr. Board Member
Michael Hodge Board Member
Richard H. Roberts Board Member
Richard Roberts Board Member
Robert Edwards, Jr. Board Member
Scott Niswonger Board Member
W. Gil West Board Member

Key facts CIK 912728 CUSIP 34986A104 13F (30d) 15 filings 15 filers Visit website Investor relations