LEADERSHIP TEAM
Guided by decades of industry expertise, our executive leadership team drives Modern Transportation's commitment to safety, integrity, and operational excellence. We leverage strategic logistics solutions to empower mission-critical industries across the material and energy sectors.
Patrick Cozzens
President & CEO
Having joined Modern in 2006 as Vice President of Business Development, Mr. Cozzens was instrumental in the company’s growth and technological transformation. In 2010, he was promoted to the role of President, charged with re-engineering business processes to increase efficiencies and operating margin, along with charting growth in new liquid and dry bulk markets, including additional chemical and hazmat opportunities. Prior to joining Modern Transportation Services, Mr. Cozzens held management positions in the high-tech and software sectors. In his role immediately prior to joining Modern he was an executive with a logistics optimization company and worked directly with Fortune 500 manufacturers and the Department of Defense. Mr. Cozzens holds a Bachelor’s Degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business with focuses in finance and logistics management.
In 2011, Mr. Bartolacci joined Modern Transportation as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Modern, Mr. Bartolacci served as CFO for a conglomerate of service companies and President of an environmental engineering consulting firm. In his current role, Mr. Bartolacci’s team is responsible for Modern’s financial controls and reporting, as well as information technology. Mr. Bartolacci earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Systems and Accounting from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He has also earned his Master’s degree in Finance and Management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, an institution for which he has served as a professor of finance for the past twenty years.
Brian Nowak
Chief Commercial Officer
Joining in May of 2026, Brian brings more than 35 years of leadership experience across the bulk chemical, food, gases, trucking, warehousing, rail transloading, and 3PL industries. He has held senior executive and C-suite roles, including President of Superior Carriers, Chief Strategy Officer at Rinchem, President of Omni Bulk Services, and CEO and Chairman of Nowak Endeavors. His background includes building and scaling transportation, transloading, warehousing, brokerage, and third-party logistics businesses across North America. As Chief Commercial Officer, Brian will lead an integrated commercial strategy focused on profitable revenue growth, working across sales, operations, customer relationships, rail partnerships, and strategic growth initiatives. Throughout his career, Brian has demonstrated a strong record of strategic growth, operational leadership, and company-building.
Robert Bartolacci
Executive Vice President / Chief Financial Officer
After spending over 30 years in the transportation industry, Mr. Forrest joined Modern Transportation in 2023 as Vice President of Special Projects. During his extensive career in transportation, he spent 5 years with Modern Transportation as a Regional Director of Operations. Most recently before rejoining Modern Transportation last year, Mr. Forrest was an Area Vice President of Operations in the LTL industry where he managed a team of over 750 drivers and operations personnel. Mr. Forrest brings extensive experience leading teams and new business implementation. Mr. Forrest is a graduate of Robert Morris University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. In April of 2024, he transitioned into the role of Vice President, Operations.
Alex Forrest
Vice President, Operations (Dedicated)
ALEX CLEVELAND
Vice President, Modern Logistics
Alex Cleveland joined Modern Transportation’s logistics division in November of 2015 as Manager of Commercial Operations growing Modern’s logistics division exponentially over the years. In April of 2024, he was promoted to Vice President of Modern Logistics. Alex is based in the Buffalo, New York area with prior experience working for another bulk hauler, A&R Logistics. He graduated from Niagara University with a B.S. in Finance.
Dan Benacquista
Vice President, Strategic Operations & Planning
Joining Modern Transportation in 2013 as Terminal Manager, Mr. Benacquista quickly advanced to Area Director of Operations, supporting continued success across Modern’s field operations. In 2016, he was promoted to Director of Pricing and Operations Support, where he applied a data-driven approach to evaluating Modern’s business portfolio and operational processes. In 2022, he became Sr. Director of Pricing and Continuous Improvement, expanding that analytical approach across departments to make Modern more data- and process-driven. In 2023, Mr. Benacquista was promoted to Vice President, Strategic Operations & Planning, taking on a larger role in resource planning while leading the Equipment and Maintenance team, IT, and analytics groups. Prior to Modern, he gained broad transportation experience during eight years with YRC Freight. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh.
