Heartland Express chairman taking leave for health reasons

Heartland Express chairman and CEO Russ Gerdin will take a leave of absence for health reasons, the North Liberty-based truckload carrier's board of directors announced Thursday.

The nature of the health condition was not disclosed and members of Gerdin's family asked respect for their privacy.

Heartland Express President and Director Michael Gerdin, 41, will assume Gerdin's responsibilities and service as chairman of the board in his father's absence.

Russ Gerdin, 69, was forced to relinquish his daily responsibilities in 2006 to undergo treatment for cancer. He received a liver transplant in September 2006, and was able to resume work before the end of that year.

Russ Gerdin bought the former Scott's Transportation Services in Cedar Rapids in 1978, later renaming it Heartland Express and moving it to Coralville. He later took the company public.

Ann and Russ Gerdin are leading Iowa philanthropists who have focused much of their giving on Iowa's public universities. Some of their major gifts included a $10 million lead gift to construct the Gerdin College of Business building at Iowa State University and a $5 million gift to the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center at the University of Iowa. They issued a $2 million challenge grant that provided the needed momentum for the Hope Lodge residential facility for cancer patients and their caregivers in Iowa City.

The Heartland Express Board of Directors indicated the company still has 104 years of combined experience among its four senior corporate officers. Michael Gerdin has served as president since May of 2006.