UTA President Michael McColgan of VTNA Dies at 61
Michael McColgan, president of the Used Truck Association and the longest-serving employee of Volvo Trucks North America, died unexpectedly in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 30. He was 61.
McColgan started at VTNA in 1975 as a maintenance technician and rose to director of truck remarketing. He became president of UTA in November, succeeding Rick Clark of National Truck Protection.
On June 1, the UTA board of directors asked Bryan Haupt, a vice president of MHC Kenworth in Kansas City, Missouri, to serve as interim president until a board meeting during the second half of June, at which time a permanent successor will be elected. Haupt has been UTA’s vice president.
McColganMcColgan was a winner of UTA’s Marvin F. Gordon Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
“The entire Volvo Trucks family is saddened by Mike McColgan’s passing,” VTNA President Göran Nyberg said.
“Mike made a significant impact in the heavy-duty trucking industry through a career that spanned more than 40 years. . . . Mike brought a tremendous wealth of knowledge to his position of director of truck remarketing. He was also highly respected within our industry,” Nyberg said, referring to McColgan’s position with UTA.
The UTA website said McColgan was one of the first dozen people Volvo hired when expanding from Europe into North America.
“Within 60 days of starting with Volvo, Mike was promoted out of the shop and into sales,” the association said. Some of his first customers were Mason Dixon Truck Lines, Wilson Trucking Co. and a regional division of Coca-Cola.
In 1989, VTNA promoted McColgan to director of fleet sales. For 10 years, he and his staff of three built relationships with customers such as Ryder System, UPS Inc. and Averitt Express. As fleet director, McColgan increased market share to 15% from 3%, UTA said.
In 1999, he switched to used trucks for Volvo, where he remained for the rest of his career. His time there coincided with substantial growth.
In 1975, VTNA sold 54 used trucks, both wholesale and resale, and in 2006 the level rose to more than 30,000 vehicles, UTA said. In 2011, the association estimated that McColgan sold more than 30,000 heavy-duty trucks.
McColgan was born Aug. 15, 1954, in Boston. He went to Morris County (New Jersey) Community College and to Engine City Technical Institute in Union, New Jersey.
His jobs before joining Volvo included Chester Jackson Trucking and Matcha Machinery, a truck dealership.
An obituary by funeral home Forbis and Dick said McColgan is survived by his wife, Susan, and sons Sean and Mike Jr.
He was a member of the Greensboro Elks Lodge and worked on the organization’s charitable campaigns. Saltwater fishing was an important hobby for him.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Greensboro Servant Center.
