Don Daseke

Don Daseke
Born	1940/1941
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, CEO, Chairman
Years active	1972–present
Known for	Founder and CEO of Daseke, Inc.

Don Daseke (born 1940/1941) is a prominent American entrepreneur, serving as CEO, chairman, and founder of the transportation firm Daseke. Since establishing Daseke, Inc., he has driven the company's growth from $30 million in revenue in 2009 to surpassing $1.6 billion by 2018. In February 2017, Daseke, Inc. became publicly traded on the Nasdaq stock market under the ticker DSKE.

Before launching Daseke, he held multiple positions at IBM and was the founder of several enterprises including Walden Residential Properties, BigFatWow! Inc., Sage Telecom, and East Teak International Inc.

Career

Daseke initiated his professional journey at Arthur Andersen as an auditor before transitioning to roles in sales and finance at IBM. In 1972, he established Walden Residential Properties, expanding its portfolio from 6,000 to 42,000 units and leading the company through its initial public offering in 1994. The business was ultimately sold in 2000 for $1.7 billion.

Starting in 1998, he acted as founding chairman of Sage Telecom and launched BigFatWow, a mall-based internet kiosk operator, in 1999; however, this venture ceased operations in 2002. In 2006, he acquired East Teak Trading Group and subsequently founded East Teak International, specializing in importing teak and hardwood products.

In 2008, Daseke acquired Smokey Point Distributing, marking the first acquisition under what would become Daseke Inc. The company's revenue increased from $30 million in 2009 to $205 million by 2013. By January 2014, six trucking subsidiaries concentrating on flatbed and specialized freight had consolidated under his leadership. That same year, he earned the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Southwestern Region.

By 2015, Daseke had completed three additional acquisitions, growing the workforce to approximately 3,000 employees with anticipated revenues of $750 million across nine subsidiaries. With seven more acquisitions by 2017, Daseke became North America’s largest consolidator of flatbed and specialized trucking services. His leadership garnered him accolades such as The Accidental Trucker and recognition as a public company honoree at the Dallas Business Journal Outstanding Director Awards.

In December 2018, Don Daseke was honored with the Horatio Alger Award in acknowledgment of his lifetime accomplishments and dedication to community service.

Additionally, Daseke has held chairman positions at Sage Telecom Inc., Mirage Systems Inc., Priority Flowers Inc., ApartmentMatching.com, Netier Technologies Inc., and Liquid Motors Inc.