April 2013
| Business World Magazine | 201
As time passed, the company fleet expanded
right along with its driver network and ter-
minals were opened in eight other states. His
was a hands-on managerial style, but he was
also fair and a man of his word who commit-
ted himself to following through with any-
thing he pledged to do. Keith Titus was the
kind of man who inspired loyalty and main-
tained friendships once they were made. By
the late 90’s, Titus had more than ten offices
throughout the southeast and a fleet of more
than 130 trucks which serviced agriculture
as well as industrial and hazardous markets.
Yet, for all the health of the business, Keith
Titus had begun to suffer physically from
ongoing flu-like symptoms. Tragically, mis-
diagnosis by doctors failed to discover he
was actually afflicted with a form of leuke-
mia and by the time this was realized, it was
far too late. Keith Titus’ final days were filled
with illness.
The family, along with their family of em-
ployees, had tried to prepare for the transi-
tion, but this would prove difficult. While
Titus had bequeathed the company to his
wife who still worked as a bus driver, another
woman who had served as vice president of
the company hadnowbeen appointed to lead
the operation. Piper concedes, at that time,
the male-dominated industry may have not
