ALUMNI “WALL OF HONOR” The West Liberty University Alumni Board of Directors instituted a project in 1990 to demonstrate to current students, visitors, and friends that the college has some very successful graduates. This project, known as the “Alumni Wall of Honor,” is a dramatic way to honor some of the college’s most distinguished alumni and display pride in the accomplishments of its graduates. The concept was suggested by then Associate Professor of Physics Robert W. Schramm, who is a 1958 graduate of the college and a 2002 Alumni Wall of Honor inductee. The Alumni Wall of Honor is housed in the south end of the Union known as the Alumni Lounge.
Charlie Annett
Inducted 2013Successful entrepreneurs are often associated with the high tech industry, thanks to spectacular examples from Silicon Valley like Google, Amazon, and eBay. But Charlie Annett is a real life example of an entrepreneur in a relatively small niche within the logistics industry.
Since 1989, Charlie has been president of FSA Network, a company that he bought in its struggling infancy, and steadily built into a very solid and profitable business.
Charlie grew up in Wheeling, WV and attended WLU earning a BA in History and Psychology. He spent three years in the Navy, with the last year in Vietnam where he was awarded several service medals. Afterwards, he spent 20 years at Ryder Systems with successive promotions that led him to corporate headquarters in Miami, where he worked in their national marketing department. In 1989, he was recruited by A&F Transportation Co. where he soon took advantage of an opportunity to buy the business. He focused the company’s efforts on last mile logistics, specifically, the delivery and installation of appliances, furniture, and electronics for major big bow retailers like Sears and Home Depot. In 2001, he renamed the company FSA Network Inc. Now 25 years later the company operates in 13 states and has over 400 employees and contractors serving FSA’s clients.
Most businesses don’t fully understand the scope or the complexities involved in ‘last mile’ logistics. And fewer still have employed long and successful careers like Charlie Annett, in this unique industry niche. What’s remarkable about the FSA story is the company’s solid growth under Charlie’s leadership in the face of several economic downturns through the years and for achieving recognition for outstanding service within the industry that is not typically noted for delivering great customer service. This success can be directly attributed to FSA Network’s pioneering of advanced customer service protocols within the ‘last mile’ logistics industry.
Charlie and his wife Letty live in Weston, Florida. He enjoys tennis and golf and is never short on opinions when it comes to national politics.