Our Team
Michael Kotendzhi - Chief Executive Officer
Michael Kotendzhi is President of Operations & Transportation and a partner at 18 Wheels. Michael has over 15 years of experience and is equipped with a degree in Transportation and Logistics from the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business. As well as a background in logistics from XPO Logistics (formally Kelron Logistics), North America's largest contract warehousing provider.
Michael has been with 18 Wheels for over a decade, and he has developed 18 Wheels' transportation services into one of our main offers. He actively leads a team with over 300 team members across Canada.
Michael's dynamic experience involves supply chain management, reverse logistics, and domestic transportation. Michael is responsible for operations across North America, and assists our customers with meeting their goals every day.
Meng Lai - Chief Financial Officer
Meng Lai strengthens the 18 Wheels team coming from Deloitte Canada. Meng has over 22 years of vast experience in operations and finance, from both North America and Asia. Serving as Vice President for the Bank of Tokyo MUFJ, Senior Manager of Advisory Value Creation for Deloitte, Vice President of Principal Investments for Sun Hung Kai Financial, and Vice President of Investments for the private equity firm Ardenton Capital.
He started his career at HSBC in Vancouver and then moved to Hong Kong to join Goldman Sachs. Mr. Lai holds a CPA, CMA, and a CFA designation and graduated from the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business, specializing in Finance & Management Information systems. Meng is known for his passion for trucking and warehousing and his advocacy for sustainable supply chain practices in the logistics industry.
Amir Abdollahzadeh - Senior Vice President
Amir is a seasoned results oriented supply chain and logistics professional with a solid foundation in alcohol, food and beverage logistics. He will be providing direction to our customer service, IT, repacking and operations teams.
He brings to the 18 Wheels team over 30 years of experiences with operations, automation, distribution, import, and finance. He specializes in a full cycle cross functional environment.
Amir is a Six Sigma Black Belt, and graduated with a degree in Business Administration and holds a CPA CMA from the University of Victoria. He is an expert in budget planning, customer relations, global supply chain management, and lean project development.
Lynne Walmsley – Director Customer Relations, Quality Assurance, Claims
Lynne comes with over 25 accomplished years of customer service, quality control, scheduling and project coordinating that has helped guide to build a knowledgeable and dedicated team at 18 Wheels.
Her goal is to work closely together with our team members and customers to build a strong team and partnership.
Her CP team offers 100% quality and accuracy with their amazing attention to detail while meeting deadlines and schedules for our customers.
“The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first!”
Ivan Vlahovic - Director of Projects, Performance, and Technology
Ivan's role at 18 Wheels Warehousing & Trucking is information technology administrator and engineer, with over 10 years of business technology experience.
He has been instrumental in the development of the 18 Wheels information, technology systems, and warehousing security management.
His background in software solutions has been an asset to the growth of the company's foundation and infrastructure. Ivan continually helps build an even more secure, stable, and sustainable infrastructure everyday.
Ivan is also in charge of new project launches and execution. He has led hundreds of significant process improvement and operational projects.
Mike Krystulovich – Senior Director, Eastern Operations
Previously, Mike spent 30 years with Hudson’s Bay Company, progressing from Logistics Supervisor to Director of Operations. Notably, he oversaw the facilities and the people in a total of 1.3M sq. ft. of warehouse space in Ecommerce, Retail Distribution, Reverse Logistics & Home Furnishings White Glove delivery services.
At 18 Wheels Mike directs operations across multiple 3PL sites to optimize warehousing for Six Sigma processes, customer service, and co‑packing. He leads the implementation of food‑grade certification to elevate compliance and safety, and champions cross‑functional continuous improvement.
Holly Tidd - Eastern Customer Service & Billing Manager
With over 30 years of experience in Customer Service and Logistics, Holly brings a wealth of expertise to her role. She previously served at Hudson Bay for more than 16 years, where she specialized in Direct to Customer operations, including the fulfillment of ClubZ and Ecommerce orders, as well as Reverse Logistics.
Holly's background also includes drafting ISO and Six Sigma procedures and delivering training sessions. Additionally, she supported the 18 Wheels Team in achieving SQF Certification for the Brampton facility.
Holly is dedicated to cultivating a strong team environment and building effective partnerships with customers to ensure the highest standards of service.
Richard Freedhoff – Vice President, Customer Solutions & OmniChannel
Richard Freedhoff is a results-driven leader with an extensive career in supply chain operations, logistics management, and sales leadership. As Vice President of Customer Solutions & OmniChannel at 18 Wheels, he plays a pivotal role in driving business growth, optimizing supply chain solutions, and enhancing customer success across omnichannel fulfillment.
With a track record of delivering revenue growth and operational excellence, Richard was instrumental in expanding 18 Wheels’ ecommerce and alcohol sectors. He had spearheaded strategic initiatives in logistics, transportation, and warehousing, ensuring seamless execution for a diverse portfolio of clients.
Prior to rejoining 18 Wheels, Richard held senior roles at National Logistics Services, Penske Logistics, FLS Transportation, and the Remco Group, where he developed and executed growth strategies, built high-performing sales teams, and strengthened customer relationships. His leadership in the industry spans decades, including key positions with major brands in distribution, retail, and entertainment.
