My Businesses

Executive Leader | Revenue | Costs | Operations

Michael Cafarelli - Executive | Award-Winning Author

I turn underperforming businesses into profitable-growth businesses by fixing the commercial, cost, and execution problems keeping them from reaching their potential.

I have led $300M+ P&Ls and 3,000+ associates while moving operating performance from breakeven/loss to $30M+ profit, growing revenue from $270M to $310M in 18 months, removing $20M+ in cost, and building major commercial channels.

I add the most value as a President/CEO when a business needs stronger revenue execution, cost discipline, operating accountability, and leadership that turns strategy into measurable enterprise results.

I am an award-winning author with my books:

All soon to be available on Amazon.

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Portrait of Michael Cafarelli
Executive Leader
  • $30M+Operating profit created in a turnaround from breakeven/loss
  • $20M+In enterprise costs removed; SG&A cut more than 25%
  • 3,000+Associates led across national, multi-site operations
  • $300M+P&L ownership at enterprise scale
  • 30+Years leading complex operating businesses

About

A business builder who converts strategy into profitable execution.

Michael Cafarelli is a results-driven executive with more than 30 years of leadership across transportation, logistics, and supply chain. As CEO and President of MPC Holdings, LLC and founder of Five Pillars Business Consulting, he partners with organizations to build high-performance cultures, accelerate revenue growth, and achieve sustainable operational excellence.

He does not approach leadership as stewardship of the status quo. He understands the P&L, the customer, the operating model, the sales engine, the people system, and the technology required to make them work together, and can move from board-level strategy to frontline execution without losing speed, accountability, or financial discipline.

Michael combines traditional operating rigor with Power BI, CRM and TMS platforms, AI automation, and data-driven decision systems. His leadership philosophy is grounded in integrity, strategic clarity, and the belief that great organizations are built by developing great people.

Results

A record of results when the stakes are high.

Turnaround

$30M+

From breakeven/loss to $30M+ operating profit

Grew revenue from $270M to $310M in 18 months while improving service from 86% to 95% and cutting driver turnover from 80% to below 40%.

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings

Cost & EBITDA

$20M+

Enterprise turnaround that removed $20M+ in costs

Reduced total cost 20%, lowered SG&A more than 25%, and moved logistics and warehouse units from an annualized loss to $1.0M of annualized positive EBITDA.

Ascend Transport Group

Commercial growth

$85M

New contracts and a $150M+ pipeline

Added $85M in new contracts, built a $150M+ pipeline, and launched a national division in under five months: 225 trucks, 270 drivers, 80 sites in 10 states, and about 99% on-time delivery.

Ascend Transport Group

Sales engine

$250M

Revenue generated; $95M converted to contract

Led sales, pricing, and network strategy across five divisions, delivered a 5% net rate gain in a down market, and personally closed $50M in dedicated and one-way contracts.

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings

What your company gets

Not simply an experienced executive, but a business builder who knows where value is created or destroyed, sets the right KPIs, establishes an operating cadence, strengthens accountability, protects the customer experience, grows revenue with margin discipline, and develops leaders who can sustain performance.

  • Turnaround and P&L leadership
  • Cost and EBITDA discipline
  • Commercial growth and strategic accounts
  • Enterprise-scale, multi-site execution
  • Modern operating leverage: Power BI, CRM, TMS, and AI automation

Leadership portfolio

Where I create value

  • P&L Leadership
  • Enterprise Strategy
  • Turnarounds & Restructuring
  • Revenue Growth
  • EBITDA & Cash Flow
  • Multi-Site Operations
  • Sales & Go-to-Market
  • Pricing
  • Strategic Accounts
  • Supply Chain
  • AI & Automation
  • M&A Integration
  • Board Governance
  • Culture Transformation

Platforms & technology

  • NetSuite
  • McLeod TMS
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Power BI
  • Tableau
  • Claude Code
  • Microsoft 365 & Copilot
  • ChatGPT
  • AI Automation

AI

AI implementation, AI programming, and AI coding

Over the past year I have put AI to work in two places: inside my own companies and inside client operations. The focus is the same as every turnaround I have led: use the technology to take out cost, protect margin, and give leaders their time back.

  • 10%annual cost reduction at RicavaIQ Inc. from AI coding and automation
  • +5%margin at an AI-automation client in three months
  • -6%costs at the same client
  • -15%excess meetings at the same client
  • +5%output at the same client

AI implementation

Putting AI automation to work in live operations, measured against business results. At one client, three months of AI automation lifted margin 5%, cut costs 6%, cut excess meetings 15%, and raised output 5%.

AI programming & coding

Hands-on AI-assisted software development. I used AI coding and automation at RicavaIQ Inc., reducing its costs by 10% annually, with Claude Code among the tools.

AI playbooks & prompts

Turning AI into repeatable business practice. Secrets: Ways to Use Today's AI is RicavaIQ's prompt manual: 850 deployable prompts across 17 disciplines and five platforms (Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini).

Tools I work with

  • Claude Code
  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Microsoft 365 & Copilot
  • Gemini
  • Grok
  • AI Automation
Watch: Secrets: Ways to Use Today's AI Explore RicavaIQ (opens in a new tab)

Experience

Executive experience

  1. Oct 2025 – Present

    CEO / Principal

    MPC Holdings, LLC | Five Pillars Business Consulting

    Holding and advisory platform spanning consulting, business intelligence, real estate, and nonprofit initiatives. Manages a private real estate investment portfolio and leads a fractional executive practice for SMB leaders.

    • Closed two real estate sales, producing an 18% net profit.
    • Deployed cost management processes, reducing annual costs by $1.0M.
    • Used AI coding and automation for RicavaIQ Inc., reducing costs by 10% annually.
    • Implemented AI automation for one client: margin up 5%, costs down 6%, excess meetings cut 15%, and output up 5% in three months.

  2. Oct 2023 – Oct 2025

    President

    Ascend Transport Group

    National transportation, logistics, brokerage, warehousing, and distribution enterprises.

    • Directed an enterprise turnaround: $20M+ in costs removed, total cost down 20%, SG&A down more than 25%.
    • Shifted 80% of assets to dedicated operations and grew the dedicated fleet 200%, reducing equipment costs 12%.
    • Added $85M in new contracts and built a $150M+ pipeline.
    • Launched a division in under five months: 225 trucks, 270 drivers, 80 sites, 10 states, 15,000 weekly stops, about 99% on-time, and $50M in annual revenue.
    • Restructured logistics and warehouse/distribution units from an annualized loss to $1.0M of positive annualized EBITDA.

  3. Mar 2022 – Sep 2023

    President

    Dart Transportation (The Dart Network)

    Founder-led national transportation and logistics enterprise with six operating businesses.

    • Rebuilt commercial execution and KPI accountability, generating $25M in new business within five months.
    • Deployed Power BI and optimized the TMS, reducing SG&A 10% while increasing logistics revenue 8%.
    • Transformed six business units culturally and operationally, reducing enterprise costs 10%+.
    • Delivered quarterly board reviews on performance, forecasts, and risk.

  4. Jun 2017 – Mar 2022

    Vice President, Grocery Dedicated

    Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings

    Full P&L and multi-site leadership within North America's largest full-truckload carrier.

    • Owned a $300M+ P&L and led 3,000+ associates across 12 locations in seven states and roughly 65M annual miles.
    • Moved operating income from breakeven/loss to $30M+ profit while growing revenue from $270M to $310M in 18 months.
    • Improved service from 86% to 95% and dedicated performance from 97% to 99%; cut driver turnover from 80% to below 40%.

  5. Sep 2012 – Jun 2017

    Vice President, Sales & Network

    Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings

    Enterprise sales, marketing, pricing, network strategy, and strategic account leadership across five divisions.

    • Generated $250M in revenue and converted $95M to contracted business, improving predictability, retention, and revenue quality.
    • Delivered a 5% net rate gain during a market downturn through pricing discipline, segmentation, and network strategy.
    • Managed strategic customer relationships representing roughly $1.5B annually; personally closed $50M in dedicated and one-way contracts.

Earlier leadership (10+ years)

2010 – 2012

CRST · Director of Operations, Dry Van

Led 40 managers and 3,000+ drivers with P&L accountability; supported growth from $678M to $1B and improved annual profit by $6.5M.

2001 – 2010

Central Refrigerated Services · Director of Dedicated / Senior Director of Operations

Grew revenue from $175M to $225M in four years; built a new commercial channel exceeding $75M and personally closed $45M.

1993 – 2001

C.R. England · Director of Dedicated Accounts / Operations Leadership

Led seven multi-state sites generating $150M annually; cut empty miles from about 1.0M to 385K, saving $1.0M+.

My Businesses

Four ventures. One standard of execution.

Holding & advisory platform

MPC Holdings, LLC (opens in a new tab)

Holding and advisory platform spanning Five Pillars Business Consulting, business intelligence, real estate, and nonprofit initiatives. Fractional executive support that helps SMB leaders build operating discipline, commercial focus, and accountability.

Business intelligence & CRM

RicavaIQ - Business Intelligence (opens in a new tab)

Business intelligence and a low-cost, detailed CRM that give growing companies clear visibility into pipeline, margin, and performance, powered by AI-enabled automation.

Books & programs

Read the framework. Work the reps. Install the life.

Books, companion workbooks, and programs built to put the work into practice, from personal alignment and leadership to communication and the role of a lifetime.

The Be Your Best Library

Books + companion workbooks built to install the system

Be Your Best - Personal Alignment System book and The Be Your Best Protocol Workbook.

Book + companion workbook

Be Your Best - Personal Alignment System

A System for Your Life

The protocol

  1. Identify
  2. Map
  3. Score
  4. Realign & Learn
  5. Inspire

What you get

  • The book — Be Your Best - Personal Alignment System
  • The companion — The Be Your Best Protocol Workbook
View in the library (opens in a new tab)
The Five Pillars of Leadership book and The Leadership Protocol Workbook.

Book + companion workbook

The Five Pillars of Leadership

A Working Framework for Leaders Who Are Responsible for Outcomes

Leadership is not a personality. It is a practice you install — and it fails in a predictable order. This is the order, and the mechanism for each part.

The five pillars

  1. Self-Command
  2. Clarity Under Load
  3. Force Multiplication
  4. Signal Discipline
  5. Installed Accountability

What you get

  • The book — 22 pages. A working framework, not a 300-page airport paperback.
  • The Leadership Protocol Workbook — 25 pages of diagnostics, scoring and install plans.
  • The Executive Leadership Protocol — a scored 100-question online assessment that names your weakest pillar.
  • PDF and Word, delivered instantly to your account.
The problem it solves, the symptom each pillar fixes, and who it is for

The problem it solves

Most leadership material is written for the reader who wants to feel something. This is written for the reader who is responsible for something — five parts, in the sequence leaders actually lose them, with one installable mechanism per part.

The five pillars, and the symptom each one fixes

1. Self-Command
What you notice when it is missing: People manage around your reactions, and bad news arrives late.
2. Clarity Under Load
What you notice when it is missing: Everything is urgent, priorities reverse, and decisions queue.
3. Force Multiplication
What you notice when it is missing: You are the constraint, and strong people leave politely.
4. Signal Discipline
What you notice when it is missing: Everyone states the strategy differently; obvious things go unsaid.
5. Installed Accountability
What you notice when it is missing: The same issues recur monthly; standards bend for top performers.

Written for

  • Owners, presidents and division leaders who carry a P&L
  • Founder-led teams outgrowing the founder's own bandwidth
  • Leaders who were promoted for results and never taught the system

Not written for

  • Readers looking for motivation rather than mechanisms
  • Anyone unwilling to hold one change for a full quarter

Book, workbook and the scored assessment — one price, instant access. Work the pillar your evidence points to, install one mechanism, and hold it for a quarter.

$47instant access · PDF + Word View in the library (opens in a new tab)
The Five Pillars of Communication book and The Communication Protocol Workbook.

Book + companion workbook

The Five Pillars of Communication

How Leaders Earn Trust, Shape Perception, and Move Rooms to a Decision

Anybody can be persuasive for an hour. The people who matter are watching what you say in year twelve.

The five pillars

  1. Kept Word
  2. Plain Truth
  3. Disciplined Sequence
  4. Measured Cadence
  5. Clean Close

What you get

  • The book — 44 pages, including the seven pressure rooms: the board miss, the liquidity call, the executive conflict, the media statement, the outage, the reduction, the reset.
  • The Communication Protocol Workbook — 47 pages of scripts, drills and scoring.
  • The Executive Communication Protocol — a scored 60-question online assessment.
  • Separate playbooks for work and for home — they are not the same skill.
The problem it solves, the symptom each pillar fixes, and who it is for

The problem it solves

Almost everything sold as communication training is built for the hour — the power pose, the opening line, the trial close. The hour is an audition. Leadership is decided in ordinary conversations, where the only thing being measured is whether the last thing you said turned out to be true.

The five pillars, and the symptom each one fixes

1. Kept Word
What you notice when it is missing: People hedge with you, because commitments have quietly slipped before.
2. Plain Truth
What you notice when it is missing: Rooms leave your updates unsure what is actually true.
3. Disciplined Sequence
What you notice when it is missing: The content is right, the order is wrong, and the decision stalls.
4. Measured Cadence
What you notice when it is missing: Your pace tells the room to panic before your argument reaches it.
5. Clean Close
What you notice when it is missing: Meetings end on an observation, and nothing is decided.

Written for

  • Executives who present to boards, lenders, press or key customers
  • Leaders whose competence is not in question, but whose message gets rewritten
  • Anyone whose word must hold up with the same people for years

Not written for

  • Readers looking for stagecraft and closing tricks
  • Anyone out to win the hour rather than year twelve

Book, workbook and the scored assessment — one price, instant access. Includes the seven pressure rooms and the work-versus-home playbooks.

$47instant access · PDF + Word View in the library (opens in a new tab)

The Grandparent Advantage

The role you will cherish for the rest of your life: Grandparent.

You already know how to love a child, because you raised one. What almost nobody tells you is what your presence is worth now, and to how many people at once. Being a grandparent pays off in three directions, and researchers have studied every one of them.

Your advantage

Grandparenting gives back sharper thinking, purpose, movement, and company, plus the joy of a small child again without the full weight of raising one.

Your child's advantage

Your help gives their household hours back, keeps a career on track, and eases the pressure on a marriage, as long as you give it without taking over.

Your grandchildren's advantage

They get one adult who isn't grading them, along with reading, writing, and speaking habits, and a legacy, that outlast a house full of screens.

The Grandparent Advantage, by Michael Cafarelli, puts all three advantages to work:

The Grandparent Advantage

Thirteen chapters on why it matters, with every claim drawn from a published study.

The Grandparent Playbook

What to say and do this week. It includes ten scripts for the conversations grandparents avoid, forty games, help with reading and screens, and forty rewards under $10.

The Complete Course

Both books, plus six weekly video modules and short homework. You finish with a written plan for your family.

Decisions belong to the parents. Delivery belongs to you.

Start with the free Grandparent Plan (opens in a new tab)

Blog

Videos, articles & resources

Perspectives on turnarounds, operating discipline, profitable growth, and AI-enabled operations.

All posts

Video

Secrets: Ways to Use Today's AI

A 15-second look at RicavaIQ's Secrets: Ways to Use Today's AI, a cross-platform prompt manual with 850 deployable prompts across 17 disciplines and five AI platforms.

Watch

Resource

Weekly Market Intelligence: Week of October 5, 2026

Linehaul rose in all three truckload modes for the first time since early September while diesel fell a second straight week. An 11-page market intelligence package on reefer, LTL, dry van, flatbed, tender declines, fuel surcharges, and regional diesel.

View & download

Article

Revenue Improvement and Margin Creation

How disciplined commercial systems turn top-line effort into profitable growth. Revenue is not an event, it is a system built on value, pipeline, conversion, and margin.

Read

Article

The End of the Federal Shield

On May 14, 2026, a unanimous Supreme Court held in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC that the FAAAA does not shield freight brokers from state-law negligent hiring claims. Here is what it means, and five essential solutions for brokers.

Read

Community

Service and governance

Beyond business, Michael is committed to community impact and servant leadership, supporting organizations united by faith, family, community, and service.

  • Play Like a Girl Foundation
  • From Your Father
  • Grateful Giving
  • Manassas Historical Trust
  • MPC Foundation
  • Minnesota & Tennessee Trucking Associations

Contact

Let's talk about the outcomes your organization needs next.

If your priorities include improving profitability, accelerating growth, strengthening execution, modernizing operating systems, or building a higher-performing culture, I would welcome the conversation. I am also available for board, advisory, and fractional executive engagements.