IdleAire co-founder, CIO Badgett retires

IdleAire's Tom Badgett (IdleAire photo)

The Trucker News Services

1/31/2008

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tom Badgett, chief information officer (CIO), secretary and co-founder in-cab service provider of IdleAire Technologies Corp., retired on Jan. 29, the company has reported. He will continue to be available to assist in the transition on a day-to-day basis until April 14.

Badgett cited personal reasons for the decision, and not any disagreement with company management or the board of directors, the news release stated.

As a co-founder and public speaker, Badgett has represented IdleAire in public forums around the country, in addition to his CIO duties. As a technical writer he has published more than 60 books on computer and travel subjects through such major publishing companies as IDG, Bantam, John Wiley & Sons, and Scott-Foresman. He served as technical editor at a number of Ziff-Davis magazines, including PCjr, Computers and Electronics, and PC Networking and was managing editor at IBM Systems and Strategies. He managed the editing team for the online publishing group at McGraw Hill’s DataPro Corporation and was technical editor for IDG’s Digital News.

In addition, Badgett was a former Knoxville television news anchor, a University of Tennessee graduate (BA 1969 English and Spanish Language, MA 1972 in Documentary Film), and co-founder of successful Knoxville-based Internet service provider U.S. Internet, now part of EarthLink.

IdleAire Chairman and CEO Mike Crabtree described Badgett as “one of those innovative thinkers, communicators and entrepreneurs,” who was “crucial in helping establish the technology foundation and software development necessary for the company’s deployment of a large-scale nationwide network of locations, as well as an eloquent ambassador for IdleAire with wide-ranging audiences coast-to-coast. As a longtime friend and business associate, we will miss Tom, but we also understand that after nearly eight years at IdleAire and six years at U.S. Internet his family deserves some quality time.”

Crabtree said Badgett’s responsibilities are being consolidated under other areas of the company “as part of an overall company re-alignment inevitable in the evolution of a fast growing, nationwide company, to reduce costs, streamline operations and meet future growth needs.”

IdleAire Technologies Corp. provides in-cab idle-reduction services to the heavy-duty trucking industry. IdleAire’s Advanced Travel Center Electrification (ATE) services include heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, electric power, Internet access, satellite television, telephone, and remote delivery of computer-based driver safety and training courses. The services are offered at travel centers and fleet terminals throughout the continental United States.