PODS® Announces Four Key Additions to Executive Leadership Team

-- Susan Jacobs joins company as Chief Marketing Officer; Opal Perry is named Chief Strategy and Digital Business Development Officer; Salvador Salazar is named Senior Vice President of Sales and Service; Rich Schwartz is now Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations --

CLEARWATER, Fla. (October 12, 2021) – PODS Enterprises, LLC, the industry leader in portable moving and storage solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan Jacobs to the role of Chief Marketing Officer, Opal Perry as Chief Strategy and Digital Business Development Officer, Salvador “Sal” Salazar as Senior Vice President of Sales and Service, and Rich Schwartz as Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations. Accomplished and seasoned leaders in their respective fields, Jacobs will spearhead all aspects of PODS’ marketing organization, Perry will drive numerous digital transformation and strategic growth initiatives, Salazar will lead best-in-class practices overseeing sales and service at the company’s Customer Care Centers, and Schwartz will lead the Corporate Operations team in designing strategies to drive performance, safety, collaboration, and operational excellence.

“I am thrilled to welcome Susan, Opal, Sal, and Rich to the PODS family,” said President and CEO Kathy Marinello. “Susan is a highly adept and proven marketing leader, with an inspiring history of putting innovative and impactful ideas into practice. Opal will bring exceptional knowledge, business savvy, and bold, forward-looking perspectives to our team. Sal’s breadth of experience developing and implementing best-in-class operational and customer service strategies will make him an integral member of the organization. Rich is a proven business operations expert, and his leadership, perspectives, and expertise will be deeply valuable to the company moving forward. PODS is fortunate to have these leaders on the team as we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations.”

Susan brings to PODS a successful track record of building and executing industry-leading marketing strategies that drive growth and profitability, while increasing overall brand engagement. Most recently, Susan served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for a late-stage insurance technology startup, where she successfully built and scaled the marketing department to drive brand awareness and loyalty. Throughout her career, Susan has held multiple leadership positions of increasing responsibility, in which she has demonstrated a keen ability to identify opportunities that deliver top-line growth and brand loyalty in highly competitive industries.

Opal is an accomplished business leader with experience shaping strategies and revitalizing organizational assets to create new business models and foster growth. She brings more than 25 years of expertise in building and growing global organizations, driving innovation and digital change, and orchestrating technology and business integration. Most recently, she served as Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President for Hertz Global Holdings, leading business strategy and execution across Rental Car, Car Sharing, Delivery Services, and Fleet Management businesses in North America, UK, Europe, and Asia Pacific regions.

Sal is a customer service and operational leader with a history of collaboration with senior leaders to define and implement operations processes that drive efficiency while enabling a company’s strategic vision and profitability. Most recently, Sal held the role of SVP, Operations and before that as SVP, Chief Quality and Customer Officer for The Hertz Corporation, leading global teams focused on delivering solutions to support a complex and diverse portfolio of assets, ensuring efficient operations and superior customer service.

Rich joins PODS with deep communications and operations expertise, and a history of developing operational models that drive growth and strengthen performance, while also improving quality, efficiency, and margins. Previously, Rich served as VP, Engineering and Corporate Operations for Estes Express Lines Inc., managing overall network capacity, freight flow optimization, and technology implementation to support process automation and standardization. During his time at Estes, he held a variety of roles focused on operational process improvements and corporate optimization.  

A moving and storage leader for nearly 25 years, PODS offers flexible, personalized solutions tailored to our customers’ unique needs. When PODS pioneered portable storage in 1998, we introduced the world to a new way of thinking about moving and storage, with unlimited time, control, and flexibility. Today, PODS provides residential and commercial moving and storage services in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the UK. The PODS network has completed more than 1.2 million long-distance moves and more than 5.4 million initial deliveries. Whether it is a long-distance or international relocation, across-town move, or renovation project, PODS provides customers with a personal moving and storage team ready for any situation. To learn more, visit PODS.com.