WINTER GARDEN, Fla. ABC Companies has announced a major overhaul of its top management, including the departure of two key executives and their replacement by two long-time senior managers.

Tom DeMatteo has been named senior vice president and chief operating officer, replacing COO Bob Foley, who has been with the company for 22 years. DeMatteo has been with ABC for 11 years and has been serving as vice president and general counsel.

Tim Wayland, president of ABC Financial Services, has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding CFO Mike Marhula, who has been with the company for 13 years. Wayland joined ABC in 1994.

Both DeMatteo and Wayland are relocating from ABC headquarters in Faribault, Minn., to Winter Garden where ABCs president and CEO, Dane Cornell, is based, along with ABC's top sales executive, Roman Cornell.

"After a comprehensive review of our strategic opportunities and very careful consideration, our board of directors and executive management believe our realignment plans will serve the best interests of our customers, our employees, our vendor partners and our industry relationships," said Dane Cornell.

"The efficiencies and benefits that can potentially be gained from this strategy are important to the future growth of our industry and market leadership of ABC Companies," Cornell added. "On behalf of the entire organization, thank you to Bob (Foley) and Mike (Marhula) for their important contributions and best wishes for their continued success."

Separately, ABC announced two members had been added to its board of directors, Frank Gallagher, former chairman and CEO of Coach USA, and Roman Cornell, national sales vice president of ABC.

In announcing the senior management changes, ABC said its principals believe the new plan offers significant opportunities to consolidate and manage resources, enhance executive decision-making and improve communication to customers nationwide."

Under the realignment, DeMatteo will be responsible for regional operations of the ABC sales divisions, parts companies, and customer care, legal, human resources and contract administration departments.

As general counsel for ABC Companies, DeMatteo directed the legal, contract, insurance, real estate and human resource functions. He is a member of the legislative and regulatory committee of the United Motorcoach Association.

Wayland, in his new role, will be responsible for ABC's corporate accounting, finance and IT functions, as well as continued responsibility for ABC Financial Services.

Wayland's background includes having served as director of corporate finance at Greyhound Lines, and senior auditor at Arthur Andersen & Co.

DeMatteo and Wayland will move to Florida this year, and be assisted during their transition by Foley and Marhula. No timetable for the departures of Foley and Marhula was given.

ABC's two new directors have strong industry backgrounds.

Gallagher has been involved in the motorcoach industry for three decades and his former company, Community Bus Lines of New Jersey, was one of the six founding companies of Coach USA.

During the seven years he spent at Coach USA, Gallagher held several posts, including chief development officer, chief operating officer, CEO, and board member until his departure in 2003.

He currently serves on the board of AEP Industries, a publicly-held plastics company.

Roman Cornell has been with ABC since 1995 and served in a variety of sales and finance-related areas. He oversees all company sales activities nationwide, managing key customer relationships and overseeing product development.

Cornell was recently appointed to the Trailways board where he will complete the term of his late father, Ron Cornell.

In another announcement, ABC announced the promotions of Ashley Cornell and Andrew Fung within the customer care group.

Ashley Cornell was named customer care manager, making her responsible for managing customer relationships and serving as liaison between ABC after-sales support programs. She joined ABC Companies in 1997 and has served in a variety of sales administration, operational and marketing roles.

Fung, who joined ABC this past summer as director of engineering services, has been named director of customer care and engineering services. He will be directly responsible for day-to-day management of all issues in the areas of engineering services, technical service and support and warranty. All technical, engineering and customer care service personnel will report directly to Fung.