Entrepreneur and Vestavia Hills native Ted Alling has been elected to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. board of directors.

Claude B. Nielsen, chairman of Coca-Cola UNITED, said of Alling, “Ted has acquired a wealth of entrepreneurial expertise and extensive knowledge of the logistics industry, which will be very beneficial as Coca-Cola UNITED continues to grow and excel in customer service.”

Alling was selected because of his passion for creating economic opportunities in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a part of UNITED’s franchise territory and home of the world’s first Coca-Cola bottler.

Alling is the co-founder and former CEO of a $500 million startup, Access America, which merged with the United Parcel Service (UPS) subsidiary Coyote Logistics. Following that success, Alling and his fellow Access America founders helped to create Lamp Post Group, a venture capital firm and tech-focused incubator located in Chattanooga.

Lamp Post Group has invested $36 million into the local entrepreneurial ecosystem to date.

Alling further co-founded the venture capital firm Dynamo, which is focused on revolutionizing the logistics industry.

His other pursuits include a venture fund set up to draw businesses to Chattanooga and a preparatory school he opened with his wife for young men in the Chattanooga urban communities. He also served as the president of the Chattanooga Transportation Club, trustee of the Howard Fund, and board of directors of Pearl Ministries and the Tennessee Aquarium.

According to a release, Alling’s election to the board continues UNITED’s tradition of having representation on its board of directors from across the company’s geographic territory, with Chattanooga being the cornerstone given its historic significance in the Coca-Cola System and as a dynamic community with extraordinary Coca-Cola loyalty.