Guardian Industries has appointed a new president and CEO, Ron Vaupel, effective January 1. Vaupel most recently served as vice president of business development for Koch Industries, which hasacquired a minority stake in Guardian. The companies had announced the pending acquisition in October and it has now been completed.
Vaupel also will join the Guardian Industries board of directors.
Prior to being named vice president of business development for Koch in 2002, Vaupel held a number of positions at the company, including serving as president of Koch Hydrocarbon Company LP.
“Guardian is an exciting place to be today — and will be for years to come,” says Vaupel. “We have a great culture with an emphasis on long-term profitable growth and a commitment to and passion for innovation. I share your vision and commitment; that we are people who like to compete to win. That’s my kind of team and a language that we speak all around the world.”
According to a statement from Guardian, the sale of the minority stake to Koch “was the result of a comprehensive and deliberate process by the company’s board of directors to create a long-term ownership structure that aligns the needs of all stakeholders.”
“Koch is one of the world’s largest private companies and represents an outstanding minority investor for Guardian,” said the Guardian statement. “Like Guardian, it takes a long-term, growth-oriented view toward business.”
All four Guardian division presidents will report to Vaupel. These include Scott Thomsen with Guardian Glass; Kevin Baird with SRG Global; Mike Morrison with Guardian Automotive; and Steve Ziessler with Guardian Building Products.
The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
