Press Releases
Messer Construction Co. Announces Executive Changes
(March 01, 2010)
Messer Construction Co. Announces Executive Changes
• Thomas M. Keckeis Becomes Board Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer
• Peter S. Strange Remains Board Chair of Holding Company, Messer, Inc.
• Kathleen C. Daly, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Community Leader Retires After 40 Years
• E. Paul Hitter, Jr. Appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Cincinnati, OH) The Board of Directors of Messer, Inc., the holding company for Messer Construction Co. and other business interests, announced today the appointment of Thomas M. Keckeis as Board Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, and the retirement of company CFO, Kathleen C. Daly, among other related leadership changes.
Ms. Daly will retire from the company effective March 1, 2010 after forty years of service, the past twenty years as CFO. With Ms. Daly’s retirement and the growth of other company leaders, the Board made the following leadership changes at its February 2010 Meeting:
Tom Keckeis was elected Board Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messer Construction Co. Mr. Keckeis has been with Messer for thirty years and has been Chief Operating Officer for the past four years. As CEO, he will lead both business strategy and execution. He will replace Peter Strange, who has been CEO of Messer Construction Co. for the past twenty years.
Paul Hitter was elected Senior Vice President and CFO of Messer Construction Co. succeeding Ms. Daly. Mr. Hitter has been with Messer for more than twenty years and has served as Finance Vice President for the past three years.
Pete Strange will remain Chairman of Messer, Inc. focusing on leveraging Messer’s unique employee ownership structure and building shareholder value.
Said Mr. Strange, “We have an outstanding team that will, under Tom’s leadership, continue to grow project leaders and grow the value that Messer creates for our employee/owners and our customers. This realignment of responsibilities will continue the growth of our executive team and will allow me to focus on the next generation of investments in our company and in our communities.”
Joining Mr. Keckeis’ executive team and in line with Messer’s goals to deliver customer value and future long-term growth, the Board recently elected three executives to Senior Vice President to recognize the depth of their contribution and realign their leadership to support future performance across the company.
• Mark Gillming, current Louisville Region Vice President, expands his role to support executive leaders in Lexington, KY and Knoxville and Nashville, TN and will support Messer's Safety and Risk Management Strategies.
• Mark Luegering, current Cincinnati Region Vice President, expands his role to support executive leaders in Dayton and Columbus, OH and will support Messer’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategies.
• Tim Steigerwald, current Indianapolis Region Vice President, will be expanding his role to support sales across the company.
Mark Gillming, Mark Luegering and Tim Steigerwald are able to focus energy on both their current and new responsibilities because three additional leaders were recognized for their contributions by the Board and promoted to executive officers:
• Dave Miller has accepted the title of corporate Vice President and will partner with Mark Gillming in leading the Louisville region.
• Steve Bestard has accepted the title of corporate Vice President and will partner with Tim Steigerwald in leading the Indianapolis region.
• Rick Hensley has accepted the title of corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer – a new title that will align this very important value creation cluster at a strategic level within the company.
“All of these leaders will elevate Messer as we move toward achieving our future goals. Their leadership inspires others and these promotions are all well earned,” said Tom Keckeis. “As I take the reins from Pete Strange, it gives me great confidence in our future knowing that I am surrounded by innovative, customer-focused, and strategic leaders who are focused upon providing leadership opportunities for future generations fo Messer employee/owners.”
About Messer Construction Co.
Messer Construction Co. is a regional construction manager and general contractor providing leadership for complex building projects in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee. Founded in 1932, Messer has built a premier reputation through outstanding construction experiences and value with a focus on healthcare and higher education. Messer is 100 percent owned by more than 400 active employees and ranks nationally as one of the Top 100 largest contractors as well as a Top 40 green contractor. In 2009, Messer put in place approximately $670 million in complex commercial construction.
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