FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
York, PA, April 12, 2021 – RG Industries Board of Directors announced today that Mr. Steve Bennis has been named Chief Executive Officer, RG Group, effective August 1, 2021. Mr. Bennis most recently served as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Patrick Gross will assume the role of President and COO of Distribution Services, also effective August 1st.
Rich Freeh assumes the role of Executive Advisor to the Chairman of the BOD and will add his experience, leadership, and guidance to ensure a smooth and successful transition.
“A successful corporate succession plan has been in the works for the last three years. The post-COVID period is here, and I believe this is the ideal time for Steve to assume the CEO role. Steve and I have been working closely over the last 24 months to ensure a seamless transition for our customers, vendor partners, and most importantly our associates.”
“Over the last 5 years, we have done four acquisitions in three key markets to position RG Group for the next decade. Our focus on life science, robotics/automation, and hydraulic field services have added breadth and diversity to our service and product offerings. I am very humbled by the support I have received from our talented associates and certainly Randy Gross, our Executive Chairman. In addition, I would like to thank all our strategic vendor partners for their fantastic support over the last three decades as we have seen our collective business grow”.
“I have the utmost confidence in Steve and look forward to working closely with him over the next 12 months as he assumes his new role and positions RG Group for even greater growth.”
Mr. Freeh added: “Steve will be the fourth CEO in RG Group’s nearly 65-year history and has proven himself exceptionally qualified to lead the Company into its next iterations. Throughout his career, Steve has exhibited exceptional leadership qualities that are a cornerstone of the RG Group culture. Under Steve’s leadership as CEO, our distribution and manufacturing services business segments see sustained growth strategies that will continue to serve the Company and its shareholders well for years to come.”
Steve emphasized that “I am incredibly honored and humbled to assume the role of CEO of a family-based successful Motion Control business. I have been fortunate to enjoy and to learn from our leadership team and with Randy and Rich’s support, I will continue to reinforce a culture that is driven by our core values. As we build around our core motion control business, my plan is to invest heavily in emerging technologies that will provide fast growth
and a significant return on investment in the next three to five years. Attracting new technical talent while continuing to develop our current team is paramount to this plan.”
Mr. Randy Gross, owner and Executive Chairman of the Board added, “I’m proud of the business model Rich and I have collaborated on and built over the last decade, but both of us are most proud of the team and the culture we are part of.”
“Over five years ago, we put a long-term succession plan in place and today we are seeing the plan come to fruition. I am very excited to see Steve take the CEO role and in turn my son Patrick will be assuming the role of President and COO of Distribution Services.”
Steve added “Patrick has been successfully leading our Automation business segment for the last few years. Under his leadership, we have developed relationships with leading vendors in the industrial automation space and it was Patrick who led our acquisition of the company that is now Proud Automation, a Division of the RG Group. Patrick and I have worked closely together over the past three years and I look forward to working closely with him in our new roles. I appreciate Patrick’s entrepreneurial spirit and his drive to grow our business. Going forward we look for his continued growth and leadership in both core and new technologies.”
Patrick remarked “I am honored to continue my career and next step in our family enterprise. Working alongside Rich Freeh and our broader team for the past 10 years has been a wonderful learning experience for me personally and professionally. Steve Bennis has been a valuable addition to our team, and I look forward to continuing our great 65-year story. In my new role, I will be tapping into the cornerstone vendor partnerships we have in place to continue building our organization to serve our employees, customers, and community. I would be remiss if I did not mention a sincere appreciation for my father and what he has done for all of us. His planning along with our board, leadership team, and partners has made for a smooth transition that will only help continue our organizational evolution.”
About RG Group: RG Group, a group of distribution and manufacturing companies has been providing leadership in the design and delivery of innovative motion control and fluid handling products and solutions for over 60 years. RG Group operates under a very simple core concept: “We Keep Business in Motion”. The company’s goal is to provide its customers with a sustainable competitive advantage through the creative application of technology in the robotics, automation, hydraulic, pneumatic, electromechanical, and process markets.
RG Group’s headquarters is located in York, PA, with stores, branches, and distribution service areas on the East Coast including PA, NY, NJ, DE, MD, WV, VA, ME, VT, NH, MA, OH, RI and CT.
Media Contact
Cristen Eberly
RG Group
650 North State Street, York, PA 17403
800-340-0854
https://www.rg-group.com/
