The Board of Directors of Franklin Electric announced today that Chairman and Chief Executive Officer R. Scott Trumbull will retire as Chief Executive Officer effective May 2, 2014 and that Gregg C. Sengstack has been appointed to succeed him in that role. Mr. Trumbull will remain non-executive chairman of Franklin Electric.
Mr. Trumbull first joined the Franklin Electric Board in 1998 and was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2002. During his tenure, Franklin Electric has transformed itself from being a submersible motor supplier for pump manufacturers to being a pumping systems supplier for distributors. Additionally, the Company’s revenues have grown to $965 million in 2013 with 37 percent of those revenues coming from developing region international markets. Under Mr. Trumbull’s leadership, the Company’s market capitalization has increased from around $520 million to about $1.9 billion.
Gregg C. Sengstack, 55 years old, first joined Franklin Electric in 1988 and has been President and Chief Operating Officer since 2011. He had previously been Senior Vice President and President, Franklin Fueling Systems and International Water Group and has held numerous positions in the Company’s Finance organization before becoming Chief Financial Officer in 1999. Mr. Sengstack is a member of the Board of Directors of Woodward Inc. (NYSE:WWD), a diversified manufacturer and service provider in the global aerospace and energy control markets.
David M. Wathen, Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Franklin Electric Board of Directors commented on behalf of the Board:
“The Board of Directors has planned this transition for several years and we have the upmost confidence that Gregg is prepared to lead Franklin Electric. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Scott for all of his many accomplishments as the Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Electric over the past eleven years.”
“Gregg is a strong leader and excellent strategist. He has been a critical part of Franklin Electric’s success over the past 25 years and we are very confident he will lead the Company to even greater levels of growth and profitability in the future.”
*Franklin Electric is a global leader in the production and marketing of systems and components for the movement of water and automotive fuels. Recognized as a technical leader in its specialties, Franklin Electric serves customers around the world in residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial, municipal, and fueling applications.*
