Viega held a media event in late August in Chicago to announce the appointments of incoming President and CEO Dave Garlow and Chief Operating Officer Robert Boots.
The duo was introduced to international media members at Skybox on Sheffield, a venue across the street from Wrigley Field that offers rooftop seating for Chicago Cubs baseball games.
Garlow, Viega’s vice president of sales, will start his new position in October. He takes over for Dan Schmierer, who is retiring in December. Schmierer has led Viega since its founding in North America in 1999. Garlow joined the Viega team on the same day as Schmierer.
“Dan has been a great leader, a fantastic boss and a great mentor to me,” Garlow told the gathering. “Having a mentor like Dan is invaluable. When you think about leaving a legacy, you think of Dan Schmierer. We’ve gone from 20 employees to more than 450. Viega’s business has grown tremendously and I credit that to Dan’s leadership.”
Boots was promoted from vice president of supply chain operations and also will take over his new duties in October. Boots has 22 years’ experience in plumbing manufacturing and logistics and has worked in every aspect of a supply chain, from extrusion to logistics. He managed the Vanguard PEX manufacturing plant in South Carolina and moved to McPherson, Kan., when the South Carolina plant closed in 2001. Boots was the McPherson facility’s plant manager until 2009 when he became VP of supply chain operations.
“What makes Viega so special is the sales and supply chain sides work well together,” Boots said. “We are partners in this. We view the supply chain as an extension of the sales department.”
Garlow said new products and technologies will continue to be the company’s calling card.
“The future of Viega is going to be exciting,” he said. “One thing you always can count on is we are deeply rooted in innovation. Rest assured the things we have built our success on won’t change.”
Boots added: “When you think about Viega you think about quality and innovation. I see that only getting better. Our focus is on continuous improvement. We don’t want to sit on our hands and ride the success of what’s been done. We’re not content to stay in the same place. In five years this will look like a different company. We will continue to work on what we do well and take Viega to the next level.”
