FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
R-O-M Corporation Promotes Briggs to CEO, Hupke to COO
Steve Briggs now CEO and President and Jeff Hupke is COO and CFO
BELTON, MO (December 2007) -- R-O-M Corporation, a leading manufacturer of products for the fire service, food distribution and building security industries, announces the promotion of two key members of its management team. Steve Briggs has been promoted to CEO and will also maintain his duties as president. Jeff Hupke will now serve as COO in addition to his CFO responsibilities.
Briggs joined R-O-M in 2004 as vice president of sales and marketing after leading sales and business development efforts for an international leader in the inorganic minerals industry. At R-O-M, he quickly established relationships with the company's customer base and reorganized the firm's nationwide territory manager staff and inside customer development team. Briggs has played a vital role in helping the company achieve year-over-year increases in sales, quality and customer satisfaction. He was promoted to president in 2006, overseeing sales and marketing, manufacturing, quality, engineering, human resources, material management and information technology. A former Special Forces officer in the United States Army, Briggs holds an MBA in finance from the University of Missouri. He succeeds John R. McAlister, who remains as the company's chairman.
"Under Steve's leadership, R-O-M has grown and prospered tremendously," says McAlister. "He's been pivotal in helping us help our customers succeed by establishing partnerships with them, and for the past year as president he's led the entire company to even greater achievement. He now has full responsibility for all facets of the business, and I know he -- and we -- will enjoy success in this capacity as well."
Hupke joined R-O-M as CFO in 2005. His diversified background includes serving in financial and operational capacities for some of Kansas City's largest companies as well as consultative work with numerous start-ups. Since joining R-O-M, Hupke has overseen a multitude of initiatives aimed at improving the company's support of its customers. As COO, he'll lead operations/manufacturing and supply chain management functions. Hupke holds an MBA from Indiana University and a BSIM from Purdue University.
"Jeff has made outstanding contributions to R-O-M in his tenure," says Briggs. "He has demonstrated technical expertise and leadership in directing the finance team and has been a key change agent in our operations, driving Lean Six Sigma initiatives. We're excited to add the COO responsibilities to his duties and leveraging the programs he has initiated into further success for our team and our customers."
About R-O-M
R-O-M Corporation is an international company headquartered in a 65,000 sq. ft. facility in suburban Kansas City, MO. The company's product line includes R-O-M Roll-up Doors for emergency apparatus and service vehicles; LoadMaker, ThermowarrioR and Center ZoneMaker insulated bulkhead systems for the food distribution industry; RoadwarrioR and SidekicK safety walkramps and Platform systems for food distributors; LED lighting for emergency vehicle compartments and refrigerated trailers; and LinksGuard security chain closures for building security. ISO 9001-certified and owner of 10 U.S. and Canadian patents, R-O-M serves its national and international customer base with a field staff of eight territory managers and a 10-person inside customer development team. The company's website is www.romcorp.com.
For more information, contact:
Steve Briggs
R-O-M Corporation
6800 E. 163rd St.
Belton, MO 64012
Phone: 800-827-3692
FAX: 816-318-8100
E-mail: SteveBriggs@ROMCorp.com
Website: www.romcorp.com
Darrin Widick, MBA
Widick Marketing
415 Delaware, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone: 816-753-2420 ext. 334
FAX: 816-753-7795
E-mail: DarrinWidick@widick.com
