Genesis Products Announces New Leadership Structure

GOSHEN, Ind. – Genesis Products has announced a new leadership strategy on the heels of a major acquisition, according to a press release from the company.

Now that the ink is dry on the recent acquisition of Funder America Inc, Genesis is investing again – in a new leadership structure designed to organize its divisions around customer needs and lean into the deep talent of its executives and managers, the release stated.

Jon Wenger, President and CEO, says, “In this moment of growth, at our current scale, it is time to give more result ownership to our broader management team.”

These changes create an opportunity for Genesis to align product and operations teams to the industries they serve. Formerly structured in four divisions based on operating facilities, the company will now shift its organization to two industry-focused Business Groups: RV & Vehicles and Industrial Wood Products.

“This gives us the opportunity to truly focus on the unique needs of customers in these industry verticals. Our product, engineering and materials teams will no longer divide their time between RV and industrial demands. This streamlines efforts and accelerates our ability to serve our OEM partners,” says Wenger.

The restructuring is opportune, as Matt Hazelbaker, VP panels and mouldings, announced his plan to retire last year. Hazelbaker has been a partner at Genesis since 2013 and was integral in the success of the company’s lamination business. He has worked closely with leadership on a transition plan that will culminate at the end of June. In addition, the company recently chose to go in a different direction and separated with Trent Evans, former VP of interior components.

All RV and vehicles product and operations teams will be centralized under the leadership of Dave Stace, business group VP, who will step into the role having led the Welformed Division at Genesis for the past year. Stace has deep roots in the secondary automotive and RV industries, serving in various product and plant management roles at Dura Automotive Systems and Coachmen.

Most recently, Stace was the general manager at Shyft Group, strategically leading his division through a major period of growth with continuous improvement across sales, procurement, quality and engineering. His 28 years of executive leadership unites a team of experienced product business leaders on the RV side who will continue to serve OEMS with passion and expertise: Nic Bontrager, cabinet doors and components; Cody Harman, panels, mouldings and tape; Phyllis Beyers, laminates and design; Kam Betzer, countertops.

Paired with the seasoned leadership of Heather Jenks, VP of sales, Genesis is excited to nurture and grow its RV business under this new optimized structure, according to the release.

David Moser takes on the industrial wood products business group VP role, after leading industrial sales and business growth efforts at Genesis for more than three years. All product, operations and sales activities, in addition to four recently acquired plants in the Southeast, fall under his leadership.

These changes complement other investments in leadership made by the company last year, including the addition of Erin Curtis, VP of marketing and development, and a dedicated product development team led by VP AJ Balthes. Both are at the forefront of innovation at the company; Curtis spearheading RV aftermarket and retail channel expansion and Balthes pioneering product research and development, allowing Genesis to meet customer needs in completely new ways.

CEO Jon Wenger is confident in this team to drive the next evolution of the company, “We couldn’t be in a better position for the future. Our teams are more focused, our dynamic executive team is culturally aligned, and the next generation of leaders is driving value for our customers. We are better today than we were yesterday, and we only continue to grow stronger.”

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/genesis-products-announces-new-leadership-structure/