Chris Baer named CEO at VIPAR

VIPAR Heavy Duty has completed its succession plan. Chairman Bill Nolan announced that the board of directors named Chris Baer as chief executive officer. He was named president in October 2016 and now holds both titles within the company.

Retiring is Steve Crowley, who spent more than 16 years in the two roles. He stayed on during the transition period but is now officially done his tenure.

“The board adopted a strategic succession plan nearly three years ago to ensure the long-term success of the organization,” Nolan said. “By building upon the talent and experience of our existing leaders we were able to execute the transition while continuing to invest in the development of our team.”

Moving Baer into the CEO role was “a natural progression,” he added.  Nolan said Baer “has proven to have the experience and vision necessary to succeed in the ever-changing aftermarket and to strategically position VIPAR Heavy Duty and its family of companies for growth both now and into the future.”

Baer introduced a new management structure and new leadership roles in January to help the company achieve aggressive growth goals.

“I appreciate the board’s confidence in my leadership and the talented individuals that support our organization on a daily basis,” said Baer. “As we kickoff ‘G3,’ the third phase in our history, our entire team will play a valuable role as we work to accomplish the initiatives detailed in our ‘Game Plan for Growth.’ Top on our list of priorities is to improve on our execution, which will help increase our speed to market.”