P. Welch Goggins Jr. will step down from the positions of president and chief executive officer (CEO) of boiler-room products and systems provider Cleaver-Brooks Inc. and assume the role of chairman emeritus March 31.
Goggins will be succeeded by Bart Aitken, group president of Harbour Group, which acquired Cleaver-Brooks in 2012.
“After almost four decades in this industry, it’s time for me to spend more time with my family and on other personal interests,” Goggins said. “But I’ll remain involved with the company as an investor, board member, and strategic adviser.”
Goggins began his career in 1975 with Industrial Boiler Co., which Cleaver-Brooks acquired in 1992. He served in various sales and marketing, operational management, and executive positions with Cleaver-Brooks before becoming president and CEO in 2005. He served as chairman of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association from 2006 to 2007.
Aitken joined Harbour Group as group vice president in 1998 and was named group president in 1999. In 2005, he assumed the responsibilities of president and CEO of Lincoln Industrial Corp. In 2011, a year after Harbour Group’s divestiture of Lincoln, he rejoined Harbour Group as group president. In his role as group president, Aitken has had operating responsibility over the following Harbour Group portfolio groups: Plastic Processing Equipment, Automotive Accessories, Building Components, Lubricating Systems, Home Products, and Boiler Room Solutions.
Prior to joining Harbour Group, Aitken was vice president and general manager of the Engineered Products Group of Kennametal Inc. and Greenfield Industries Inc. and director of European operations for Greenfield. Earlier, he held a number of manufacturing-management, manufacturing-engineering, and business-analyst positions with RTW Inc. and TRW Inc.