Ladish Company Inc. president and CEO Kerry L. Woody announced September 25 that he is retiring. Woody has led Ladish since 1995. He previously served as Ladish vice president of manufacturing and various other positions in the production, planning and engineering disciplines.
Commenting on his retirement, Woody said, "After more than 14 years of leading Ladish, I have decided that the time is right to retire. I leave Ladish knowing the successful course we have charted will be followed by future management teams. It has been a privilege to have been a part of the proud 104 year heritage of Ladish and to work with its many dedicated employees."
The Ladish board of directors acknowledged and appreciated Kerry's long record of accomplishments across many disciplines and functions and the contributions he has made to Ladish over 34 years of service. During his tenure, several strategic acquisitions were made that contributed to Ladish's long-term growth and helped it maintain its profitability despite the challenges of the business cycle.
The Ladish board of directors has named Gary J. Vroman, 49, to the position of president and CEO and a director of Ladish, succeeding Woody. Vroman, formerly president of Ladish Forging, the largest operating subsidiary of Ladish, has been in various management roles at Ladish for over 25 years. Vroman has a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the University of Illinois and a masters of science degree in engineering management from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The board of directors has also appointed Wayne E. Larsen, currently vice president of law/finance of Ladish, to a seat on the board.
Ladish is a leading producer of highly engineered, technically advanced metal components for the jet engine, aerospace and general industrial markets. Ladish is headquartered in Cudahy, Wis., with operations in Wisconsin, California, Connecticut, Oregon and Poland.