John White, Jr., right, with new Taco president/COO Wil VandeWeil.VandeWiel will oversee daily operations of Taco and work with John White, Jr. and his board of directors in steering Taco’s growth forward in the years ahead.
John White, Jr., the third generation of the White family to lead Taco, will remain as company CEO but will refocus his responsibilities on building new partnerships and strategic acquisitions worldwide in pursuit of company growth and diversification.
VandeWiel, a native of the Netherlands who is also a U.S. citizen, is an experienced executive with a track record of building collaborative teams and achieving sustainable growth with a number of top-tier international companies. Mr. VandeWiel served as President/CEO of DORMA GmbH, a global access control company located in Pennsylvania, where he guided the company through a period of outstanding growth based on a strategy of customer and employee engagement and successful acquisitions, resulting in a leap in profitability and substantial market share expansion. Prior to his time at DORMA, he was managing director for U.S.-based Robert Bosch LLC’s Security Systems division, and served in senior leadership roles for Royal Philips N.V.
In other news, Taco has formed a strategic collaboration with Italian pump manufacturer Askoll, to share technology and work together on research and development relating to new circulator designs as well as other joint product and marketing initiatives. The strategic partnering agreement was announced in December, during a ceremony at the Taco Innovation & Design Center at Taco headquarters in Cranston, RI.
Taco sources say the company remains committed to manufacturing its quality products in the U.S. The joint effort between Taco and Askoll is expected to expedite and broaden the introduction of innovative, new product designs for Taco’s residential and light commercial markets.
Askoll, based in Dueville, Italy, manufactures pumps used in a variety of industries and applications, including indoor space heating.
“Taco’s path for future growth lies in strategic relationships with world-class companies like Askoll,” said John Hazen White, Jr., Taco President and CEO.
