President

President –Confidential Retained Search

Our client is seeking an accomplished President to lead an established industrial business through its next stage of growth. The company provides complex equipment, systems, and related services to business customers. This executive will have responsibility for the overall performance of the organization, including revenue growth, operations, financial results, people leadership, and long term planning. This is not a ceremonial leadership position. The President will stay close to the business, support the sales effort, build relationships with important customers, and ensure the company delivers on its commitments. The right person will be comfortable moving between strategy and daily business decisions while creating accountability throughout the organization. The opportunity is well suited for a commercially minded leader who understands how sales, operations, financial performance, and culture work together within an industrial or technical business.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction for the overall business.
• Take ownership of revenue, profitability, budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance.
• Develop and execute plans that support sustainable growth.
• Lead the sales strategy while remaining involved with major customers, opportunities, and negotiations.
• Support the sales team in developing new business and expanding existing accounts.
• Evaluate the company’s market position, competitive landscape, and future growth opportunities.
• Ensure sales commitments are aligned with operational capacity, delivery capabilities, and customer expectations.
• Build strong working relationships across sales, operations, finance, service, and administrative functions.
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and accountability throughout the organization.
• Develop current leaders and identify opportunities to strengthen the team.
• Evaluate processes, systems, staffing, and resources as the business grows.
• Maintain a strong understanding of business performance and address concerns before they become larger problems.
• Preserve the organization’s strengths while thoughtfully introducing new ideas and improvements.
• Serve as a trusted representative of the company with customers, employees, suppliers, and other business partners.

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be a visible and approachable leader who earns trust, communicates clearly, and understands the value of listening before making changes. This person should be confident without needing to dominate the room. The company needs a leader who can make difficult decisions, hold people accountable, and bring different parts of the organization together around common goals. The President must also have a strong commercial mindset. Candidates who have led a business but remained removed from customers and sales activity will not be the best fit. This leader should enjoy helping win business, supporting sales conversations, and building lasting customer relationships.

Desired Background

• Significant leadership experience within industrial equipment, capital equipment, technical manufacturing, engineered systems, industrial services, or a closely related business.
• Experience leading a company, division, region, or significant business unit.
• A strong understanding of businesses that design, manufacture, sell, install, service, or support complex equipment and solutions.
• Demonstrated ownership of revenue, profitability, budgets, forecasting, and financial results.
• A meaningful background in business development, sales leadership, or commercial strategy.
• Experience with complex business to business sales involving multiple decision makers and longer sales cycles.
• Experience working with customers that make significant investments in equipment, systems, facilities, or operational improvements.
• The ability to understand technical products and communicate their business value without needing to be the company’s chief technical expert.
• Experience leading multiple departments and developing other leaders.
• A record of growing revenue while maintaining quality, service, margins, and operational discipline.
• An understanding of pricing, project economics, customer commitments, capacity, delivery, and aftermarket support.
• Experience evaluating new markets, sales channels, customer segments, or geographic growth opportunities.
• Strong business judgment and the ability to make decisions using both financial information and practical experience.
• Experience leading through change while respecting an established company culture.
• A bachelor’s degree is preferred.

What Will Make Someone Successful

• A genuine interest in customers, employees, and the details of the business.
• The ability to balance growth with profitability and operational performance.
• A willingness to work alongside the team when the situation calls for it.
• Clear and consistent communication.
• Sound judgment and a steady leadership style.
• The ability to build credibility with experienced employees and long term customers.
• Comfort making decisions while remaining open to input from others.
• A desire to build on a successful foundation rather than change things simply to make a personal mark.

Confidentiality

This is a highly confidential executive search. Additional information regarding the company, location, specific industry, compensation, and reporting structure will be provided to qualified candidates after a nondisclosure agreement has been completed. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship. All candidates must be willing to live and work in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

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