Door maker, surpassing $2 billion in sales, names new CEO

TAMPA — Howard Heckes has been named president and CEO of Tampa-based door manufacturer Masonite International Corp., effective June 3.

Heckes, who currently serves as CEO of Plymouth, Minn.-based Energy Management Collaborative, a privately held LED lighting firm, succeeds Fred Lynch, who intends to retire, according to a press release.

“We are thrilled to welcome Howard to the Masonite team,” Masonite board chairman Robert Byrne states in the release. “Howard has a distinguished, proven track record of developing powerful insights, acting upon them decisively and delivering strong results. The board is confident that he is ideally suited to lead Masonite forward, building on the transformational change that Fred Lynch executed over his nearly 13-year tenure.”

Prior to his current role, Heckes worked for nine years for Valspar Corp. in a variety of senior operations roles for the Minneapolis-based paint company, the release states. 

“I have developed a great admiration for Masonite’s progress under Fred Lynch’s leadership,” Heckes states in the release. “The core values of the company are consistent with my own: a commitment to innovation, operational excellence and delivering results. I am truly excited to continue to leverage the company’s momentum and competitive position to maximize the significant value inherent in Masonite.”

Masonite (NYSE: DOOR) generated $2.03 billion in revenue in 2018, up from $1.97 billion in 2017.