Kentwood Office Furniture announced today the appointment of Robert (Bob) Von Kaenel, Jr. as the company’s new President succeeding Art Hasse who will remain with the company as Chief Executive Officer. In this new role, Mr. Von Kaenel will have full responsibility for all company operations for all Kentwood Office Furniture ESOP locations.
“The organization has experienced significant growth over the past several years” commented Art Hasse. “We look forward to building upon our strong foundation and look to strategically expand our comprehensive portfolio of innovative product and service solutions to best support our expanding customer base.”
The Board of Directors of employee-owned Kentwood Office Furniture went through a long evaluation process before making this selection. Hasse noted that “we are pleased to have found a terrific leader in Bob who understands our unique culture and brings to the company a wonderful understanding of our industry along with extensive management experience.”
Bob Von Kaenel is a versatile senior executive and team builder with a highly diverse business to business background. Most recently Von Kaenel was Senior Vice President, Sales & Business Development (Healthcare) with Herman Miller. Prior to joining Herman Miller, Von Kaenel was the Vice President of Marketing for Sunrise Medical, a $650 million homecare products company. Previously, he was a senior executive at Getinge USA, Inc.; a subsidiary of Swedish-based Getinge Group, a $2.5 billion manufacturer of healthcare and life science products.
Bob holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has been active in a variety of professional and civic organizations throughout his career.
“I am extremely honored to join the Kentwood team and I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead this exceptional organization of dedicated, talented professionals,” said Von Kaenel. “I’m excited to meet our employee-owners, our customers and our valued suppliers over the coming months to collaborate on our promising future together.”
Mr. Hasse also commented, “I have been blessed to have worked with these great people for so many years. They have done a great job to make Kentwood Office Furniture successful. As I transition into my new role as CEO, I look forward to watching the organization move forward and continue to grow and prosper.”
Kentwood Office Furniture established itself as an employee-owned ESOP company in 2013. The organization has built its business on its reputation by providing a high level of customer support and service, along with superior products for over thirty five years.
