Beck Becomes 8th President in Company’s History
Published Date – Sep 9, 2015
Robert Beck, who has been with the company since 1993, was named the eighth president in Danforth’s 131-year history. His appointment follows the passing of former president Patrick Reilly, who passed away in May after a brief illness. Most recently executive vice president, Beck started his Danforth career in business development and project management before working his way into the executive ranks. As president, he will help to oversee the day-to-day operations of the company, which has over 700 employees and operations in Western New York, Rochester, Albany, and Poughkeepsie. Beck is a graduate of the University of Florida
In addition, Danforth also announced that Patrick McParlane, formerly senior vice president, has been promoted to executive vice president and a seat on the company’s board of directors. He plays a leadership role in setting the strategic direction and business structure of the company, exploring, identifying, and analyzing opportunities for new business ventures and partnerships for all markets. A graduate of Buffalo State College, he has more than 30 years experience and has been with Danforth since 2010. Brian Tubin, who has more than 20 years experience in finance and accounting, has been promoted to the role of vice president/CFO. He will continue to provide short-and-long-term financial strategy, budgets, analysis, and forecasting, as well as oversee the company’s accounting, finance, risk control, insurance, human resources, and IT departments. Tubin joined Danforth in 2012 as director of finance, and is a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton. Jason Rudich, formerly design-build account executive, has been named associate vice president of estimating and design. In his role, he will provide oversight for Danforth’s estimating department in its entirety, and oversee business development, as well. A graduate of Alfred State College, Rudich has been with the company since starting as an intern in 1999.
“As a company, Danforth is enjoying one of the most dynamic and progressive periods in our history, and Robert, Pat, Brian and Jason will help provide the leadership to carry that momentum forward,” said Kevin “Duke” Reilly, Danforth Chairman & CEO. “Over the past several years, we have significantly expanded our geographic footprint, our workforce, and our expertise. Their contributions have been invaluable to our success.”
“I am honored for the trust and responsibility Duke and the company’s leadership have placed in me and am humbled to follow the example and continue the legacy of our friend and colleague, Pat Reilly,” Beck added. “I’ve grown up with this company. We take pride in our work. I am committed to honoring and building upon the standard of excellence Danforth has set over the past 131 years.”
The appointments come as Danforth is preparing to move forward with an ambitious development project in the city of Buffalo. Earlier this summer, Danforth announced the planned purchase of 26.6 acres of land at 1176 South Park Avenue, across from where the 1.2 million-square-foot state-of-the-art SolarCity manufacturing facility is being built. The company plans to construct a new Buffalo-based operations hub that will allow them to better serve their customer base not only in Buffalo, but statewide as well. The 50,000 square-foot facility will occupy approximately six acres of the site and serve a multitude of purposes to include pipe and sheet metal fabrication, as well as warehouse and office space that will support the company’s statewide operations. The South Buffalo location will increase the already substantial 300,000 square-foot operational footprint that Danforth has across New York. The company is involved in several large-scale fabrication projects which will be facilitated by the additional resources and increased capacity the new site will provide.
“Servicing and supporting the hi-tech manufacturing industry has been a strategic growth area for us over the past several years,” Reilly said. “Demand for these specialized services has grown throughout the state. The investment we are making in South Buffalo will help us to serve this growing sector of our industry.”
The first phase of the project, purchase of the land, site development and facility construction will result in an initial investment of approximately $6 million. Construction is expected to start in early 2016, once the site has been made shovel-ready. Beyond the Danforth facility, the remaining acreage will be prepared for future subdivision and development.
