Patrick McParlane Named President & COO at John W. Danforth Company
John W. Danforth Company, one of the largest mechanical contractors in the northeast, announced that Patrick McParlane, one of the company’s top executives and a longtime industry leader, has been named President & COO. He is the ninth president in the company’s 135-year history.
McParlane succeeds Robert Beck, who had served as president since 2015. Beck remains Danforth’s CEO, following his appointment to that position in 2018.
“Over the past ten years, Pat has continually provided leadership, vision and results that have not only helped our customers achieve their goals, but have strengthened Danforth’s overall position in the marketplace,” said Beck. “His contributions are evident to everyone who has interacted with Danforth. I look forward to continuing to work in partnership with Pat as we build on Danforth’s success.”
As President & COO, McParlane will lead Danforth’s sales and operations functions and focus on operationalizing corporate strategy in order to achieve financial forecasts and business objectives. He will work in collaboration with Beck and the company’s board of directors to establish strategies, plans and policies to maximize the company’s success and achieve target results across Danforth’s operations.
“I am incredibly grateful to the board and the leadership team for giving me the opportunity to build upon the remarkable legacy that Danforth has created over the past 135 years,” McParlane said. “Danforth has been at the forefront of several key advancements in our industry. As a leader, my charge is to ensure that we remain at the leading edge, while staying grounded in the values that have been the foundation of the company’s success. I take our responsibility to our clients and our employees very seriously.”
Most recently executive vice president, McParlane joined Danforth in 2010 as vice president of the Client Solutions Division. He was promoted to senior vice president and appointed to the board of directors in 2014, before being named executive vice president in 2015. He has been a key contributor to Danforth’s growth, in both geography and market diversification. McParlane has more than 30 years of industry experience, working with municipalities, K-12 and higher education institutions, and healthcare, industrial and commercial clients throughout his career. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from Buffalo State College, and an Associate in Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Alfred State College.
Today, Danforth has more than 1,000 employees across a geographic footprint that includes offices in Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Poughkeepsie, in addition to its Buffalo-area headquarters. The company works collaboratively with its union labor partners including the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) Workers, and several other labor partners across many local union jurisdictions throughout the northeast and beyond. Danforth operates an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, giving the company’s workforce an ownership stake in the company.
“The eight individuals who served as president of Danforth before me shared a common belief that our success, whether at the turn of 20th Century or today, stems from the relationships we build, not the mechanical solutions we implement,” McParlane added. “That’s who Danforth is, as a company, and that will always be our focus.”
