Dominic Grote named president, COO of Grote Industries

Grote Industries, a maker of high-performance LED lighting technology, has appointed Dominic Grote as president and chief operating officer. Grote, who will have global responsibility for managing the company’s business, was named president of the family-owned, family-managed vehicle safety system manufacturer, following a move by Grote Industries’ past president, Eric Morris.

Morris announced July 15 that he would be stepping down as president, in preparation for a new position as Grote’s director of accessory markets. “Eric has been an exemplary leader since he took his post in 2004,” Grote says. “He has worked tirelessly to grow our business both domestically and internationally. On behalf of all Grote’s employees, we thank him and wish him our best as he takes the reigns of this important new responsibility.”

Grote most recently served as the organization’s vice president of sales & marketing, reshaping the company’s business through the development and introduction of advanced, high-performance LED lighting technologies for the commercial and military vehicle markets. Since starting his career with the firm in 1993, he has held various management positions in sales, marketing and product development.

“Just like many of the distributors, fleets and OEMs Grote Industries serves, we’re a family-owned business," Grote adds. “Grote’s customers value our tradition of service to the industry and our fierce entrepreneurial spirit.”

Grote pointed out that while his approach will be unique, it will also follow more than a century of tradition that has built the Grote brand into an industry leader. “It’s no secret that our organization was founded on principles of solid personal relationships, continuous innovation and exceptional product performance,” he says. “So from that perspective, nothing will change.

“Continuity and intelligent succession planning have been keys to our long-term success as a closely-held business,” says Grote Industries’ Chairman and CEO, William D. (Bill) Grote III. “These continue to be challenging times, but with Dominic’s acumen, leadership and vigor, I remain more confident than ever in the company’s continued success.”

Throughout his career, Dominic Grote has been actively involved in industry groups and trade associations. He is the immediate past president of the Transportation Safety Equipment Institute (TSEI) and has served as a director of TSEI since 2004. In 2008 he served as chairman of the Associates for the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA). Grote is also an active member of the American Trucking Association’s Technology Maintenance Council (TMC). He currently serves on the board of the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN).

For more information, visit www.grote.com.