Harbour Group announced today that Jeffrey L. Fox, president and chief operating officer, has been appointed CEO, effective immediately.
Fox, 46 years old, has been president and chief operating officer of the company since 1999, and the company had long planned for him to take over as CEO at the end of the current calendar year. However, Harbour’s board decided to accelerate the transition because of the recent appointment of Harbour Group’s longtime CEO, Sam Fox, as United States Ambassador to Belgium. Jeff Fox is one of Sam Fox’s five children.
The company also announced that Jeff Fox will serve as interim chairman of the board during Sam Fox’s service as ambassador. Sam Fox will return as chairman when his ambassadorial service ends, presumably in January, 2009.
“Jeff proved long ago that he was prepared to lead the company,” said Sam Fox, who has been Harbour Group’s only chairman and CEO since he founded the firm in 1976. “In fact, he has handled key leadership responsibilities for years.”
“Harbour Group’s future is bright,” Jeff Fox said. “We have a great team that works together well, and that is smart, talented, and experienced. We also have opportunities that are global in scale.
“I am proud to follow my father, who has been the best possible role model and mentor,” he added.
Jeff Fox was born and raised in St. Louis. He earned his B.S. degree from the University of Southern California, and an M.B.A. from Washington University. He joined Harbour Group in 1985, working in both acquisitions and operations.
He served for six years as president of Harbour-owned manufacturing companies in Chicago and Minnesota before becoming a group president in 1996, with responsibility for companies in the following industries: construction equipment, mining equipment, plastics molding, automotive accessories, textile machinery, building components, plastics processing, music products, and lubrication systems.
Jeff Fox is currently a member of the board of The BackStoppers, Inc., a St. Louis-based nonprofit; First National Bank of St. Louis; and the Jewish Community Center (JCC). He also is Missouri Finance Chairman for the presidential campaign of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He has served previously as president of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital development board and on the board of the Humane Society of Missouri.
He has been a member of Harbour’s board of directors since 1997. He was designated as Sam Fox’s successor in 1999, when the board of directors recommended he be named president and chief operating officer.
Harbour Group is a St. Louis-based privately owned operating company with a demonstrated record of success in acquiring and building high-quality companies. Since 1976, Harbour Group has acquired 146 companies in 30 core industries, mostly in manufacturing and distribution. Harbour Group is currently seeking product-oriented manufacturing and distribution businesses with enterprise values of $30 million to $500 million.
