Ahaus sales team positioned for the future

Richmond, Indiana – Ahaus Tool and Engineering, Inc. is making big moves in the Ahaus sales department.

On July 31, Brian Keiser (pictured above, right) will join Ahaus as the Director of Sales, while Chuck Haager (above, left) will move into the newly-formed role of Director of Business Development.

“When working through strategic planning, we like to talk about how we approach the goal with strategies that are new or different or better than what we are currently doing,” said Vice President and Co-Owner Jeff Sheridan. “This move came as a result of those strategy sessions. We definitely think that this shift in our leadership team will position us to continue our trajectory of growth as a company.”

Haager’s move to business development is a natural next step in his Ahaus career. He has spent all of his professional career in an engineering or sales role, starting as design engineer in the transportation industry and transitioning into a manufacturing engineering role in the automotive industry before landing at Ahaus.

“Being a customer of Ahaus, I had firsthand experience of what it was like working with their team, like John Piehl, Lee Wise, and many others,” said Haager. “My 21 years here have served me well: five years as a project engineer, 11 years as a sales engineer serving our customers, and the last five years as the sales manager working with our sales team.”

President and Co-Owner Kevin Ahaus said, “Chuck’s broad experience at Ahaus and knowledge of our company’s capabilities make him a good fit for the new sales development role.”

Keiser joins Ahaus with 21 years of experience in automotive and industrial manufacturing. In his previous role, he managed teams in sales, engineering and operations at different points in his career.

“I’m fascinated with technology and automation. I hold four patents, so I really enjoy engineering and technology. I am thrilled to be at Ahaus at this particular moment in their history. I believe adding strategic positions and aligning talent will put the company in a strong position for sustained and future growth.”

It’s not only Keiser’s manufacturing experience that will translate into his new role as Sales Manager.

“I have a passion for building teams and strategy. Outside of my work in manufacturing, I also coach high school varsity boys basketball at Centerville High School. I love to win – more than I hate to lose!” said Keiser.

As Haager and Keiser adjust to their new roles in coming months, both see collaboration as the key to providing a smooth experience for existing customers.

“While our roles may be slightly different, we are one team, with the same common goal: to provide our customers with great technical service and provide great solutions for their needs. It should be a seamless transition to our customers as Chuck and I will be working very closely together,” commented Keiser.

Haager added, “I have a tremendous passion for providing manufacturing solutions and I am excited to continue to do so in the new business development role, evaluating internal growth opportunities and introducing new markets and industries to our portfolio. I am most excited about continuing to work with Brian and the sales team, focusing on business growth while introducing new customers and continuing to help solve manufacturing challenges for our new and existing customers. Our vision has been simple: ‘to be the most highly sought-after partner because people trust and value us’ and I am excited to continue working to make that vision reality.”