Graco Appoints Donaldson CEO Richard B. Lewis to Board of Directors
Graco Inc. (NYSE: GGG), a leading provider of fluid and coating management technologies, has announced the appointment of Richard B. Lewis to its Board of Directors. Lewis will officially join the Board effective December 3, 2026, bringing extensive experience in global manufacturing, operations, commercial strategy, and executive leadership to the company.
The appointment strengthens Graco’s Board with the addition of an executive who has built a substantial career in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Lewis currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI), a global provider of filtration products and solutions. He assumed the CEO role in March 2026 and also serves on Donaldson’s board of directors.
Richard B. Lewis Brings Extensive Manufacturing Leadership
Lewis has held a range of leadership positions throughout his career, gaining experience across multiple areas of a global manufacturing organization. Before becoming President and Chief Executive Officer of Donaldson, he served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
In that position, Lewis was responsible for significant aspects of Donaldson’s operations and played an important role in supporting the company’s global business activities. His leadership experience also includes responsibility for global operations as well as senior executive roles overseeing Donaldson’s Mobile Solutions and Life Sciences businesses.
His broad background has given him exposure to manufacturing operations, business development, commercial execution, organizational strategy, and international markets. These experiences are expected to provide valuable insight as he joins Graco’s Board and contributes to discussions surrounding the company’s long-term growth and strategic direction.
Lewis’s career at Donaldson has also provided him with experience managing businesses operating across diverse industrial markets. Donaldson develops and supplies filtration products and solutions used in a wide range of applications, making Lewis’s background particularly relevant to Graco’s position as an industrial technology and equipment manufacturer.
Graco Welcomes New Board Member
Graco Chairman of the Board J. Kevin Gilligan highlighted Lewis’s operational and commercial expertise when announcing the appointment.
“Rich’s operational and commercial experience and his successful track record in senior leadership positions at a public manufacturing company make him an excellent fit for the Graco Board,” Gilligan said.
He added that Lewis has played an integral role in developing and executing successful strategies within a global organization, emphasizing the relevance of his experience to Graco’s Board.
“On behalf of our Board and Directors, I am pleased to welcome Rich to Graco,” Gilligan said.
Lewis’s appointment is expected to add another perspective to the company’s Board as Graco continues to serve customers across global industrial and commercial markets.
Experience Across Global Operations and Businesses
One of the key strengths Lewis brings to Graco is his extensive operational background. During his career at Donaldson, he moved through a number of senior leadership roles, giving him an understanding of how a multinational manufacturing company operates across different businesses and geographic markets.
His experience overseeing global operations is particularly relevant to Graco, which serves customers around the world. Managing industrial businesses across international markets requires an understanding of supply chains, manufacturing efficiency, customer requirements, commercial opportunities, and changing market conditions.
Lewis’s previous responsibility for Donaldson’s Mobile Solutions and Life Sciences businesses also broadened his exposure to specialized markets. These roles required strategic planning and execution while balancing customer needs, operational performance, innovation, and business growth.
As a member of Graco’s Board, this experience can contribute to discussions about operational performance, market opportunities, strategic investments, and the company’s continued development in the industrial technology sector.
Lewis to Serve on Graco’s Audit Committee
Following his appointment, Lewis will serve on Graco’s Audit Committee. The committee is an important component of the company’s corporate governance structure, providing oversight in areas related to financial reporting, auditing, and other responsibilities assigned to the committee.
His experience as a senior executive at a publicly traded manufacturing company provides relevant knowledge as he takes on this additional Board responsibility. Lewis’s familiarity with public-company leadership and governance is expected to complement his operational and commercial experience.
His participation on the Audit Committee will also give him an opportunity to contribute his perspective on issues affecting Graco’s financial and business operations.
Educational Background
Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Louisville. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
His industrial engineering background provides a technical foundation that aligns closely with the manufacturing and industrial technology markets in which both Donaldson and Graco operate. Combined with his MBA, his education has supported a career that blends technical understanding with business leadership and strategic management.
This combination of engineering and business expertise is particularly relevant to industrial companies where product development, manufacturing operations, commercial strategy, and financial performance must work together to support long-term growth.
Graco’s Role in Fluid and Coating Management
Graco operates in the industrial and commercial markets, supplying technology, equipment, and expertise for the management of fluids and coatings. The company designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials.
Its products and technologies serve a variety of applications and industries, with customers relying on Graco equipment for processes that require accurate and efficient management of materials.
The company is recognized as a leader in its specialized markets and serves customers globally across manufacturing, processing, construction, and maintenance industries. Its Minneapolis headquarters supports a global business focused on providing equipment and technologies designed to address demanding fluid and coating management requirements.
Graco’s broad industrial footprint makes experience in global manufacturing and operational leadership particularly relevant to the company’s Board.
Strategic Perspective for Graco
Lewis’s addition to the Board comes with extensive experience leading businesses within a publicly traded global manufacturing company. His background in operations, commercial leadership, and strategic execution could provide Graco with additional expertise as it evaluates future opportunities and challenges.
Industrial manufacturers continue to operate in an environment shaped by changing customer requirements, global supply chains, technological developments, productivity expectations, and evolving market conditions. Directors with practical experience managing these issues can provide valuable perspectives as companies develop and implement long-term strategies.
Lewis’s experience across Donaldson’s businesses gives him exposure to these challenges and opportunities. His work in global operations and senior business leadership positions has involved balancing strategic objectives with operational execution and customer needs.
With Lewis joining the Board on December 3, 2026, Graco will gain an experienced manufacturing executive with a background spanning engineering, business management, operations, and commercial strategy.
Looking Ahead
Richard B. Lewis’s appointment represents an important addition to Graco’s Board of Directors. As President and CEO of Donaldson Company, he brings current experience leading a publicly traded global manufacturing business, along with a history of senior leadership across multiple areas of the organization.
His operational and commercial expertise, combined with his industrial engineering and business education, positions him to contribute to Graco’s strategic and governance activities. His role on the Audit Committee will further expand his responsibilities within the company.
Graco continues to focus on providing technologies and equipment for managing fluids and coatings across industrial and commercial applications. With Lewis joining its Board, the company adds another experienced manufacturing leader to its governance team as it continues serving customers across manufacturing, processing, construction, and maintenance markets worldwide.
For more information about Graco Inc. and its products, technologies, and global operations, visit the company’s official website.
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