NEFCO Announces CEO Succession Plan & Leadership Promotions
David Gelles to become Executive Chairman; Matthew Gelles to become President & CEO; Ron Cipriano to become EVP & COO.
NEFCO, a leading distributor of construction supplies and engineering services has announced the company’s succession plan. David Gelles, President of NEFCO, has announced that his son Matthew Gelles will be promoted to succeed him as President & CEO of NEFCO, effective April 4, 2022, and his son-in-law Ron Cipriano will be promoted to EVP & COO. David Gelles will transition to Executive Chairman of NEFCO. The new roles are reflective of the extraordinary impact Matthew and Ron have had on NEFCO’s growth and the exceptional confidence David has in these next generation leaders.
In 1981, David Gelles, alongside his father Gerry, acquired a small fasteners distributor in East Hartford, Connecticut. Since then, under David’s tenacious leadership, NEFCO has grown into the leading supplier of SHARP®, tools and construction supply products up and down the East Coast. David leads by example through his grit, determination, and unmatched work ethic, which is at the heart of NEFCO’s culture. As Executive Chairman, David will focus on supporting his strong relationships with NEFCO’s suppliers, driving sales, and furthering NEFCO’s larger strategic goals.
“Having started NEFCO in 1981 and led the business as President for the last 41 years, I feel this is the right time to transition to the next generation. I am very proud of what Matthew has accomplished over the last 12 years at NEFCO; he has proven himself as a true leader with exceptional vision and ability to execute on his vision. Ron has been a tremendous asset to our leadership team and has provided great counsel and management over the last 12 years. NEFCO couldn’t be in better hands, and I cannot wait to further support our next generation leaders as they continue to grow and expand NEFCO.”
Matthew Gelles will take over as President & CEO of NEFCO on April 4, 2022. In this capacity, Matthew will provide leadership for the entire company, with an emphasis on long-term value creation, growth, profitability and return on investment. Matthew will be responsible for NEFCO’s strategic, financial, and operational execution with oversight over all NEFCO’s departments.
Matthew joined NEFCO full time in 2010 and has been serving as Executive Vice President since 2019. He has led NEFCO’s strategic planning for the last decade and has been the driving force behind NEFCO’s ambitions to become a large national supplier. Since joining NEFCO, Matthew has led the successful execution of NEFCO’s strategic growth plan, which he designed in 2012, implementing a wide array of growth strategies including acquisitions and organic branch openings.
“I am excited and grateful to take on the role of President & CEO. I have learned so much from my father and have huge shoes to fill, both literally and figuratively,” Matthew said. “Our vision at NEFCO is to partner with contractors across every jobsite in America. Every day we are delivering on that vision, and I feel incredibly fortunate to take on this role and support our 500 associates as we build NEFCO into a national distributor. We are building a dream team and a truly special company. While we have grown tremendously over the last decade, we have a lot left to accomplish and, in many ways, we are just getting started.”
Ron Cipriano will take on the role of Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of NEFCO on April 4, 2022. In this capacity, Ron will be responsible for several functions that support all NEFCO’s entities, including heading and planning all operational facets of NEFCO including the logistics, human resources, information technology, customer service and engineering departments. He will continue to oversee all legal issues while ensuring NEFCO’s customer experience remains an industry leader as it continues to grow via organic openings and acquisitions.
Ron joined NEFCO full time in 2010 and has been serving as Senior Vice President Operations & General Counsel since 2019 where he has been focused on organizational development, operational efficiency, and acquisition/branch integration.
“I look forward to partnering with Matt in our mission to be the single best partner for contractors whenever they build while continuing to provide sound counsel, guidance and direction to our championship team in their pursuit of building a fulfilling career at NEFCO,” stated Ron.
About NEFCO
NEFCO is a family owned and operated construction supply company providing a broad range of products and services to a large variety of professional contractors. With 16 locations along the East Coast, NEFCO provides localized, contractor-centric services including extensive industry expertise, large local inventories, fast dependable jobsite delivery, turnkey engineering services, and specialty fabrication and assembly of construction materials.
For more information, email: Inquiries@nefcocorp.com, visit the website: www.GoNefco.com.
CONTRACTOR SUPPLY MAGAZINE
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Our cover story, Masters of Fasteners, visits Interstate Screw Corp. of metro Miami, which serves the fastening needs of south Florida, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
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