CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Van Meter Inc. announced an executive leadership change. Lura McBride has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer by the company’s board of directors.
McBride joined Van Meter in 2008 as Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2010. In her role as COO, McBride had responsibility for the operational functions of the business, including distribution, sales support, information technology, facilities, marketing and business planning, and organizational effectiveness.
“I believe that Van Meter is not just a place to work. It’s a place to grow and learn. It’s a place to make a difference,” said McBride. “My time at Van Meter has been life changing and I am honored to now represent our employee-owners as President and CEO. My focus will be on taking the innovative ideas of our employee-owners, changing needs of our customers and opportunities presented by our supplier partners, and shaping them into a vision and plan for our future.”
Prior to joining Van Meter, McBride led an operations team at Accenture in Chicago, where her group defined business strategies and aligned people, processes, and technology to achieve goals for the office of the COO.
McBride is a life-long learner who is passionate about education, both personally and professionally. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Iowa as well as a Mini MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
McBride was recently named one of the Corridor Business Journal’s 2016 Women of Influence for her commitment to serving her community. She is a member the Board of Directors for Tanager Place, volunteers as a mentor for iJAG and serves on the advisory board for Iowa BIG—an initiative-based school that provides high school students with real life, hands-on experiential learning by partnering with businesses and organizations in the community.
“Lura is a true change agent. She is a ‘doer’ and makes things happen. Our community and company are better as a result of her passion and influence,” said Barry Boyer, Van Meter’s Board Chair. “I know Lura will take Van Meter to new heights. She has a keen mind for strategy, a deep commitment to company culture, and a critical understanding that people are the engine that power progress.”
McBride replaces Kevin Powell who, by mutual agreement with the Van Meter Board of Directors, left to pursue other interests.
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