Former Caterpillar chairman, CEO dies
Glen Barton, former chairman and CEO of Cat, died at age 77. Photo courtesy of Caterpillar
Glen Barton, former chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, died Oct. 24 at age 77. According to Caterpillar, Barton, a 2015 Pit & Quarry Hall of Fame inductee, served the company for nearly 43 years. He spent the last of those five years in leadership roles.
Barton joined Cat in 1961 and held a number of marketing and general management positions. He worked for Caterpillar Overseas S.A. in Geneva, Switzerland, where he served in various marketing positions, from 1964 to 1968. He then served as manager for South American sales from 1972 to 1975. In 1977, he became manager of the company’s merchandising division general offices.
In 1983, Barton moved to Mentor, Ohio, to become the U.S. sales and product support manager for Caterpillar’s industrial lift truck division. He served as manager of products control from 1984 to 1986 and was elected vice president of Caterpillar and president of Solar Turbines in 1987.
In 1989, Barton became executive vice president with responsibility for worldwide marketing. In 1990, he became group president with responsibility for the design, development and production of most of the company’s line of forest, mining and construction equipment. Finally, in 1999, he was named chairman and CEO of the company.
“The Caterpillar family is extremely saddened by Glen’s passing,” says Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman. “Glen’s legacy of leadership extends far beyond Caterpillar’s walls. His commitment to Peoria and our communities was remarkable. I’ll start with his Caterpillar leadership. He rose through the Caterpillar ranks, starting in 1961 as a college graduate trainee. Under his leadership, Caterpillar fully embraced 6 Sigma. It brought remarkable improvements throughout the company, including an intense focus on quality and safety. We continue that focus today, and 6 Sigma remains our foundation for continuous improvement. We are forever indebted to him for his commitment to making Caterpillar a stronger company.”
About the Author: Allison Kral
Allison Kral is the former senior digital media manager for North Coast Media (NCM). She completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University where she received a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She works across a number of digital platforms, which include creating e-newsletters, writing articles and posting across social media sites. She also creates content for NCM's Portable Plants magazine, GPS World magazine and Geospatial Solutions. Her understanding of the ever-changing digital media world allows her to quickly grasp what a target audience desires and create content that is appealing and relevant for any client across any platform.Subscribe to Pit & Quarry
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