Rick Dauch, president and CEO of Accuride Corporation, was elected as the 38th chairman of the Heavy Duty Business Forum (HDBF), following its 80th bi-annual meeting, last week in Dearborn, MI.
A by-invitation-only, top-executive discussion forum, HDBF has met semi-annually since 1977 and is a primary leadership group within the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), the commercial vehicle supplier division of MEMA. The HDBF board of governors and all members are nominated and voted upon by the 55 elected members.
HDBF serves as a senior executive discussion group for commercial vehicle supplier leadership, focusing on trends and developments in the market. Meetings are conducted under HDBF bylaws, which are enforced by the board of governors, under the guidance of retained anti-trust and advisory counsel.
Dauch, the new chairman for 2018, succeeds Stephen Mance, president and CEO of Defiance Metal Products. Kent Jones, vice president of global business development and sales for ZF Friedrichshafen AG, was elected the 2018 vice chairman.
Dauch has served as president and CEO of Accuride Corporation since joining the Company in February 2011. He also is an officer of the company and member of its Board of Directors.
Before joining Accuride, Dauch was president and CEO of Acument Global Technologies, and worked in varied senior executive roles with American Axle and Manufacturing Inc., a $3.6 billion leading global automotive supplier of driveline, drivetrain and chassis systems and related components based in Detroit.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Dauch's corporate career was preceded by his service as an officer in the Army, as a light infantry company commander with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. Dauch was also qualified as an Airborne-Ranger and expert infantryman. He also serves on the board of directors and is a past president of the Army Football Club.
Dauch is also a member of the board of directors of Spartan Motors, Inc., Koch Enterprises, Inc., and the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA).
The Heavy Duty Business Forum membership also elected the following to its 2018 Board of Governors:
- David Arndt, president and CEO, Pentaflex
- John Fox, corporate vice president of global channel strategies, Parker Hannifin Corporation
- Timothy Guzman, senior sales director of power sector, Freudenberg North America
- Merrick Murphy, president, Arconic, Commercial Wheels and Transportation
- Jeff Porter, president and CEO, Velvac, Inc.
- Eddie Wilkinson, president, Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, LLC
