Hussey Seating Co. said Monday that CEO Gary Merrill plans to retire this summer.
Merrill, who was the first non-family member to lead the family-owned company, has been CEO since 2016.
He will be succeeded by President and CFO Brian Deveaux, effective July 1.
The transition started in July 2022, when Deveaux took over the president role from Merrill, who remained CEO. Merrill will stay on as an advisor through the end of 2023.
“Brian has been an integral part of the Hussey Seating team since he joined the company in 2017,” said Merrill. “I have tremendous respect for him and the Hussey leadership team, and I am confident they will continue to honor the legacy of the Hussey family while continuing to grow and steward the company for future generations.”
The North Berwick-based company, which has 300 employees, manufactures stadium and arena seating. Its jobs have included fan seating at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena (home of the NHL’s Predators) and Nissan Stadium (home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and this past weekend’s Taylor Swift concerts), the luxury seating at the MGM Theater in Las Vegas, but also the telescopic bleachers in high schools across the country.
Before joining Hussey Seating as CFO, Deveaux was a partner and co-founder of Leaders LLC, a Portland consulting firm that specialized in advising family businesses in strategic transactions. He has also served as COO for Seabrook International and held several management positions in operations at Bath Iron Works.
“On behalf of the board of Hussey Seating Co., I want to express our gratitude to Gary for his outstanding leadership and service to the company. We are grateful that Gary will remain involved with the company as an advisor through the end of the year, ensuring a smooth transition to Brian Deveaux as our next CEO,” said Letitia Hussey Beauregard, who is chair of the board and a sixth-generation family shareholder. “Brian has been a valuable member of our leadership team since he joined the company in 2017, and we have full confidence in his ability to build on Gary’s successes and lead the company into the future.”
Under Merrill’s leadership, Hussey Seating had four of its best five sales years in the company’s 188-year history.
Deveaux will be just the second non-family member to lead the company.
“I am truly honored and humbled to be assuming the mantle of leadership at this incredible Maine company,” said Deveaux. “I want to thank Gary for his leadership over the last seven years, during which time the company and our family of 300 dedicated employees have flourished. We are set up for a bright future, thanks in large part to Gary’s leadership through some challenging times. I look forward to building upon his successes, and to nurturing the legacy that the Hussey family has carried for 188 years.”