Safety equipment company MSA Safety named Steve Blanco as its new president and COO, effective June 1.
Headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, MSA Safety manufactures protective gear such as firefighter helmets and air-purifying respirators.
Blanco is the company’s first COO since 2018, MSA Safety’s Global PR and Strategic Communication Director Mark Deasy told Manufacturing Dive in an email. Blanco will manage MSA Safety’s strategy implementation across the company’s global portfolio.
Nishan Vartanian previously held the role from June 2017 to May 2018, when he was named the current CEO.
Blanco will take over the role of president from Vartanian, who took on the role in 2017.
“Steve’s promotion is part of a longer-term effort to continue to develop the company’s bench strength and senior leadership,” Deasy said in the email.
Blanco most recently served as MSA Safety’s Americas business segment president, a role he also took over from Vartanian.
While Americas president, Blanco grew its revenue by more than 40%, according to the announcement. He also was responsible for MSA Safety’s acquisitions of personal protective equipment maker Globe Manufacturing, automation gateway producer Sierra Monitor and clean tech solution provider Bacharach.
Internally, he led the development and distribution of the MSA Business System, which is the company’s approach to overseeing ongoing improvements across each function of the organization, Deasy said.
Blanco joined MSA Safety in 2012 as VP of global operational excellence, managing the company’s global manufacturing operations.
The incoming COO has also held positions at at Eaton Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Visteon, serving in executive, engineering, plant management and operation roles.
“Steve has made numerous contributions to our success over the past decade and I very much look forward to working with him in this new role as we and our entire management team work to enhance MSA Safety’s position as the world’s leading developer and manufacturer of advanced safety solutions for workers,” Vartanian said in a statement.
Blanco will have a base salary pay of $550,000 effective June 1, according to an SEC filing. Additionally, he will receive a long-term incentive award and time-vesting restricted stock units with a fair market value of $250,000.
