Veteran Caterpillar Executives Levenick and Winning to Retire

Veteran Caterpillar executives Stu Levenick, group president with responsibility for customer and dealer support, and Steve Wunning, group president for resource industries, will retire, effective early 2015, Caterpillar announced. Ed Rapp, group president of construction industries, will replace Wunning, and Tom Pellette, Caterpillar vice president and president of Solar Turbines Inc., will replace Rapp.

Rob Charter, vice president, excavation division, will replace Levenick.

“For the last 10 years, Stu and Steve have both provided critical leadership as part of Caterpillar’s executive office, capping Caterpillar careers that together total nearly 80 years of service,” said Caterpillar chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman. “Most recently, as the architect of our Across the Table dealer transformation, Stu’s strategic leadership has been instrumental in ensuring that the alignment between Caterpillar and its dealers will only grow stronger. In addition, Stu was the key executive that drove our acquisition and integration of Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi, the former joint venture in Japan that is now a fully integrated part of Caterpillar.

Oberhelman added that Wunning played a crucial role in the development and success of Cat Logistics and Caterpillar’s product support business. “In addition, Steve’s executive leadership and long-term vision was critical to Caterpillar’s largest ever acquisition in 2011, the purchase of Bucyrus International,” added Oberhelman.

Of Rapp, Oberhelman said he “has led the reinvigoration around the world of our construction business, which has resulted in improved profitability and performance in recent years. He’s also provided outstanding leadership in developing a strong core of local leaders across the Asia Pacific region, setting the stage for our future growth and success in that part of the world.”