Chris Curfman, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Mining Sales & Support Division, will retire at the end of the year. Curfman’s retirement comes as Caterpillar announced it is eliminating 10,000 jobs over the next three year primarily because of weakness in the mining sector. Nonetheless, Curfman was highly praised for a customer-focused legacy at the manufacturing giant, for strengthening its mining business as well as for laying the foundation for Caterpillar’s entry into rental services.
Curfman’s retirement will be effective Dec. 31.
“Chris leaves a lasting, customer-focused legacy at Caterpillar that is unrivaled and likely to be unmatched,” said Ed Rapp, Caterpillar group president with responsibility for Resource Industries. “Chris built incredibly close customer relationships and has been critical to our success in the mining industry. Under Chris’ leadership we have established a global leadership position.”
Rapp added that Curfman “laid the foundation for our entry into rental services and integrated our sales and marketing organization during his time in Asia. With his retirement from Caterpillar, it will mark the end of a remarkable run of more than 60 years of values-based Curfman leadership at the company, as Chris’ father was a long-time and well-respected leader with Caterpillar until his retirement in 2990 after more than 40 years with the company.”
After having worked as a Caterpillar equipment operator and as a sales coordinator for Wallace Machinery, Curfman worked for Deere & Co. for 15 years. He joined Caterpillar in 1994, as rental and used equipment manager for North America. He later was managing director of Caterpillar of Australia and managing director of marketing for Caterpillar’s Asia Pacific division before becoming vice president of the Global Mining Division in 2004.
