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XLR-8, LLC, Founder
2012 – present
XLR-8 LLC, Investment & Advisory Co. combines Bob’s 40-plus years of experience augmenting business performance with a team of professionals that has unparalleled skills in fixing and growing companies. XLR-8 helps companies identify weaknesses and improve performances.
Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.
Senior Advisor and CEO of the Cerberus Operations Advisory Company
2007 – 2015
As CEO of its operations group, Cerberus Operations and Advisory Company, Bob and his team turned around several distressed portfolio companies and developed a comprehensive turnaround toolkit.
Chrysler Corporation
Chairman and CEO
2007 – 2009
In 2007, Cerberus Capital Management named Bob its chairman and CEO for Chrysler. Bob recognized the early signs of the looming global financial crisis and was the first Big Three CEO to predict significantly lower new car sales for 2008 and beyond. Bob and his team quickly reduced Chrysler’s footprint in advance of the downturn, while simultaneously accelerating new product development and introducing a range of fuel-efficient and award-winning vehicles. They also laid the groundwork for a partnership with Fiat. Industry analysts and Fiat itself would later say these bold moves save Chrysler from extinction and allowed it to emerge from its restructuring in under two months, with new product line intact and a distribution network that would make it a truly global player in the automotive industry. The new products introduced by Bob’s team are the best-selling brands at Chrysler today.
The Home Depot
Chairman, President and CEO
2000-2007
In December of 2000, Bob was named president and CEO of The Home Depot, and a year later chairman was added to his title. He moved quickly to create an information supply-chain infrastructure that, along with other operational and growth enhancements, generated more than 20 percent average annual earnings growth over the next six years. Under his leadership, Home Depot’s revenues grew from $45 billion to $91 billion, while net earnings more than doubled, from $2.5 billion to $5.7 billion. The company also added more than 1,000 new store and more than 135,000 jobs, soon becoming the world’s second-largest retailer.
General Electric
President and CEO, GE Power Systems
President and CEO, GE Transportation Systems
CEO, Canadian Appliance Manufacturing Co. (CAMCO)
Various Executive Positions
1971-1988, 1992-2000
In 1971, after earning his degree from Western Illinois University, Bob joined GE as an entry-level manufacturing engineer and rapidly advanced through a series of leadership positions at GE Appliances and Lighting. Bob returned to GE in 1992 in Toronto as CEO of CAMCO, the Canadian household appliance unit. A year later he was named president and CEO of GE Transportation Systems in Erie, Pa. In 1995, Bob became president and CEO of GE Power Systems and senior vice president and a member of the Corporate Executive Council of GE. Over the next five years, GE Power Systems’ revenue doubled.
Case Corporation
Senior Vice President and General Manager
1988-1992
In 1988 Bob left GE to join the Case Corporation where he served as senior vice president and general manager of the Case Construction Equipment’s global business.
University of Louisville – MBA
1975
Western Illinois University – Bachelor of Science
1971