Leadership built for the next phase

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Creating a chief executive officer role gives RPH a more defined leadership structure as it works to support growth and strengthen its position in the market. 

RPH has appointed Douglas Wade as CEO, effective April 1, 2026, creating a new leadership role as the company enters its next phase of growth. The appointment reflects RPH’s strengthening market position and focus on expanding the leadership capacity needed for its continued development.  

He brings more than three decades of executive leadership experience spanning industrial manufacturing, sales, operations and business development. Throughout his career, he has led organizations through periods of growth and transformation with an emphasis on developing teams, strengthening customer relationships and building scalable operations. RPH co-founder Steve Mechler pointed to that combination of strategic and operational experience when discussing the appointment, saying, “He has the strategic perspective to see what is ahead and the operational discipline to execute. Just as important, he knows how to earn trust, bring people together and get the best out of a team.” 

Douglas has held senior leadership roles at McDaniel Metals, INSCO Group / Corrosion Products and Equipment, AW Chesterton, Lewis-Goetz, Teadit North America and JM Clipper. Across those organizations, his work centered on identifying growth opportunities, building teams to pursue them and creating environments where people could do their best work. 

Looking at the foundation already in place, he emphasized the company’s relationships with the market, saying, “RPH has built exactly the kind of trust that drives specification and purchasing decisions. Specifiers and contractors know this brand and that took real work to earn.” 

The newly created position comes as RPH continues serving architects, consultants, contractors and building owners with building envelope penetration solutions for roof and wall openings. Douglas also expressed optimism about what comes next, adding, “We have a tremendous amount of opportunity ahead of us and I could not be more energized about where we are headed.” 

Learn more about the appointment, Douglas’s leadership background and what the newly created role means for the company’s next phase of growth!