07.12.2006

The man from Oshkosh

Charles L.Szews is the interim president of JLG and responsible for the integration of the company into Oshkosh. So who is Mr Szews?

Szews, 49, the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Oshkosh Truck and interim president of JLG joined Oshkosh in 1996 as vice president and CFO.
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Charlie Szews

He was promoted to executive vice president in October 1997 and has broad responsibility for finance, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, strategic planning and information services functions.

Since joining Oshkosh Szews has been responsible for the company’s strategy of growth and diversification through acquisitions.

He led the acquisition, and related financing of:
-Pierce Manufacturing, the fire truck manufacturer, in 1996:
-McNeilus, a manufacturer of refuse truck bodies and concrete mixers, in 1998; and
-Geesink Norba Group, the European manufacturer of refuse truck bodies, in 2001.

Prior to joining Oshkosh, Szews spent eight years with Fort Howard Corporation, holding a series of positions culminating as vice president and controller. He performed a key role in numerous large financing transactions at Fort Howard including a $3.6 billion leveraged buy-out, high-yield offerings and equity offerings.

He received his Certified Public Accountant certification in 1980 and has ten years of independent auditing experience with Ernst &Young.

Szews has recently been appointed as a non-executive director of Gardner Denver, which has its own, comparatively modest aerial lift business.

Szews will not only take on the leaders role at JLG for a while, but he will also be responsible for integrating JLG into the Oshkosh group.