VanAire names new leader

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Name: Mike Sanville

Position: New CEO of VanAire, Inc.

Experience: Former vice president of VanAire's environmental systems group, joined VanAire in 2000 as a chemist

GLADSTONE - Mike Sanville has been named chief executive officer of VanAire, a Gladstone manufacturing company. The appointment comes four months after the unexpected death of company founder and former president and CEO, Richard "Dick" VandeVusse.

The company's leadership team, led by Beverly VandeVusse, president of VanAire since husband Richard VandeVusse's death, said Friday Sanville was the right choice.

"It's been going very smoothly, Mike stepped right in," said VandeVusse. "His abilities and his strengths helped during the difficulty of that time after Richard's death."

Sanville was previously vice president of VanAire's environmental systems group. He said there is currently a booming market for companies with an environmental focus.

"We're focusing on our core products and also moving along with our other products," said Sanville, who added the new plant in Houston, Texas, is strategically located at the heart of the valve center of the world.

"Over the past two years we've started up Ag Solutions...and we had challenges with that as well as our satellite plant in Houston," said Sanville. "Start-ups (like those) are always challenging because you run into problems. We're overcoming those two challenges."

Sanville said although the new plant is located in Texas, the majority of the manufacturing for that plant is done right here in Gladstone.

"VanAire has a very strong commitment to the community here," he said. "Manufacturing for the Houston plant taking place in Gladstone creates more work and more jobs in Gladstone."

According to a press release from the company, Sanville's promotion is one in a series of strategic moves it has taken to insure its continued growth and contribution to the Gladstone area economy.

In his new role, Sanville is responsible for the daily operations of the company in addition to overseeing the environmental group. He said VanAire's sales bring dollars into the area that would otherwise go to some other part of the country.

"All the money we bring in is from out of state," Sanville said. "We export things to Asia, Canada, Mexico. It's important that VanAire stay strong for Delta County and the community."

VandeVusse said the success that VanAire has is due to its employees, both in the office and in the shop.

"Richard always viewed VanAire as a family," said VandeVusse of her late husband. "Everyone stepped up after Richard died and it's wonderful to see that."

VandeVusse said the VanAire family feels it's important to carry out the legacy of the company's founder.

"We've been very successful in carrying on Richard's dream," she said.

Sanville agreed.

"This was more than a job for Dick," he said. "He put everything into VanAire and we feel it's important to carry out his dream."

Sanville will be assisted in managing VanAire by Tony Lambert, vice president of the valve automation hardware department, along with the rest of the management team: Amanda Seger, controller; David Behling, procurement manager; Eric Miller, plant manger; Jodi Possi, human resources manager; and Patrick Cleveland, Ag Solutions manager.

Sanville joined VanAire in 2000 as a chemist and has been an integral part of the environmental systems group since that time. In addition, he has played a key role in development of Ag Solutions, a subsidiary of VanAire that is the first operational bio-diesel production facility in the state.

Sanville earned his master's degree in analytical chemistry from Northern Michigan University in 2007, where he was the outstanding graduate student of the year. He is a 1996 graduate of Escanaba Area High School and received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry and biology physiology from NMU in 2000, where he graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0.

VanAire manufactures valve automation hardware, wastewater treatment systems and cement chutes.