Festo Appoints Kim Harper-Gage as Chief Operating Officer for the North America Region

Festo announces that Kim Harper-Gage, who joined Festo in February 2020 as Vice President of Operations, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO). In her new role as COO, Harper-Gage will focus on the strategic development of Operations throughout North America, ensuring benchmarking and sharing of best practices within Festo’s North America business region. She is responsible for overseeing the Regional Service Center (RSC) and Customer Solutions production in Mason, Ohio, as well as supply chain and distribution logistics in Mexico and Canada. She will also continue to directly support Livermore, California, operations.

“Kim is a valued leader in operational excellence,” said Carlos Miranda, Chief Executive Officer North America at Festo. “In the last 12 months, she has achieved significant accomplishments in the areas of leadership and production by increasing the efficiencies of Festo’s Livermore facility. I’m very much looking forward to working with Kim in her new role as COO.”

Harper-Gage played an instrumental role in navigating Festo’s COVID-19 response, ensuring workplace safety for Festo employees, and preventing minimal to zero disruptions for customers globally. Despite pandemic challenges, Festo’s Mason facility has experienced exponential growth.

In Mason, Festo is among the 15 largest employers. Employment at the RSC have increased by 32 percent since 2018 and is anticipated to grow another 30 percent over the next year. The plant opened in 2015 as a 150,000 square-foot facility on a 43-acre campus and has since expanded into three buildings covering 565,000 square feet.

“It’s an honor to lead the Operations team for Festo North America,” said Harper-Gage. “I look forward to continuing our hard work to build greater efficiencies and greater cooperation as a region, serving our customers and partners at our utmost potential, so they too may reach and surpass their operational and productivity goals.”

Prior to joining Festo, Harper-Gage worked for ICONEX, the global leader in paper receipt manufacturing and highly differentiated pressure sensitive label business, where she served as Senior Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain supporting North and South America.

She attended Northern Kentucky University where she studied Business Administration and minored in finance. Harper-Gage Kim also serves as Chairman of the Board for Saint Joseph Home in Cincinnati, Ohio, a nonprofit organization that provides systems of support for people with complex disabilities and their families.