Andesa Announces New Board Chairman

John Walker, Andesa Services Founder, announced his decision to step down as Chairman of the Board effective December 31, 2019 to the Andesa employees.

Dr. Walker will remain on the Board as a Director but will transition the role of Chairman to Board member Rip Tilden. This change represents the planned orderly transfer of leadership of the company at a time in which ownership is expected to transfer from original founders, investors and management to an Employee-Stock Ownership (ESOP) trust.

Dr. Walker is the founder of Andesa Services. He received a B.S. in Industrial Management from Clemson University and a PhD in Economics from the University of Virginia. The making of Andesa has been and continues to be the greatest professional passion of his life. He retired from active management in May 2007.

“I have been privileged to represent the shareholders as Chair of their Board. But I especially have been honored to be so as the company has grown with an incredible staff,” he noted about the transition.

Rip Tilden is a partner at Makarios Consulting and joined Andesa’s Board of Directors in 2016. He has more than 35 years of leadership experience as a senior executive in a wide range of public and private companies and is highly regarded as an effective team builder and leader with a proven ability to lead change, grow organizations and deliver strong results in intensely competitive industries Mr. Tilden earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in 1975 and his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1982.

Many of Andesa’s clients have engaged with Mr. Tilden over the years as he facilitated Andesa’s current strategic plan efforts in 2014 and presented and autographed his book “Leading on Purpose” at the Andesa Client Forum in Nashville in 2016.

“I am humbled by the Board’s support and confidence in me at this time,” noted Mr. Tilden. “I am honored to lead an organization so focused on values and culture and whose Forever vision guides our long-term future. I, along with the rest of the Board and management are excited about executing on our strategic and operating priorities.”

Andesa’s President & CEO Ron Scheese noted “There are few people who have a profound impact on the course of your life. In both John and Rip, I have found tremendous leadership mentors who have challenged my thinking and supported my growth over the years. I am grateful for the relationship John and I have built over the years and count on relying on his advice and counsel as Andesa’s Founder and Board Member. I am delighted to work closely with Rip to guide Andesa into its ESOP and Forever journey.”