Local Industry Leader Announces Key Executive & Finance Promotions

SOLON, OH, UNITED STATES, March 9, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Gardiner, a leading building technology partner in Northern Ohio, today announced that Rebecca Harris has been named VP of Finance and Chief Improvement Officer. In a related move, the company also announced that Jared Prior has been promoted to Controller.

Harris, who has been with Gardiner since 1996, becomes the first female in the company’s history to be named to the executive team. In addition to the promotion to VP of Finance, she will be taking on the newly created role of Chief Improvement Officer.

In the CIO role, Harris will be charged with evaluating the company’s processes and seeking opportunities to be more efficient and become easier to do business with for clients. Having served as Gardiner’s Controller for the past 16-plus years, it’s a role that she is well prepared for.

“When I joined Gardiner, Becky immediately stood out to me as being one of the hardest working and best finance professionals I’ve ever worked with,” said Gardiner CFO & COO Rob MacKinlay, who joined the company in 2020. “This promotion is not only beyond well-deserved for her, but also a big step forward for us as a company as we focus on continuously improving to support our clients and our growth plans. With her knowledge and perspective on our business, there’s nobody better suited for this important new role.”

Harris is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace University with degrees in both Finance and Accounting. She came to Gardiner with accounting management experience in a variety of companies and industries.

Prior steps into the Controller role after joining Gardiner as Assistant Controller in 2021 after several years at Sherwin-Williams. He takes over the day-to-day leadership of the finance and administration team at Gardiner.

“We couldn’t be more impressed with Jared and the work he’s done for us,” said MacKinlay. “He’s a true professional and has already made a significant impact on our accounting and internal reporting practices. Jared’s success has been a key factor in Becky being able to move into her expanded role and positions us well for the future.”

Prior holds both a Bachelors of Business Administration, Finance and an MBA from Ohio University. His career at Sherwin-Williams spanned over eight years and included a broad set of analyst and accounting management positions.

Both moves come as Gardiner continues to grow and strengthen its market-leading position in Northern Ohio, following its 60th year in business in 2022.

About Gardiner
Gardiner is a full-service HVAC and building technology partner serving Northern Ohio’s commercial, industrial and institutional facilities, engineers and contractors since 1962. More than 2,500 clients in Northern Ohio trust Gardiner to solve their building comfort, reliability, air quality, energy, fire & security, facilities planning, and project funding challenges. Gardiner’s team consists of more than 250 local associates with five offices across the Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Toledo and Youngstown areas. To learn more, visit www.whgardiner.com.

Kayla Fraczak
Gardiner
+1 440-248-3400
kfranczak@whgardiner.com