Dr. Gary Ruff Elected President and COO of Intermet
Troy, Mich., December 11, 2002 – INTERMET Corporation (Nasdaq: INMT) announced today that its Board of Directors elected Dr. Gary F. Ruff as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation.
Dr. Ruff most recently was Executive Vice President and a member of the Company’s Operating Committee.
Chairman and CEO John Doddridge also announced that it is his intention to step down as Chief Executive Officer of the Company in July 2003, but remain as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Doddridge was elected Chairman and Chief Executive of the Company in October 1994.
Mr. Doddridge said, “The Board and I have been working on succession planning for some time.” In July, the Board requested the Compensation and Human Resources Committee to set up a search to interview inside and outside candidates for the COO position and heir apparent to Mr. Doddridge. Director John J. Reed headed the search committee.
John Doddridge said, “I am delighted that the search committee chose Gary. He is a great strategic thinking and has a thorough understanding of the Company’s core competencies. He is well respected in our industry and within the Company and is well known by our customers. He will provide great leadership and a smooth transition for INTERMET”
Dr. Gary Ruff joined INTERMET in June 1999 as Vice President of Technical Services Doddreidge added, “Since Gary joined the company, he has been an integral part of the Operating Committee. He has provided leadership and innovation with new products and processes, and has been working to build a more efficient manufacturing organization by streamlining many of our systems along with developing INTERMET’s full-service capabilities to be the best in our industry.”
Dr. Ruff has been associated with both the casting business and the automotive industry for 33 years. He began his career in 1969 as a co-op student and process engineer at the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. He held a variety of positions at G.M., progressing to Chief Process Engineer with the Central Foundry Division. In 1987, he joined CMI International, a leading metal caster, as Vice President and Director of CMI. In early 1999, when CMI was acquired by Hayes Lemmerz, he became President of North American Wheels and Corporate Vice President.
Dr. Ruff received his PhD in metallurgy and materials science in 1977 from Case Western University after receiving a Master of Science in 1975 from the same University. In 1974 he earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute. He also completed executive and management education programs at Dartmouth, Michigan State University, University of Michigan and National Technological University in Norway.
He is a member of the American Foundry Society, having served as Chairman of Numerous AFS committees. He has won a number of awards and has authored over 30 technical papers. He is a member of SAE, ASM international and the American Society for Quality. Dr. Ruff is an Adjunct Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, at Case Western and a Director of the Cast Metals Institute.
Dr. Ruff and his wife, Betty, have two daughters who are presently attending college. The Ruffs reside in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
With headquarters in Troy, Michigan, INTERMET Corporation is a manufacturer of power train, chassis/suspension and structural components for the automotive industry. INTERMET’s strategy is to be the leading supplier of cast-metal automotive components in the world. The company has more than 6,000 employees at facilities in North America and Europe. More information is available on the Internet at www.intermet.com
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