Stiles Machinery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a leading distributor of woodworking machinery and solutions in North America, has undergone a management change.

Stiles Machinery has named Barry Kellar as its new President. Kellar will oversee all North American operations of the HOMAG Group, which includes over 650 employees across Stiles Machinery, HOMAG Canada, and HOMAG Machinery North America.

Schmitt, who was named Homag CEO in 2021, said that he was “thrilled and happy” to welcome Kellar as the new CEO of Stiles Machinery. 

"Barry brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in manufacturing to the position, which I am sure will complement an already exceptional team at Stiles," said Schmitt. "Through Barry’s leadership and dedication to customer centricity, I am convinced that Stiles will continue to thrive as a market leader in our industry.”

After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Kellar began his career in 1986 with the US Army. He joined GE Plastics in 1996 after working at Hercules Aerospace and Lincoln Composites, where he held various management positions. In 2005, Mr. Kellar took on the role of Vice President and General Manager of the Filtration Division at Freudenberg Nonwovens. In 2009, Mr. Kellar moved to Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, as President and CEO for North America. He then took on further responsibility as Global Vice President of Automotive Filtration for seven years. His last role was integrating two acquisitions and forming a new division as Global Vice President of Residential Filters.

“I am very excited to join Stiles Machinery and support their continued growth through providing our customers with best-in-class sales and service,” says Kellar. "The foundation of parent HOMAG as a world-renowned manufacturer of solutions for the woodworking industry, coupled with our customer-centric approach to the market, confirms to me we have the right capabilities to deliver the value our customers expect."

Stiles has been a full member of the HOMAG Group AG since 2014, when HOMAG increased its ownership to 100%.