William Disler, president and CEO at AFC-Holcroft, is stepping down from the company effective March 30, 2023. As part of the departure news, the company also announced Tracy Dougherty and Ronald Waligora will share senior leadership responsibility for leading the company. Dougherty, formerly vice president of sales, has been named Chief Operating Officer for Sales, Applications, Marketing and Aftermarket Sales. Waligora, formerly senior engineering manager, has been named Chief Operating Officer for Project Management, Engineering, Manufacturing and Field Services.

“I have every confidence that the new leadership will continue to guide the company in a good direction,” Disler said. “We have brought together a stellar team, and I feel good that I am leaving the company in such capable hands, and that this company will continue its long history of excellence into the future.”

Disler started his career at the Holcroft Company in 1987 as an electrical engineer newly graduated from Lawrence Technical University, where he currently sits on the Advisory Board of the College of Engineering. His career included extensive international involvement, including living in Asia for more than two years coordinating furnace co-builds with multiple customers. He began to transition his way into engineering and sales roles with a growing emphasis on international business, which eventually led to his senior positions at AFC-Holcroft. He traveled throughout more than 25 countries while supporting sales, engineering and manufacturing activities. After serving as the company’s executive vice president starting in 2005, he was named president and CEO of AFC-Holcroft in 2012.

AFC-Holcroft, founded in 1916, manufactures industrial furnace systems used in the heat treatment of ferrous and nonferrous metals. The Wixom, Mich.-based company has approximately 120 employees globally and has been part of the Aichelin Group since 2016.