Twinlode CEO Skip Eastman to retire, hand reins to firm's president

Warehouse storage solution provider Twinlode Corp. said Monday that CEO Lawrence 'Skip' Eastman will retire from the company at the end of the month, to be replaced in the corner office by the firm's current president, Mike Klaer.

Eastman's career in the material handling industry began in 1976 and has continued throughout more than 40 years of change and evolution in supply chain and warehouse management, Twinlode said. He was promoted from president to CEO of South Bend, Indiana-based Twinlode in 2016, with plans to expand the company's identify from being purely a supplier of high density storage rack systems to being an integrator of complete platforms.

Lawrence Eastman

In a statement, Twinlode said that Klaer will continue moving the organization toward the same goals, working to help evolve the company as an integrator of both rack and automation systems globally. Klaer joined the firm in 1997 as a sales engineer and has since risen to become president and co-owner.

In recent years, the company has continued its march to meet the increasingly sophisticated demands of its clients in the fast-fulfillment economy. "With the proliferation of SKU's in today's economy it's important to find the right solution for each of our customers," Klaer said in a statement. "Retailers are becoming more and more demanding on suppliers, whether the warehouse is running a sophisticated automated system or simple rack design. With that in mind, we are continually evolving our product offerings to meet the ever changing demand."

Mike Klaer

Twinlode expects to announce new partnerships at industry events in 2020 and to focus its efforts in warehouse planning and automation programs for agriculture and produce, beverage, automotive, and other growing industries, a spokesperson said.

In retirement, Eastman plans to remain on the board of directors at Twinlode and will focus on his non-profit group, Point to Life Ministries International; an organization designed to help people find direction in their life by providing basic needs and helping to guide them to independence, Twinlode said.