Fontaine Modification Co. is reorganizing itself into three business segments to provide more intense focus on the individual markets.
The company’s three segments will be Fontaine Alternative Fuels, Fontaine Auto Transport Services and Fontaine Modification Services.
“Segmenting the business, utilizing Marmon Toolbox Concepts, will enable us to better focus on these three key markets to enhance customer satisfaction and support emerging growth initiatives,” said Will Trantham, president of Fontaine Modification.
Fontaine Alternative Fuels will concentrate on performing conversions of both gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles to run in conjunction with autogas (propane) or to be powered entirely by this emerging fuel source. The business will offer conversions of new OEM vehicles using EPA-certified technologies, as well as aftermarket conversions using EPA-certified technologies. In addition, it will support modifications for autogas and CNG-powered heavy-duty trucks.
Fontaine Alternative Fuels will be led by Paul Kokalis, executive vice president.
“In Paul’s 20 years of service at Fontaine, he has demonstrated an exceptional ability to provide significant customer value,” Trantham said. “He has been instrumental in the development of our modification center in Dublin, Va., and has helped bring consistency to all our modification centers in terms of safety, quality and efficiency. I am confident that he will be a strong leader in growing Fontaine Alternative Fuels.”
Ivan Barnes, general manager, will be charged with growing the modification center Fontaine opened in Gainesville, Ga., last year into a fully segmented business, Fontaine Auto Transport Services. This business segment is dedicated to completing both patented and conventional modifications on Volvo, Freightliner and Peterbilt trucks so they can support the growing vehicle distribution needs of the U.S. auto industry. Barnes has been with Fontaine since 2009.
“I can’t say enough about this young man,” Trantham said. “Ivan was one of our earliest management trainees at Fontaine. Following his completion of our trainee program, he did a fantastic job in two key roles as our Laredo facility manager and then as our director of vocational services. I am confident that the Fontaine Auto Transport Services business will thrive under his leadership.”
Fontaine’s core business in the on-highway/fleet and vocational/work truck markets is being segmented into Fontaine Modification Services. In support of this segment, Steve Boyer rejoined the team as its executive vice president charged with leading its sales andmarketing efforts. Boyer had served as Fontaine Modification vice president of new product development between 2009 and 2010, but then returned to his NASCAR roots as director of race engineering for Michael Waltrip Racing. After helping his Clint Bowyer team to a second place finish in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, Boyer is again turning his talents to truck modifications.
“Needless to say, Steve leaves the NASCAR world a champion, and we look forward to him taking the Modification Services business segment to new heights,” Trantham says.
Fontaine Modification Services and Fontaine Alternative Fuels are based out of Fontaine’s headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. The company will continue to maintain centralized core support functions in Charlotte, including new product development and quality assurance through the highly successful Fontaine Innovation Center.
