In Memory of Bob Chapman

I met Mr. Chapman a few years ago, I was working on a project down in Clearwater redesigning and building an Anderson Spout Inserter. I thought it was nice that he took the time to talk to me about the project. He shook my hand when he left. He was great gentleman who will be missed.

— William Krug

In today’s material-driven world, it is rare to find a leader like Bob, who treats every team member with equal respect. By calling them “hearts” rather than employees, he ensured that each person felt genuinely valued, cared for, and truly part of the organization. In one of his interviews, he emphasized how workplace culture can profoundly shape not only an individual’s family but also society at large. His people-centric philosophy has inspired many, both within Barry-Wehmiller and beyond. It is our responsibility to carry forward his vision of Truly Human Leadership so that future generations may benefit. Doing so would be the most meaningful tribute to him.

— Saravanan Rusikesan, GCC Senior Team Leader, Barry-Wehmiller India

Even though Bob has passed to God I assume he can read this note, so dear Bob and the Chapman family, I want to say thank you for the years in which you enriched my professional life. In 2000 as a member of Marquip when we joined the BW family of companies. I had the great pleasure and honor to have had time with you several times in the US and in Europe. You were a special individual with great foresight that so few of us possess. You backed your words with action and invested in the people in your care. I had never considered making the world a better place through business until you showed the way. Thank you for letting me be part of the journey and God Bless. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. (Irish for may his soul be at God's right hand). My condolences to the Chapman family.

— Martin Mc Tigue

Besides my parents, almost every single individual who has had the biggest impact in my life comes from my time in Barry-Wehmiller. Granted, I have spent over 50% of my life here, but still, the quality and chutzpah of many people over the years have been so meaningful to me. And Bob is highest on that list. What seemed like a bold move, leaving my parents to start a job in a new city where I didn't know a single person or much about the company, has turned out to be one of the most important decisions and rewarding experiences in my life. Little did I know I would be part of the transformation of an entire company, led by Bob and other visionaries. I feel fortunate and have a deep sense of gratitude to have been part of this ongoing transformation, creating a company anyone can aspire to be part of. Thank you Bob for everything, and for leading by example. Your memory lives on in everything I do every day and everywhere.

— Daniel Platschek, International Finance Manager, Barry-Wehmiller

When I first started at BW and first met Bob Chapman, he asked me what my job was. Meeting the CEO of the company for the first time, I fumbled around and said something that was probably confusing and nonsensical. He said: "Wrong! Your job is to change the world." Twelve years later, I hope that I fulfilled his expectations. Bob gave me the opportunity to be part of something much greater than you normally get as part of a "job." He helped reshape my thinking and brought me along on adventures I could have never imagined. It was an honor to work so closely with him, especially in the last couple of years as we finished the new version of his book and set out to promote it. It almost seems he was really just getting started in his work. But his vision and his message is more timely than ever and will live far beyond him. Thanks for everything, Chief.

— Brent Stewart, Digital Strategy & Content Leader, Barry-Wehmiller

As a lifelong St. Louisan and member of this business community, I wanted to extend my condolences on the passing of your father, and share how even strangers can shape a career in ways they'll never know.

I followed Bob on LinkedIn for years and was consistently moved by his deeply human approach to leadership, and his unwillingness to treat the people "in his care" as anything less than that.

In 2010, on the day I returned from two weeks of paternity leave to welcome my firstborn, I was notified my position had been eliminated. After five years at that company, I had amounted to little more than a line on a spreadsheet. I spent the next six months home with that little boy, and came out the other side clear about what I wanted: to never make someone feel the way I had felt.

I joined a founder-led company in Chesterfield called Premium Retail Services, then being passed to the next generation of the Travers family. There I learned what it genuinely means to be a people-first employer, to truly care about the teams in your care. I retained every member of my team for over a decade, and they performed at the highest levels along the way. I attribute a lot of that to the philosophy that people like your father modeled so publicly and so consistently.

When Acosta Group acquired us in 2021, I kept the team intact. I still try to lead by that same standard every day, and we've grown in magnitudes because of it.

That's the impact your father had on someone he never met. I'm grateful for it.

— Brian Cameron, Chief Marketing Officer, Acosta Group

I was deeply saddened to hear of Bob's passing. His vision for what a company could be - one that measures success by the way it touches the lives of people - was rare and genuinely influential, well beyond the walls of Barry-Wehmiller.

I have no doubt that leadership and legacy lives on through Kyle, through you, and through the entire team he built and inspired over fifty years.

Please pass along my sincere condolences to the Chapman family.

— Justin Glass, CEO of Precision Roll Solutions