Beginning a Legacy
In 1953, William A. Chapman joined Barry-Wehmiller as executive assistant to company President Fred Wehmiller. Bill had been involved with the company as an accountant for Arthur Andersen and was asked to join full-time, eventually serving as vice president, general manager and treasurer. In 1957, Fred Wehmiller died, ending the lineage of Wehmiller family leadership and Bill Chapman became president. As Bill navigated the company through troubled times and the company struggled to stay in business, he became majority owner in 1963. Amidst the turmoil, Bill asked his son, Bob Chapman, to join the company in 1969 as “someone he could trust.” Bob became president upon Bill's untimely death in 1976, taking the reins of a $20 million company in distress.
The Architect of Our Business and Culture
By now, you've probably heard of, read about, or watched a video featuring Bob Chapman, who led Barry-Wehmiller as CEO and Chairman of the Board for 50 years.
Bob is the leader responsible for launching the strategy that put the company on a trajectory for enormous growth after assuming leadership after his father's death in 1976. But, if you would ask Bob what he was most proud of, he wouldn't say it was Barry-Wehmiller's remarkable growth or the machines our companies build; he'd say it is the people whose lives our business has touched along the way. Bob profoundly believed it is the responsibility of business to improve people's lives: through a role that allows them to use their gifts and talents to their fullest, through a future they (and their families) can count on, through a culture that makes them feel safe and cared for. Those beliefs became the basis for the caring, people-centric culture we strive to foster today inside each of the companies in the BW family.
Bob's story and insight was documented in his 2015 bestselling book, Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family, co-written with Raj Sisodia. A revised and expanded version was released in 2025, the same year Bob stepped back from his duties as CEO and his son, Kyle Chapman, was named to the role.
Bob died March 19, 2026 and left behind a remarkable legacy that Kyle and all of us in Barry-Wehmiller is determined to carry into the future.
Redefining Success in Business
Kyle Chapman is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller. In this role, Kyle is responsible for leading the entire organization, including all of its operating platforms, global functions and hybrid equity firm, BW Forsyth Partners.
Kyle brings over 25 years of private equity and operating experience to the CEO role. His career started at Banc of America Capital Investors, where he completed approximately $300 million in investments across various industries. His tenure with Barry-Wehmiller began in 2009, when he co-founded BW Forsyth Partners — Barry-Wehmiller's thriving $850 million-plus hybrid equity firm that unifies the best of Barry-Wehmiller's business strategies, culture development initiatives and long-term orientation with the best aspects of private equity investment. From 2015-2019, Kyle served as a Strategic Financial Advisor to Barry-Wehmiller's leadership team, during which Barry-Wehmiller elevated its performance levels and increased its intentionality around living its culture. In 2020, he was appointed Barry-Wehmiller's Interim Chief Financial Officer, shortly before being named President. He was named CEO in 2025 and was elected Chairman of the Board in June 2026.
“I'm fiercely committed to building on my dad's legacy by demonstrating that a company can achieve extraordinary financial strength without compromising its commitment to people,” Kyle says. “We will show the world that it is possible to be both a model of human-centered leadership and a top-quartile performer, ensuring human and economic vibrancy that is in harmony, not one in sacrifice of the other. If we continue this trajectory, others will follow — not just because of our performance, but because we're fulfilling our purpose of building a better world through business.”