Just over a year ago, on October 1, 2025, Sirois Tool signed off on our official succession plan. Because our customers and partners deserve to know how our business will continue to operate in the long term, we’ve decided to share that plan publicly. 

This transition will gradually move ownership of the company from President and CEO Alan Ortner to four current members of Sirois Tool’s management team:

• Danny Jernigan, Business Development Manager
• Ian Mannings, Operations Manager
• Katey Doud, Accounting Manager 
• Nick Spinelli, Engineering Manager

Each individual brings a different perspective from their area of the business. Three of the four also started their careers on the shop floor before working their way into management. 

While the ownership transition will take several years, these four individuals are already shaping the company, working together on major decisions, gaining experience collaborating as a group, and receiving mentorship directly from Alan. 

Planning for the Next Generation of Leadership 

Although October 2025 marked the official beginning of the transition, the planning started much earlier. For roughly a year, the Sirois Tool team worked through what the succession plan should look like and how an ownership transition should be structured. 

An important part of that process was preparing the people who would eventually take on ownership responsibilities. Becoming an owner involves a different level of responsibility than managing a department, so it was important to give our future ownership team time to understand what the responsibility entails and prepare for their new roles. 

That preparation is now happening in real time. The four future owners are already participating in major company decisions, while Alan continues to provide input and guidance based on his decades of experience leading the business. At the same time, Alan, along with Jeff Cyr, Dan Gottier, and Cheryl Huck, will continue in their management roles throughout the transition. They are providing mentorship and input to the future ownership team, helping them build on their existing experience as they take on greater responsibility. 

Why We Chose an Employee-Led Succession Plan

We’ve seen a lot of companies sell to outside buyers, such as private equity firms or larger corporations. This can be the right path for some manufacturers, but it wasn’t the direction we wanted for Sirois Tool. Instead, we made the decision to transition ownership to people who already know the business and have spent years contributing to its success. 

That approach has personal significance for Alan. More than 30 years ago, Alan was an employee at Sirois Tool when the company was owned by three partners. As two of those partners prepared to retire, he had the opportunity to buy into the company and eventually bought out the remaining partner. Like the four professionals making up our present succession plan, Alan came into the business as an ambitious young employee and helped grow Sirois Tool significantly over the following decades. 

Now, the company has created a similar opportunity for the next generation of leaders. 

Maintaining Continuity for Our Customers and Teams 

Businesses change over time. The work Sirois Tool does today is different in some ways from what we handled decades ago, and that will continue as our industry and customers’ needs evolve.

What we want to preserve is the foundation of the business. Because the next owners are already part of Sirois Tool, they understand our customers, team members, culture, and approach to manufacturing. They know the business so well because they’ve built their careers here. 

This level of familiarity provides continuity that can be difficult to achieve when a company changes hands through an outside sale. For customers, it means the relationships and operational approaches they have come to rely on will remain in place. For employees, it means the culture they’ve helped build will continue as new leadership takes on greater responsibility. 

Our Smooth Transition Is Still in the Works 

Sirois Tool’s transfer of ownership is intentionally taking place over multiple years. Alan will remain involved, providing advice and perspective while the new ownership team continues to take on more responsibility.

This gradual transition gives the new ownership team time to learn and grow into their roles while continuing to successfully perform their current roles. 

Building a Resilient Future for Our Business 

The four members of the new ownership team share a commitment to our teams and customers while continuing to grow the company. They are invested in the company because they’ve been part of it. 

For Sirois Tool, succession planning is about making sure that the company has a strong future and that the people leading it understand where it came from. With Alan and our senior management team continuing to provide experience and guidance, we’re putting the next generation of leadership in a position to carry the company forward. 

As we mark one year since the succession plan became official, we’re looking forward to what comes next and to continuing to serve the customers who have helped make Sirois Tool what it is today. 

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