Talk about a job change. For the last 16 years, Robert (“Bob”) McDonough was a part of Lennox International. He most recently held the position of president and chief operating officer (COO) of Worldwide Heating & Cooling, as well as executive vice president of Lennox International. Previously, he was president, Worldwide Refrigeration and International Operations.

That all changed in 2007.

This year McDonough switched companies and became president of Carrier’s Residential and Light Commercial Systems (RLCS), a $4.5 billion business in North America. Due, in part, to his move to his one-time competitor, McDonough is one of the newsmakers for 2007. “It was difficult to leave behind some very good friends and colleagues,” assured McDonough.

“Having said that, it was time for me to move on to other challenges after so much time in one organization. I was afforded great opportunities at Lennox and appreciate the experiences very much.”

McDonough said he is now enjoying his role at Carrier. “Naturally, in an organization of this size and in a pretty diversified role, it is a bit of a steep learning curve,” he said. “But this is a company with truly great people, a rich legacy of success and innovation, and it’s also an organization that cares about doing well by its customers. So, I’m glad to be here.”

According to McDonough, his immediate tasks are to learn and listen, meet with associates and customers, and “prioritize the challenges we have in front of us.”

“I will also be working hard with my team to make sure we have the right organization in place to meet our objectives,” he said. “Our focus is on our customers. We will run an externally focused business, a company that is easy to do business with, and one that drives excellence in every transaction, big or small. Market conditions being what they are, we need to execute better than others in order to continue growing.”

McDonough has 26 years of experience in general management, sales and marketing. He served most recently as president, RLCS Distribution and Aftermarket. Having so many years in the HVACR industry, McDonough has seen more than a few changes. He lists speed, the pace of change, the overall pace of business, and the flow of information as the biggest changes.

“Obviously, the speed of information and data flow today compresses the reaction time for everything. … lead times are shorter, the horizon of visibility into the business is shorter, customer expectations for speed and accuracy of response are, of course, higher.”

Looking ahead from his new chair, McDonough has many goals for Carrier. “As I mentioned, our focus is on our customers,” he said. “Improving our transaction speed and accuracy, tailoring our product, service, and promotion portfolio to the realities of our market. Sharpening the clarity of our family of brands … their positioning, key attributes, and target customers.

“Additionally, we are particularly well-positioned to take advantage of increasing rates of repair vs. replace due to our company-operated sales and distribution footprint of 200-plus locations in North America and our great family of independent distributors that can take advantage of our Totaline offering of parts and supplies.”

- Mark Skaer

The Facts:

Name: Robert (“Bob”) McDonough

Title: President, Residential and Light Commercial Systems (RLCS)

Company: Carrier

Location: Farmington, Conn.

Notable Quote: “Our focus is on our customers. We will run an externally focused business, a company that is easy to do business with, and one that drives excellence in every transaction, big or small. Market conditions being what they are, we need to execute better than others in order to continue growing.”

Publication date: 12/24/2007