Great Dane CEO Bill Crown announced his intention to step away from his role. Effective Jan. 1, 2023, Dean Engelage, Great Dane’s current president, will succeed Crown, and Rick Mullininx will become president and chief operating officer.

Engelage’s appointment is part of a managed executive transition coordinated by Crown, the Great Dane executive leadership team and Great Dane’s ownership, Great Dane officials said in a press release. Engelage has been president for the past nine years.

“Dean and I have worked closely together, and Dean has been a terrific leader and president for Great Dane,' Crown said. "I step aside with confidence that Great Dane is in good and capable hands."

Great Dane named Mullininx to succeed Engelage. Mullininx has been with Great Dane for 40 years and served in various engineering and manufacturing roles within Great Dane for all that time making him one of the company’s most senior associates. Most recently, he served as executive vice president of engineering. In this role, he is responsible for product design, production engineering, manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, and customer service, leading those teams with his vast knowledge and experience. 

“I am delighted to have Rick Mullininx step up to take over responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of the Great Dane team," Engelage said. "I know he will do a terrific job.”