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Russ was elected Apogee chairman in June 1999, in addition to having been elected president and chief executive officer (CEO) in January 1998. As chairman and CEO, he has repositioned Apogee for growth, exiting unprofitable businesses and developing growth strategies that focus on the company’s architectural glass products and services, and picture framing glass businesses. He also spearheaded the company’s successful adoption of the Six Sigma/Lean business improvement process that has reduced costs and improved operations.
He joined Apogee in 1986 as vice president and general manager of Viracon, the leading fabricator of coated, high-performance architectural glass for global markets. In 1996, he was promoted to president of the Glass Technologies segment to further develop these glass coatings businesses into market leaders.
Before joining Apogee, Russ spent six years in various management positions with Guardian Industries’ coatings, float glass and glass fabrication divisions. Previously, he spent two years as a senior designer at Ford Motor Company and seven years in the U.S. Air Force.
He has worked directly on three patented low-emissivity (energy-efficient) glass coatings and developed reflective high-performance glass coatings, all for use on commercial buildings.
Russ holds a bachelors degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a masters from Troy State University, Troy, Alabama.
He is chairman of the board of directors of the Leukemia Research Fund, University of Minnesota; a member of the Southern Minnesota Leadership Circle; a member of the board of directors of Hutchinson Technology Inc.; and a member of the board of advisors of the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business. | 