COLUMBUS, Ind., Sept. 30, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) announced that Mark Levett, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility and CEO of the Cummins Foundation, will retire Nov. 30 after serving in a variety of key leadership positions during his 42 years with the company.
"It's with tremendous appreciation, and some sadness, too, that we announce today that Mark is retiring," Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger and President and Chief Operating Officer Rich Freeland said in a joint statement. "Cummins has benefitted greatly from Mark's business expertise, his strong work ethic and his skills as a great listener and keen observer of people.
"He has always been the soft-spoken gentleman, treating everyone with dignity and respect," Freeland and Linebarger added. "But Mark's modest nature masks the enormous impact he has had on our company."
After joining Cummins as an entry level analyst in 1973, Levett used his business expertise, his strong work ethic and his skills as a great listener and keen observer of people to quickly rise through the company and by 1981, Levett had already become a Vice President with Cummins.
Levett helped build the company's global operations that now make up a significant portion of the company's revenue, serving as Vice President – Worldwide Industrial Business (1986-1991), Vice President – Asia Pacific (1991-1996) and Vice President – International (1996-1999). In those positions, he helped expand the company's customer base and forge or improve many of the successful joint venture agreements Cummins benefits from today.
In 1999, he became Cummins' first Vice President and General Manager of the High Horsepower Business. Under his leadership, the business grew from a $500 million operation into a $3 billion industry leader, developing critical products such as the QSK95, the largest high-speed diesel engine the company has ever built. When Levett took this role, the largest Cummins diesel was 2,000 horsepower and by the end of his tenure, the company added a number of larger engines, the largest of which is now 4,400 horsepower.
In 2013, Levett became the leader of Corporate Responsibility, expanding the company's community service footprint globally and focusing on the distinct needs of the communities Cummins serves.
Throughout out his career, Levett has served as a mentor to Cummins employees at all levels of the company. Known for his direct advice, he frequently discusses the important role customer service has played in Cummins' success.
Levett plans to stay active in community service work in a variety of ways after he retires, including as President of the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana (USA).
About Cummins
Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins currently employs approximately 54,600 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of approximately 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 7,200 dealer locations. Cummins earned $1.65 billion on sales of $19.2 billion in 2014. Press releases can be found on the Web at www.cummins.com. Follow Cummins on Twitter at www.twittter.com/cummins and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/cumminsinc.