Cloyes Gear & Products, Inc., which is backed by Hidden Harbor Capital Partners, has hired John Hanighen as CEO, effective immediately. Based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and founded in 1921, Cloyes is a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and distribution of timing drive systems and components for replacement applications in the automotive aftermarket and high-performance racing segment.
Prior to Cloyes, Hanighen served as global aftermarket director and CEO of Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers for Ford Motor Co. His responsibilities included strategic development and vision for the $1B+ global automotive aftermarket as well as for sales growth and profitability of Ford products including Ford OE product, Motorcraft and the new Omnicraft brand, which doubled in sales across multiple existing channels and beyond Ford Dealerships. John was also responsible for establishing new and lasting aftermarket relationships, while driving Ford Brand recognition and demand through the development of new sales and marketing programs.
“We are very excited to have John join the team at Cloyes. John is a proven leader, a strong communicator, and is well respected within the auto aftermarket industry. When we partnered with the Cloyes management team, our goal was to accelerate growth while continuing to deliver industry-leading quality and customer service,” said Chris Paldino, managing partner at Hidden Harbor. “With the addition of John, we know the company is well positioned to continue executing on this growth strategy and to more aggressively capitalize on Cloyes’ premium leadership position in automotive aftermarket timing systems.”
Hanighen holds a Master of Business Administration from Xavier University and will be relocating to Fort Smith, Arkansas from Novi, Michigan with his wife.
