Alan Klapmeier Remains Chairman Of Board

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 12.18.08 1300 EST: There will soon be a new man at the CEO desk of Cirrus Design... and it isn't a Klapmeier. Current President and Chief Operating Officer Brent Wouters will take over as CEO of the Duluth, MN-based planemaker early next year, the company announced Thursday.

Wouters (above) will succeed company founder Alan Klapmeier, effective February 1. Alan will continue to serve as chairman of Cirrus' board of directors, while Cirrus co-founder Dale Klapmeier will retain his role as vice-chair of the board.

"This is a very good opportunity for me, but I can’t say enough about the foundation that Alan and Dale have built for this company," Wouters told the Duluth News Tribune.

Wouters came onboard Cirrus in 2002 as Chief Financial Officer, leaving a similar role at private equity firm International Payment Services. He started out in the aviation industry as an aircraft simulator engineer at Delta Air Lines.

He was named President and Chief Operating Officer at Cirrus in March 2008.

FMI: www.cirrusdesign.com