Vancouver, WA, November 17th, 2023 — It is with heartfelt appreciation that we announce the retirement of Pat O’Connor after more than 12 years of distinguished service at Columbia Machine, Inc. Pat joined Columbia in August 2011 as the Business Development Manager for the Palletizer Division before being promoted to the role of President in 2014.
Pat has spent his entire career in the conveyor, palletizing and material handling industry. Under Pat's leadership, Columbia’s Palletizer Division has shown sustained growth, developing the broadest and most advanced palletizer product line in the industry. With more than 40 years of experience in engineering, sales, and product development, Pat's expertise has been vital in solidifying our position as the market leader in North America.
"We are grateful for Pat’s exceptional contributions," said Rick Goode, Chairman and CEO of Columbia Machine, Inc. "His profound knowledge and extensive experience have played a pivotal role in the transformation and advancement of Columbia's entire palletizer product line. Pat's visionary leadership has culminated in the formation of an exceptional team, and his unwavering dedication to our customers, our company, and the industry at large will undoubtedly leave a lasting legacy for generations to come."
As we approach this transition, we are pleased to announce that Mark MacDonald will take over the role of President of our Palletizer Division. Mark began his career at Columbia in January 2015 as the Applications Engineering Manager and has built a team highly qualified Engineers. Mark has a Mechanical Engineering Degree from the University of Missouri School of Science and Technology and an MBA from St. Louis University. Prior to joining Columbia, Mark has previously held positions as an Applications Engineer (in the Palletizer industry), Sourcing Commodities Manager at GKN Aerospace and Purchasing Manager at Duke Manufacturing. A planned leadership transition has already begun with Pat and will continue over the next few months.
Please join me in thanking Pat for his years of committed service and wishing him all the best in his retirement. Let us also extend a welcome to Mark as he steps into his new role.
About Columbia Machine
Established in 1937, Columbia Machine is a fourth generation, privately held, world-wide leader in the design, manufacturing and support of factory automation equipment solutions for a variety of industries, with customers in over 100 countries around the world. Primary business units include: Batching and Mixing Solutions, Concrete Products Equipment Solutions, Production Equipment Molds, Bag Filling and Handling Technology, Mechanical Palletizing Machines, Robotic Palletizing Solutions, Conveyor System Solutions, Pallet Load Transfer Solutions and Manufacturing Services. The Columbia Group of companies has manufacturing facilities on five continents, with over 1,300 team members worldwide, focused on world-class engineered solutions and customer service.
Columbia manufactures inline high speed, high-level, floor-level and robotic palletizers and load transfer stations. Columbia also provides Complete Systems Integration. Columbia Palletizers feature flexible, upgradeable designs with speeds up to 200 cases per minute. With the broadest and most current product line available, Columbia is the leading palletizing solutions provider in North America. All Columbia palletizers are backed by 24-hour customer support and parts service.