An engineer by schooling, a salesman by nature, and a businessman by practice, Bob joined Grote Company in 2000, became CEO in 2008, and now spends his time developing industry partnerships and seeking the latest food technologies. During his tenure, he’s overseen the acquisition of industry pillars including PFI, Vanmark, Advanced Food Technology, GME International, and Pizzamatic. He serves as Director at Large of the FPSA (Food Processing Suppliers Association) and sits on various industry and non-profit boards.

After 30+ years in engineering, sales and executive leadership roles, Jack joined his brother Bob at Grote Company in 2011. As COO, he drives strategic initiatives that impact customer experience and improve company performance. He has engineering degrees from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Purdue University, and a MBA from Ohio State University. Jack married his high school sweetheart Kelly in 1986, and together they are avid college football fans – especially of his hometown Buckeyes.

Eric has decades of manufacturing and food equipment experience, previously holding various financial roles at ITW Food Equipment Group/Hobart for 27 years and serving as CFO at Grote Company since 2012. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati and is an active CPA. .

As Vice President, Jason oversees operations at all Vanmark locations, making sure people are in the right position with the tools they need to provide the highest quality service and equipment to our customers. He’s been with Vanmark for 10 years and has over 20 years of sales and manufacturing experience. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and an MBA from Northwest Missouri State University. Jason enjoys camping, fishing, hunting, and canoeing outdoors with his wife and two daughters.

Kyle leads the Creston engineering team responsible for developing equipment solutions for our customers. He has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University, and worked in the automotive industry prior to joining Vanmark in 2013. He enjoys hunting, fishing and camping with his family and getting his hands dirty on car projects.

Veeresh joined Vanmark in 2018 to head the newly-opened India facility – leading the development and manufacturing of Vanmark’s equipment for Southeast Asia. He has over 10 years of experience in the food industry in engineering, sales and management roles. Veeresh was born and raised in south India and now lives in Bangalore with his wife Madhu and son Samarth.