Merritt Gaunt to lead Guardian Glass
Merritt Gaunt to Lead Guardian Glass
Merritt Gaunt has been named President and CEO of Guardian Industries, following the retirement of Ron Vaupel.
Auburn Hills, MI, United States | January 13, 2026Merritt Gaunt has been named President and CEO of Guardian Industries, a Koch company. In this role, he will assume leadership of Guardian Glass, one of the world’s largest glass manufacturers. Guardian Glass helps people improve their lives through innovative products that provide daylight, security, energy efficiency, and comfort. This change follows the retirement of Ron Vaupel, President and CEO of Guardian Industries since 2014.
“Merritt has proven to be a strategic, effective leader in his time here,” noted Jeff Ramsey, Executive Vice President, Koch. “I’m confident this will be a transformative time for Guardian Glass as it begins a new chapter in becoming the preferred global supplier of glass solutions.”
After joining Guardian in 2013 as Managing Director of Corporate Development, Merritt held operations and other leadership roles. In his most recent role as Executive Vice President, Guardian Industries, Merritt led the company’s business development and supply chain strategies. Prior to Guardian, Merritt gained ten years of experience in finance, marketing, and business development leadership at other Koch companies.
“Guardian Glass is finding new ways to build, design, and inspire with glass. We’re here to collaborate on addressing the complex challenges of the glass industry,” said Gaunt. “Our team is over 6,700 strong, across 5 continents, and I’m excited to see what we can do to deliver new solutions for our customers and continue to build preferred partnerships with our suppliers and communities.”