Vantage Mobility International (VMI), a manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles, announces Mark Shaughnessy as its new president and CEO.

He transitions into the role previously held by Tim Barone, who spent the last 21 years of his career serving as VMI’s chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, and vice president of sales. Barone will continue with the company as its chairman of the board.

“Mark is a dynamic, consumer-focused executive with an exemplary track record of leading small and large corporations to achieve greater employee cohesiveness and operational efficiencies, Barone says, in a media release.

“Mark will lead Phoenix-based VMI and its dealer network, in addition to our recently purchased AMS Vans division based in Atlanta, which is a direct-to-consumer operation.  His commitment to split his time between both locations will help maximize synergies and utilize best practices to focus on our customers.”

“I was very attracted to VMI’s talented staff and stellar reputation of helping people achieve independence, and view this leadership opportunity as a way to create a lasting impact in the lives not only of our employees, but our many customers,” Shaughnessy states in the release.

“VMI has grown into one of the pillars of the industry thanks to Tim Barone’s many years of successful leadership, and I’m glad he’ll remain involved as chairman of the board as we look forward to growing the organization’s consumer focus to maximize returns for our customers, employees, and investors.”

Prior to joining VMI, Shaughnessy served in leadership positions at Mars Inc, Coca-Cola Company, and Rubicon.

Shaughnessy, who lives in Atlanta, will share his time between Phoenix, at VMI’s global headquarters, and Atlanta, home to AMS Vans Inc, a division of VMI that provides economy-priced wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

[Source: Vantage Mobility International]