ERIE – Ralph Pontillo, a longtime champion for small business and manufacturing, will retire as president and chief executive officer of the Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA), and John Krahe, senior vice president of the MBA, has been named his successor, the MBA’s Board of Governors announced today. Krahe will assume the role as MBA president and CEO, effective April 1, while Pontillo will assist with the transition until August 2017.
“Ralph is extremely passionate about his job. He has always valued leaving something better than when it started, as can be clearly seen in the day-to-day operations of the Association. Ralph will be leaving the MBA financially sound and with a legacy of having built a great culture and organization that will continue to operate at extremely high levels of business and community involvement,” said Don Hester, chairman of the Manufacturer & Business Association and president and chief executive officer of MAJR Products in Saegertown. “It is also my pleasure to announce John Krahe as the next president of the Association. John’s knowledge of the Association and its programs are second to none. A great communicator and tireless worker, I am confident John will bring another set of great skills to the Association.”
The MBA is a professional employers’ organization that represents more than 3,000 member companies in the tri-state region. Pontillo joined the Association in 1987 as manager of member services and was responsible for marketing and communications. He was appointed president on April 1, 1990.
“The first time I walked through the doors at the Association, I was a senior preparing to do a 13-week internship,” Pontillo recalled. “Those 13 weeks turned into a 30-year career.”
Over those three decades, Pontillo was instrumental in the Association’s facility relocation to its present headquarters and construction of its state-of-the-art
Conference Center at 2171 West 38th Street in Erie. The project helped expand many of the Association’s programs and services – HR, insurance, government affairs, training, among others – and enabled the Association to become one of the largest regional employers’ associations of its kind in the United States.
Throughout his tenure, Pontillo has served on numerous local, state and national boards and as a member of the American Society of Association Executives. He also has been a Certified Association Executive, a professional designation that recognizes the highest level of achievement and excellence in the profession, for nearly 30 years.
In addition to advocating for the business community, Pontillo has left an indelible mark on the Erie community at large. He is credited with spearheading one of the Association’s most visible community outreach programs, the annual Roar on the Shore® charitable motorcycle rally. Over the past 10 years, the rally has generated more than $800,000 for local charities while providing an annual economic boost of more than $25 million thanks to its more than 100,000 visitors each year. Pontillo will take an active role in the leadership of Roar®, including the 2017 rally, set for July 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16, and future rallies going forward.
Pontillo, a U.S. Air Force veteran and Erie native, is a graduate of Strong Vincent High School and Gannon University, where he earned a baccalaureate degree in political science. He currently resides in Fairview with his wife Dana. He has three children – Nicole, Amy and Anne – and two grandchildren.
Pontillo’s successor, Erie native John Krahe, also has a longstanding career at the MBA. Krahe joined the Association in October 1992 and served as a training and development associate. In 1995, he was named manager of Training and Development and served in that capacity until he was appointed vice president in December 1999.
In his role as senior VP since January 2000, Krahe has supervised all aspects of the organization’s day-to-day operations. He also has coordinated and supported the Association’s directors in meeting members’ needs with such services as the Conference Center, training and development, human resources and legal support, insurance, government affairs, membership, communications and the MBA’s EnergyAdvisors energy program. Krahe also has worked closely on special projects and initiatives with Pontillo for the past 20 years. In his role as president and CEO, he will lead the Association along with the MBA’s senior management team – Vice Presidents Lori Joint, Brad Phillips and Tammy Lamary-Toman, Esq.
“I think the Board has made an excellent choice, and John will take the Association to the next level,” Pontillo said. “He is a great leader and is highly regarded by our members, Board and staff.”
Krahe, a Cathedral Preparatory School alumnus, is a graduate of Elon College in Elon, North Carolina, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and finance. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives. Additionally, he sits on the Board of the Americans for the Competitive Enterprise System (ACES).
Krahe lives in Millcreek with his wife Cathy and their daughters Courtney and Julianne and sons Colby and Jared.
“I would like to thank Ralph for his leadership and the opportunities he’s given me to grow and develop in my role within the MBA. Since first joining the Association in 1992, I’ve had an opportunity to work with members throughout our entire footprint, along with an exemplary staff and Board, which has put us in such a great position for this next chapter,” said Krahe. “We are so proud of what we’ve accomplished and are excited and anxious to continue to serve our members in the fashion they’ve become accustomed. Our motto is: ‘The value of the Association to the member can never surpass the value of the member to the Association.’ ”
