SBCA Past President, Michael Ruede, Sr., Appointed to COO of 4Ward Solutions

4Ward Solutions Group is pleased to announce that Michael Ruede has been appointed Chief Operating Officer for all 4Ward Solutions Group companies, including their core companies of Moducore, 4Ward Consulting, 4Ward Design, 4Ward Labor, and Innovative Offsite.

This appointment is indicative of 4Ward’s focus on solution-driven thinking. CEO Ben Hershey said, “Mike brings an incredible wealth of experience, having successfully served in senior leadership positions for multiple companies in our industry, including A-1 Industries in Florida. During our time with SBCA, I was impressed with his leadership and ability to bring people together to gravitate around decisions that needed to be made. This was particularly important as Mike navigated the association through a difficult leadership change. Mike’s experience will allow 4Ward Solutions Group to expand our many offerings in workforce training, advisory services, digital modeling, our Factory4Ward™ program, our automation/robotics solutions, and design. His leadership as COO will be instrumental to ensuring that we provide innovative and forward-thinking solutions that allow our customers to grow and prosper.”

Ruede expressed his enthusiasm for the new opportunity. “I’m thrilled to be joining the 4Ward team, and I look forward to collaborating on the projects, programs, and ideas they are developing. I’ve always had great respect for Ben and for what he’s done. The companies he and the team have built are truly amazing.”

Prior to joining 4Ward, Ruede served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President for A-1 Industries, where he first began his career after leaving the United States Navy. In the years between his initial and final posts at A-1 Industries, he held positions of management and senior leadership at SBCA, Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber Company, Woodinville Lumber, and California Truss.