Mixon Steps Down, Invacare’s Blouch Takes CEO Role

ELYRIA, Ohio — Invacare Corp. announced last week that
Gerald B. Blouch has been named president and CEO effective Jan. 1,
2011, after serving as interim CEO since April 30, 2010.

After a mild stroke last spring, Invacare Chairman and CEO
Mal Mixon
took a temporary medical leave and turned day-to-day
responsibilities over to Blouch. Mixon reassumed duties as chairman
of the board over the summer and, according to a release, will
continue as the company’s chairman, where he will focus on
government relations, strategic issues, research and product
innovation.

One of Blouch’s key initiatives will be the ongoing
transformation of Invacare from regionally focused business units
into a global enterprise “that delivers a single brand promise,
innovative products, services and clinical solutions through a
platform that enables Invacare’s customers to meet the needs of
patients throughout the continuum of care in a superior way,” the
release stated. Blouch’s previous role has been reorganized into
four key, global functional units — commercial operations,
supply chain, product development and engineering — which
will be managed by four senior vice presidents reporting to
him.

After serving in executive positions with Inacomp Computer
Centers and Sherwin Williams, Blouch joined Invacare in 1990 as the
company’s first CFO. In 1994, he became COO and was responsible for
the operations of all domestic and international business units. He
was named president and a director of the company in 1996.