Textron Names John Garrison President & CEO of Bell Helicopter

Textron today announced that John L. Garrison, Jr. has been named president and CEO of its Bell Helicopter business unit, effective August 1st.

He replaces Richard (Dick) Millman, who is retiring after 43 years of service to Textron.

Garrison served as president of Textron’s Industrial segment since November 2007, leading operating improvements and new product introductions at E-Z-GO, Jacobsen, Greenlee and Kautex. Prior to that, Garrison served as president of E-Z-GO.

Prior to joining Textron, Garrison held senior management roles with Azurix Corporation and Case Corporation. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy. Before joining industry, Garrison served 10 years on active duty in the US Army as an Airborne Ranger, commanding an 8 inch Artillery Battery in the Republic of Korea, and taught in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy.

Garrison will continue to report directly to Textron President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Donnelly. “John is a seasoned executive and a proven strategic leader with vast experience in managing manufacturing businesses, serving global customers and bringing products to market,” said Donnelly.

“Along with his military experience, this makes John the perfect leader to continue Bell’s legacy of supporting both our commercial customers and military warfighters around the globe at a time of significant growth opportunities for Bell.”

“Dick Millman’s career at Textron has spanned more than four decades and a variety of leadership posts across the enterprise. His contributions – most recently at Bell Helicopter in leading the company through successful labor negotiations, and earlier in his career in growing Textron Systems into one of Textron’s most valuable businesses – have been outstanding,” Donnelly added. “We are grateful for his many years of service to the corporation and wish him well in his retirement.”