WesTech Engineering Inc. of Salt Lake City has named Ralph Cutler as its new CEO. Currently the president of WesTech, Cutler assumed his CEO responsibilities on May 20, replacing Rex Plaizier, who stepped down for health reasons.

Cutler, who holds civil engineering and MBA degrees from the University of Utah, joined WesTech in 1982. He has designed, managed and implemented municipal and industrial water solutions for clients globally.{mprestriction ids="1,3"} He went on to supervise both industrial sedimentation and filtration groups before being appointed vice president of industrial products and sales and then company president. In his role as a leader at Wes-Tech, he has mentored many young engineers and dedicated his time to improving employees’ well-being, the firm said in a release.

“We chose Ralph Cutler as our next CEO with confidence in his commitment to WesTech,” said board member Randy Emery, “Ralph has always demonstrated the ability to drive our company’s strategy forward by providing quality products, excellent customer service, and constant improvement all while embracing new opportunities. He is a terrific example of how to build a quality organization with quality people and a strong reputation of meaningful customer relationships.” 

Plaizier has been serving as WesTech’s CEO since 2013, and he will continue as chairman of the board. His career at WesTech has spanned 33 years, beginning as a project engineer and continuing as a leader in many areas of the business. Under his leadership, WesTech has experienced record growth, having surpassed $200 million in annual sales.

“Rex is leaving his CEO position after a remarkable career at WesTech,” said Brittany Garza, WesTech employee and member of the board. “On behalf of the board and Wes-Tech employee owners, we are so appreciative of his leadership and visionary role in guiding the company to new ventures in the water industry. As president and CEO, Rex has always held employees’ and customers’ best interests at heart, which has been constantly evident by not only his words but his actions,”

WesTech Engineering provides process solutions for water treatment, liquid/solids separation and biological treatment to municipal, industrial and minerals clients worldwide. Founded in 1973, WesTech is an employee-owned company with over 500 employees around the world.{/mprestriction}