Process Equipment Distributor Relevant Industrial Announces New CEO

HOUSTON — Relevant Industrial, a critical solutions provider, has announced John Carte as its chief executive officer. Former CEO Ben Andrews will take on his new role as an executive board member and continue to work directly with Carte. 

CarteCarte brings more than 30 years of industrial distribution experience to Relevant. During his 27+ years with MRC Global, he held positions in sales, operations management, marketing, supply chain and executive leadership. As senior vice president for valves, automation and instrumentation globally, Carte led the development and execution of the global strategy for the  $1.9 billion segment, with direct responsibility for procurement and product business development. Carte joined Eads Distribution in 2015 as COO. Following the successful sale of Eads to FCx Performance, he was promoted to division president of FCX Performance and led the $180+ million Eads business unit, overseeing company sales and growth plans, strategic initiatives, marketing, finance, branch operations and supply chain.

Carte joined Relevant Industrial in January 2020 as COO. Within a short time, he set his sight on operational excellence, a long-term strategic plan and ways to capitalize on opportunities across the platform. John has an associate’s degree in management, a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA in organizational leadership. 

“I am humbled and honored to lead the team at Relevant Industrial, and I greatly appreciate the opportunity Ben and the board of directors have afforded me,” Carte noted. “It is a significant advantage to have Ben as my mentor, and I want to thank him for his support. Relevant is on the cusp of something great, and I look forward to working with our team to execute a strategy that will make Relevant the premier industrial solutions provider.”

"It’s been a privilege to serve as CEO of Relevant Solutions for the past four years," Andrews said. "We’ve reached a remarkable number of our goals, and I am extremely proud of the team for building the Relevant Industrial platform. John is an energizing leader and the ideal person to guide Relevant through our next chapter.”

Tom Comstock, member of the Relevant board of directors, added, “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Ben for his outstanding leadership as CEO. During an extraordinarily challenging period for the company, he successfully navigated Relevant Industrial through numerous improvements, with a dedicated focus on investing for the future. Relevant Industrial is now a solid platform we can continue to build upon, one that we believe has the potential to be as deep and strong as ever.”

Relevant Industrial, LLC (formerly Relevant Solutions, LLC) was formed in 2010 to acquire certain assets of Wilson Mohr, which traces its roots back to 1965. With time and key acquisitions, including most recently Precision Fitting & Gauge Company (PF&G), the company has grown from six to 16 branches and sales have grown from $40 million to $160 million. Relevant has locations in California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Utah, Oklahoma and Texas. The company has a sales representation in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and North Dakota. Relevant serves customers in the refining, petrochemical processing, OEM, food processing, upstream oil & gas and municipal markets through products and services including instrumentation and automation, rotating equipment, purification and thermal equipment. Relevant Industrial is part of the LKCM Headwater Investments portfolio.

Relevant Industrial