The co-founder of Stratasys Ltd.'s consumer 3-D printing subsidiary, MakerBot, will step down as its leader later this year and take another role in the parent company.
Bre Pettis will become the head of Stratasys' new Innovation Workshop division and a member of MakerBot's board of directors, company officials said Friday.
Pettis, a middle-school art teacher whose tinkerings turned to invention, will be leaving a job that consumed his life for nearly a decade.
In 2007, he and two friends founded one company with an eye toward building a community of like-minded creators. That company would later become MakerBot. In addition to developing low-cost 3-D printers and scanners, they set up an online database, called Thingiverse, for customers to share designs and ideas of things that could be made with the gadgets.
With $75,000 from family and friends in 2009, they moved the company into a former ice cream factory and brewery in Brooklyn. Then in 2011, Amazon's Jeff Bezos and others invested $10 million in the company.
Stratasys, which is based in both Eden Prairie and Israel, bought MakerBot 15 months ago for $403 million.
Stratasys previously estimated that MakerBot sold 35,000 3-D printers in 2012 and that sales would double in 2013. Still, the purchase was seen as a bit of a gamble as the two companies approached 3-D printing differently.
Stratasys builds large 3-D printers that can cost up to $600,000 for manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors and Delta Air Lines. MakerBot's 3-D printers, however, are no bigger than a microwave and built to appeal to consumers with a price of $1,000 to $3,000.
Pettis will be succeeded as MakerBot CEO by Jenny Lawton. Chief Revenue Officer Frank Alfano will become MakerBot president.
The changes will take place in the third or fourth quarter of this year, a spokeswoman said. The company declined to say more about Pettis' new role or the still forming division he will oversee.
Pettis could not be reached for comment Friday.
Lawton, who previously founded several IT consulting firms and retail businesses that she later sold, joined MakerBot three years ago. She oversaw strategy, growth, partnerships, and soon will take the helm of the consumer business that today boasts three retail stores in New York, Greenwich, Conn., and Boston and online sales nationwide.
In a statement, Stratasys CEO David Reis said that he was excited about Pettis and Lawton's promotions "and pleased to continue the positive momentum that Stratasys and MakerBot have experienced and achieved."
In July, MakerBot won a significant agreement for Home Depot to sell its 3-D printers in California, New York, and Chicago. In June, MakerBot expanded its consumer operations in Japan by introducing a line of new products. In the last year, MakerBot has partnered with school systems across the United States and now has 3-D printers in high schools and colleges nationwide.
Stratasys officials said in August that the entire company's sales are on pace to grow 30 percent this year. Corporate sales are expected to reach $660 million to $680 million. The firm no longer discloses MakerBot sales.
Dee DePass • 612-673-7725
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