Andersen Windows CEO Jay Lund retiring

Jay Lund, chief executive of Andersen Corp., will retire at the end of the year.

Lund, who will remain board chairman, has worked at the Bayport-based window and door manufacturer for 37 years, the last 12 as chief executive.

"Jay has led Andersen through a transformative period in the company's history, delivering impressive business performance while passionately embracing diversity, equity and inclusion inside and outside Andersen, positioning the company for continued growth in the future," said Donald Allan, Jr., lead independent director on Andersen's board.

Chris Galvin, a 20-year veteran and the current president and chief operating officer of the 119-year-old manufacturer, will succeed Lund as CEO.

Galvin takes the helm of a firm with $3.5 billion in annual revenue and more than 13,000 employees in Europe and North America, including Minnesota facilities in Bayport, Oak Park Heights, Cottage Grove and North Branch.

"Chris is an inspiring leader, with deep knowledge of the business and industry," Lund said in a statement. "He is widely respected by the Andersen team for his character, intellect, kindness and work ethic."

During his time as chief executive, Lund tripled revenue through acquisitions, geographic and product expansion and by significantly increasing the firm's replacement window and door business.

The divested divisions, which sold to Ply Gem for $190 million, had been producing about $440 million annually. The sale resulted in the transfer of 4,000 workers at plants in Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey and Georgia.

The sale was considered bold at the time since it represented about a third of Andersen's total workforce and about 15% of its annual revenue.

But Lund was determined to grow in other areas.

In 2019, Andersen broke ground on a new $35 million warehouse and office expansion in Cottage Grove. It sits next to the firm's new $38 million factory. In 2020, Lund rebranded the company with a new advertising campaign and logo and completed the construction of a new $105 million factory and distribution center in Goodyear, Ariz.

Lund has served as a director on the Andersen Corporate Foundation Board for 17 years, and led numerous corporate, civic and philanthropic boards and capital campaigns, including the Board of Regents of St. Olaf College, where he still serves as board chair.