SOUTHAMPTON, PA — NewAge Industries, Inc. (NAI), parent company of AdvantaPure, NewAge Performance Products and Verigenics, announced today that Ken Baker has officially completed his transition from President and CEO, a role he held since 1984. Baker succeeded his father and company founder, Ray Baker, who established the company in 1954. Mr. Baker will remain actively involved in the governance of the organization as a member of the Board of Directors. As previously announced, Mary Marcus assumed the role as permanent President and CEO in December 2024.
Ken was honored on May 8, 2026 during a celebration of over 300 guests, comprised of family, peers and current and previous team members, at the Spring Mill Manor in Ivyland, PA. The celebration was complete with the annual ESOP share price announcement.
During his tenure, Baker was instrumental in laying the foundation for the company's long-standing commitment to sustainability and employee ownership. Under his leadership, NAI implemented significant environmental initiatives, including powering both its corporate headquarters and additional Bucks County manufacturing facility through solar energy generated by thousands of onsite solar panels. These efforts helped the company to achieve an EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating.
It was also during Baker's leadership that NAI expanded into the high-purity market with the formation of the AdvantaPure product line, developed to support increasing demand for tubing and hose solutions used in critical processing applications, including vaccine development and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, while continuing to serve a broad range of industrial markets through the now branded NewAge Performance Products industrial line.
In 2024, the company further expanded its global footprint with the opening of a manufacturing facility in Coevorden, Netherlands, following the establishment of a sales office in Hong Kong in 2023, adding to existing operations in Germany and Brazil.
A strong advocate of employee ownership, Baker was committed to ensuring the company remained independent and employee focused. In 2006, he began transitioning NAI to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) structure. Today, employees own 100 percent of the organization. Baker consistently championed the belief that employees who have a direct ownership stake in a company are more invested in its long-term success. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of the Pennsylvania Center for Employee Ownership.
Beyond his business leadership, Baker remains active in a variety of philanthropic and community initiatives. He has supported organizations including WHYY in Philadelphia, PA, and ACT II Playhouse in Ambler, PA. He also founded the Center of Excellence for Employee Ownership at the Montgomery County Community College Foundation.
In business since 1954, NewAge Industries, Inc., the parent company of the AdvantaPure, NewAge Performance Products, and Verigenics brand, designs, manufactures, and distributes fluid transfer systems solutions for the high purity pharmaceutical, biopharma and industrial markets. The company is an ISO-9001 certified, 100% employee-owned corporation that has earned a Platinum EcoVadis Sustainability Rating and is also a Certified B Corporation.