Board Member

Company Overview

JC Steele & Sons is a family-owned industrial manufacturing company based in Statesville, North Carolina, operating a multi-entity structure with domestic and international operations. The company primarily serves the brick and building materials industry with growing adjacencies. JC Steele is undergoing a governance transformation, including the recruitment of an independent chairman, a new manufacturing president to lead operations in the United States, and the establishment of formal board structures and processes.

Role Summary

The Independent Board Director will serve as a voting member of the JC Steele & Sons Board of Directors, providing independent judgment, industry expertise, and governance discipline. This director will work alongside the incoming independent chairman to help professionalize the board, establish committee structures, and ensure effective oversight of strategy, talent, and shareholder interests.

This role is designed to complement the existing board composition by filling specific skill gaps identified through a comprehensive board assessment. Depending on the candidate's background, they may be asked to chair one or more board committees.

Key Responsibilities

Board Governance

• Participate actively in all board meetings, contributing independent perspective on strategy, risk, and performance.
• Support the establishment and operation of formal committees (audit, compensation, governance).
• Help define and enforce clear decision rights between the board and management.
• Bring best practices from other independent board experiences to accelerate governance maturity.

Strategic and Financial Oversight

• Provide input on long-term strategic direction, competitive positioning, and capital allocation decisions.
• Review and challenge management presentations on financial performance, investment proposals, and operational plans.
• Contribute expertise in areas where the current board has identified skill gaps (see Priority Skills table below).

Talent and Succession

• Participate in the evaluation and selection of executive leadership, including the current manufacturing president search.
• Contribute to the development of formal succession planning criteria and processes.
• Provide independent assessment of executive performance and organizational capability.

Shareholder and Family Engagement

• Serve as an independent voice that can bridge family dynamics and business governance.
• Support improved transparency and communication with the shareholder group.

Candidate Profile

Required Experience

• Current or prior independent board service in a privately held or family-owned company.
• Senior executive experience (CEO, COO, Division President, or functional VP) in an industrial, manufacturing, or capital equipment business.
• Demonstrated understanding of governance structures, committee operations, and fiduciary responsibilities.
• Track record of constructive, independent thinking in boardroom settings.

Preferred Experience (One or More of the Following)

• Strategic planning and capital allocation in multi-entity or multi-geography businesses.
• CFO-level financial oversight, including standardized reporting across multiple business units.
• Executive talent assessment, hiring, and succession planning at the board level.
• Family business governance, including family council structures and shareholder communication.
• International industrial operations experience.

Personal Attributes

• No financial, familial, or commercial ties to JC Steele & Sons or its shareholders.
• Comfortable operating in an environment where governance norms are being established for the first time.
• Able to challenge constructively without creating unnecessary friction in a family business context.
• Committed to a multi-year engagement as the governance transformation takes root.