As President, Carleton is responsible for all aspects of the company’s operations, including the design, manufacture, sales and marketing of all of Birk’s customized thermal solutions. He takes the lead in ensuring that the entire Birk team profitably meets customer needs and exceeds customer expectations. Carleton has been a part of Birk his entire life, working first on the assembly line, then as a Sales Rep while living on the west coast. He became Quality Manager helping Birk become ISO and AS certified, and grew to become Operations Manager helping lead Birk through a company-wide Lean transformation, significantly improving results on operational and financial metrics. His smooth transition to the presidency was facilitated by his extensive knowledge of the company and his forward-thinking vision for its future growth, which have helped Birk stay competitive in the field.

Carleton received a BA in Corporate and Organizational Studies from the University of Connecticut, Continuous Improvement Champion Certification (CICC) from CONNSTEP, Six Sigma Green Belt certification from the Institute of Industrial Engineers, and his MBA from the University of New Haven. Carleton enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, boating and being outdoors. He currently resides in Old Lyme, CT with his wife Rhonda and daughters Aubrey and Ava.