Percival Scientific announced Friday the appointment of Jake Oakland as the company’s new chief executive officer.
Oakland will take up his new role Oct. 24, succeeding Gary Wheelock, who is retiring after working at Percival for 49 years and serving as the president and chief financial officer since 2006.
During nearly half a century under Wheelock’s leadership, the maker of climate-controlled chambers for scientific research has grown significantly. In 2000 Percival relocated from Boone to Perry and expanded their product line to offer more than 100 chamber models, including proprietary lighting and control systems.
Under Wheelock, Percival not only increased its global market reach to customers in 89 countries, but it more than doubled in floor space and gained 10% more staff with a $3.5 million expansion completed earlier this year.
“I’m thrilled that Jake is joining Percival as its next CEO,” Wheelock said. “I am confident that he will continue to build on our rich history and is the perfect person to lead the company now and well into the future. I look forward to retirement knowing Percival is in great hands.”
Oakland comes to Percival with 16 years of management and engineering experience at John Deere, where he managed more than 500 employees in the areas of operations and manufacturing engineering. His background includes roles as an assembly manufacturing engineer, production supervisor, project manager, manufacturing engineering supervisor/manager and a business unit manager with a staff of 280 people.
“I’m very pleased and excited to be joining the great team at Percival Scientific,” said Oakland. “Percival has an excellent group of people who have delivered value to our customers. They have established a great product offering of world-class climate-controlled equipment using inhouse design and manufacturing. Gary Wheelock has done a great job developing his team and the business. He will be missed. I look forward to extending his efforts by continuing to work with the team to deliver top-notch products, develop our product offering and lead the team to more successes in the future.”
Percival Scientific was founded in 1886 in Des Moines as Percival Manufacturing and prospered selling refrigerated food display cases. In the early 1950s, at the request of Iowa State University, the company created the first commercially available plant growth chamber, eventually changing its name to Percival Scientific.
Today Percival designs and manufactures more than 100 models of controlled environment chambers for research in the plant and life sciences. The company’s products are a preferred choice of universities, government research institutions and biotechnology companies across the U.S. and in 89 countries worldwide.
To learn more about Percival Scientific and its products, visit the company’s website.
