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AGRU America, Inc. announced today that President and CEO Robert L. Johnson will retire on October 31, 2026, after 30 years at the company. Chief Sales Officer Chris Eichelberger will become AGRU America’s next President and Chief Executive Officer effective November 1, 2026. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Eichelberger will work closely together through the fall.
“It has been an honor and privilege to have been a part of the AGRU success story here in the United States for 30 years and to have been trusted to lead the growth of such a wonderful company,” said Mr. Johnson. “I could not have asked for a better team of executives, department managers, and fantastic employees. They have all contributed greatly to our success. We have come so far from a single extrusion line, one factory, and 25 employees. Soon, we will have seven U.S. manufacturing facilities and 450 employees. The journey with our customers was remarkable, and the friendships we built along the way went beyond anything I could have imagined. I also want to express my utmost gratitude to the Gruber family, whose trust and mentorship over the years have made everything we have accomplished possible.”
“I leave the company in the very capable hands of Mr. Eichelberger,” said Mr. Johnson, “whose attention to the customer experience, critical thinking, and team-building skills will serve him well as he leads AGRU America into new markets and applications. This past year working closely with him on the transition has filled me with confidence in AGRU America’s future.”
“I am enormously grateful for the opportunity to carry AGRU America’s mission forward and serve this amazing organization,” said Mr. Eichelberger. “I have greatly valued the last 11 years, working under and learning from Mr. Johnson, Rick Cannon (previous CSO), and Eddie Douglas (previous EVP of Sales). They laid the foundation for what AGRU America is today. This past year working with Mr. Johnson on the succession has shown me our team’s true capabilities and its tenacity to pursue greatness. I’m genuinely excited to lead our next chapter of growth with the values and vision Mr. Johnson set for this company 30 years ago, which have defined it ever since. He has led with integrity and a moral compass like none other, and he will be missed. I’m equally grateful for the remarkable customers and partners who have grown alongside us; the future is strong, and I look forward to expanding those relationships together.”
Mr. Eichelberger has been with AGRU America since 2015 and brings more than 25 years of experience in the geosynthetics and lining industry. He was named Chief Sales Officer and Executive Vice President of Sales in April 2026, joining the company’s executive leadership team, after serving as Vice President of Geosynthetics Sales from August 2022. He served on the board of the International Association of Geosynthetic Installers and is a graduate of Penn State University.
“Chris has earned this responsibility,” said Mag. Alois Gruber, AGRU’s owner and chairman. “Our family entrusted AGRU America to Robert Johnson for 30 years, and he repaid that trust many times over. In Chris we see the same commitment to our customers and the same understanding of what our name stands for. We are confident in what comes next.”
Four Decades in Engineering Plastics
In March 1985, Mr. Johnson joined Gundle Lining Systems and began his career in engineering plastics and geosynthetics. He came to AGRU America in 1996, when the Gruber family hired him to carry out their vision for the U.S. business. That January, the company relocated its headquarters and manufacturing operations from Massachusetts to Georgetown, SC.
At the time, AGRU America had 25 employees, one factory, and one extrusion line. Over the next three decades, Mr. Johnson led the company through six major expansions and the launch of products and systems including MicroSpike, MicroDrain, and the Integrated Drainage System. He expanded the Georgetown plant steadily from 1996 through the early 2000s. By the mid-2000s, demand for AGRU liner products in the West called for production closer to those customers. In 2008, AGRU America built a factory in Fernley, NV, its second U.S. production facility.
In 2012, Mr. Johnson announced an approximately $40 million multi-year, multi-site expansion plan in South Carolina. This plan included the acquisition of a textile facility in Andrews, SC, to manufacture geotextiles; additional production capacity and storage space at the Georgetown headquarters; and a new factory in Andrews, SC, to produce injection-molded polyethylene fittings. The investments and new jobs brought economic development opportunities to Georgetown and Williamsburg counties, leading to Mr. Johnson receiving several awards, including the Ambassador Award, presented by then-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in 2014.
In 2016, the company began construction of its most ambitious project to date: a pipe production facility in Charleston, SC, capable of producing XXL HDPE solid-wall pressure pipe. Mr. Johnson recalls the day Mag. Gruber walked into his office and said he wanted to make big pipe. Mr. Johnson thought the goal was a 64-inch pipe. Mag. Gruber wanted something far larger: up to 138 inches (3,500 mm) in diameter. Mr. Johnson went to work assembling the teams to bring that vision to life, including engineers and technicians from the parent company’s headquarters in Austria. The Charleston facility opened in 2017 and has since set several records, including production of the largest HDPE solid-wall pressure pipe for a canal enclosure.
Between 2020 and 2024, Mr. Johnson oversaw six additional facility improvements, ranging from equipment upgrades to line restructuring, and refined manufacturing processes across the company’s plants. Equally important was his commitment to giving back to the communities that helped AGRU America grow.
Community Outreach
In 2024, Mr. Johnson launched the “Global Company, Local Impact” campaign, formalizing the company’s outreach efforts, beginning with the Pathways 2 Possibilities event and a pipe-building activity for eighth-grade students.
Community outreach has become an essential part of the company’s workforce development strategy, with formalized internships through Coastal Carolina University’s (CCU) RISE Center, career training through Horry-Georgetown Technical College, and a business development pipeline through CCU’s CoBE Institute.
Passing the Reins
“I have spent my entire career in one industry, the vast majority of it at AGRU America, and have traveled to more than 32 countries,” said Mr. Johnson. “After decades of expansions, growth, new products, and grand openings, I am finally ready to pass the reins and spend time with my family, my grandkids, and my lovely wife of 39 years, Judy, and to travel the world, this time for pleasure. I am excited about the company’s future, which is brighter than ever, and confident that Mr. Eichelberger, our executive leadership team, our great managers, our employees, and the best owners a company could have will take AGRU America to even bigger places as I move on to the next chapter in life.”