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, company founder Ray Baker, who established the company in 1954. He will remain on the Board of Directors to support the organization's governance. Mary Marcus assumed the permanent role of President and CEO in December 2024, as previously announced.
Baker was honored on May 8, 2026, at a celebration attended by over 300 guests, including family, peers, and current and former team members, at Spring Mill Manor in Ivyland, PA. The event coincided with the annual ESOP share price announcement.
During his tenure, Baker was instrumental in advancing the company's commitment to sustainability and employee ownership. Under his leadership, NAI implemented significant environmental initiatives, including powering its corporate headquarters and an additional manufacturing facility in Bucks County through solar energy generated by thousands of onsite solar panels. These efforts helped the company achieve an EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating.
Baker also oversaw the expansion into the high-purity market with the formation of the AdvantaPure product line, which supports demand for tubing and hose solutions in critical processing applications such as vaccine development and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Meanwhile, the company continued serving industrial markets through its NewAge Performance Products industrial line.
In 2024, NAI expanded its global footprint with a manufacturing facility in Coevorden, Netherlands, following a sales office in Hong Kong in 2023, adding to existing operations in Germany and Brazil.
A strong advocate of employee ownership, Baker began transitioning NAI to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) structure in 2006. Today, employees own 100 percent of the organization. He championed the belief that employees with a direct ownership stake are more invested in long-term success. Baker is also co-founder and Chairman of the Pennsylvania Center for Employee Ownership.
Beyond business, Baker remains active in philanthropic and community initiatives, supporting organizations such as WHYY in Philadelphia and ACT II Playhouse in Ambler, PA. He founded the Center of Excellence for Employee Ownership at the Montgomery County Community College Foundation.
NewAge Industries, founded in 1954, designs, manufactures, and distributes fluid transfer systems solutions for high-purity pharmaceutical, biopharma, and industrial markets. The company is ISO-9001 certified, 100% employee-owned, and has earned an EcoVadis Platinum Sustainability Rating and Certified B Corporation status.
