Ferguson Enterprises made a major news splash in late March with three announcements, including its first-half fiscal 2017 performance, the name change of parent company Wolseley plc to Ferguson plc, and the retirement of CEO Frank Roach and the naming of COO Kevin Murphy as his replacement as the company’s sixth CEO effective Aug. 1. Roach started with Ferguson in 1976 as part of its employee training program, while Murphy, the company’s COO since 2007, has been with Ferguson since the national distributor purchased his family’s business, Midwest Pipe and Supply, in 1999.
Supply House Times traveled to corporate headquarters in Newport News, Va., recently to speak to Roach and Murphy about the seamless leadership transition, what the future holds for Ferguson and the company’s thoughts on the current business environment.