Vehicle Service Group (VSG) has named Kirk Dawson vice president and general manager of the Americas effective Dec. 1, 2018.

VSG is the parent company of 13 leading brands in the vehicle lift, wheel service and collision repair markets including Rotary, Chief, Forward, Ravaglioli and Direct-Lift. Dawson takes over from Matt Webster, who is retiring after 35 years with the company.

In his new role, Dawson will be responsible for VSG’s commercial business in North and South America, where he will be based at the manufacturer’s American headquarters in Madison, Ind. Dawson reports to Niclas Ytterdahl, president of VSG.

“Matt has been a tremendous asset to VSG as his leadership helped us grow from a North American niche manufacturer to a global enterprise,” said Ytterdahl. “He will be truly missed. However, with Kirk’s resume of commercial successes, his knowledge of our marketplace and his passion for our customers, we are well positioned to continue to successfully grow in the Americas.”

Dawson joined VSG as vice president of heavy duty in 2012 and was promoted to vice president of lifting equipment in November 2016. Prior to that, he held a number of positions at Cummins Inc. in customer-facing roles within their engineering, marketing, sales, customer service and distribution organizations. Dawson graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.