Appelgate has advised Holley since 2018 as head of mergers and acquisitions, the company said.
“Over the last two quarters, supply chain constraints have prevented us from building and shipping our products in the volumes needed to satisfy the demand we’ve seen from our enthusiast consumers and resellers,” said Tom Tomlinson, Holley’s president and CEO. “Supply chain driven production inefficiencies along with inflationary pressures on many of our costs are further depressing our margins. Brian is a performance aftermarket industry veteran with a wealth of operating experience. He is a known quantity to our team and we are excited to partner with Brian to drive near-term improvement in our operating performance.”
Appelgate has extensive experience in branded enthusiast consumer products, manufacturing and distribution in private, private equity, and public market environments, the company said. He has served on multiple boards in the industry and is a former chairman of the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA). Appelgate has advised Holley as Head of M&A since 2018 and prior to advising Holley, was president & chief executive officer of Driven Performance Brands.
“Over the last four years my involvement with Holley as Head of M&A has allowed me to develop a thorough understanding of the business and become well acquainted with its people. I’m excited to have the opportunity to further partner with the Holley team and look forward to driving near-term improvements in operating performance,” said Appelgate.
As Interim COO, Appelgate will be focused on driving near-term improvement in end-to-end supply chain, manufacturing and engineering functional areas, the company said.
