Global industrial company Standard Industries and GAF, North America’s largest roofing manufacturer and a division of Standard Industries’ Standard Building Solutions, said Tuesday that John Barkhouse was named chief executive officer of GAF, effective Jan.1, 2026. Current CEO John Altmeyer will transition to the role of executive chairman of GAF at that time.
Since joining GAF as president last year, Barkhouse has led manufacturing, supply chain, and research and development for GAF’s residential and commercial divisions.
Prior to working at GAF, Barkhouse was president and CEO of CabinetWorks Group, the country’s largest privately owned cabinet maker. He started his career at Caterpillar, where he spent nearly two decades and established operational systems and processes. More recently, Barkhouse held senior leadership positions at Brookfield Asset Management and CEO roles at Clarios and Newalta Corp.
“John Barkhouse is a world-class operator with a hands-on approach, a strong understanding of the business and a proven track record of driving operational excellence,” said David Winter and David Millstone, co-CEOs of Standard Industries. “His focus on continuous improvement, standardization, safety and culture has already had a tremendous impact on the business, and we are excited for him to lead the company in its next chapter.”
Altmeyer joined GAF in 2021 as executive chairman of the commercial business and was appointed CEO of GAF in 2023. During his tenure, GAF experienced strong growth and made important investments in new commercial plants in Valdosta, Ga., and Peru, Ill., as well as a new residential plant in Newton, Kan. He also oversaw the integration of GAF and GAF Energy, GAF’s solar roofing business unit.
“We are tremendously grateful to John Altmeyer for his extraordinary leadership and vision,” said Millstone and Winter. “He has transformed GAF by growing the commercial business into an industry leader and optimizing the residential business, all while building upon GAF’s best-in-class service, product innovation, and focus on customer relationships. John Altmeyer and John Barkhouse have been working in close collaboration in advance of the transition, and we are confident the change will be steady and seamless.”
Standard Industries is a New York City-based privately held global industrial company with businesses spanning building solutions and specialty chemicals and annual revenues of approximately $11 billion. Across its platform, Standard has more than 20,000 employees in about 50 countries.
