Honeywell president Chris Gentile will retire

The president of Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, Chris Gentile, will retire March 18, the company said.

Gentile, 57, had been with the company 26 years serving “our country’s national security mission,” Honeywell said in a release. “He led the business through one of the largest U.S. industrial moves ahead of schedule and under budget.”

The company manages the Department of Energy’s National Security Campus, which moved from the former Bannister Federal Complex to its new 177-acre site in south Kansas City. The federal government contracts with Honeywell to oversee the site, which produces non-nuclear parts for nuclear weaponry.

Besides overseeing that move, Honeywell said, Gentile led the company when it won renewal of its contract to run the site. The $900 million annual contract, which started last October, is for five years with five additional one-year options, so it could cover the next decade.

In a statement to employees, Gentile said: “The future of Honeywell FM&T couldn’t be more secure, and I could not be more proud to have worked with the people at the National Security Campus. I will always be grateful for the opportunities given to me at Honeywell for a challenging career, a great group of people to work with and a meaningful mission.”

Gentile’s time at Honeywell wasn’t all spent in Kansas City. He returned as president of Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies in early 2011 after nearly two years away at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. Before taking the Savannah River assignment, his posts at Honeywell in Kansas City included vice president of National Security Programs and leadership positions in business development and strategic planning, materials engineering and technical services.

Gentile has a master’s in business administration from the Rockhurst College Executive Fellows program and a bachelor’s in biology from Central Missouri State University.

Honeywell said Gentile also is “a strong advocate for math and science education” and served on the boards of several civic organizations, including groups promoting science, technology, engineering and math education, and careers.

He said he plans to stay in the area and keep active through his board work and promoting STEM education.

The company said it expects to name Gentile’s successor soon.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Honeywell president Chris Gentile will retire."