Brooks Safety Solutions Announces Leadership Transition

Garland Williams named CEO; Sean Kramer joins as President; Eric Smith transitions to Board of Directors

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brooks Safety Solutions (BSS), the nation's premier fire, life safety & security (FLS) solutions provider, today announced two appointments that position the company for its next phase of growth. Garland Williams has been appointed as the company's new CEO, and Sean Kramer has been appointed President, both effective today. Eric Smith, who has served as CEO since 2010, will remain a member of the Board of Directors and continue to provide strategic guidance and oversight.

"I am excited to join BSS as CEO at a time of significant growth and opportunity," said Williams. "Eric's leadership has been instrumental in building a high-performing business with strong momentum. I'm honored to partner with him, our board, and the talented BSS team to write this next chapter. My focus will be on continuing BSS' trajectory, strengthening our operational backbone, investing in our people, and ensuring we deliver unmatched value and reliability for our customers."

With these changes in leadership, BSS will continue to benefit from Smith's expertise and experience, while at the same time benefit from the infusion of new ideas and energy, as well as strong commercial and operational leadership from Williams and Kramer.

Williams joins Brooks after nearly three decades with Ferguson Enterprises, a leading North American distributor of plumbing, HVAC, and building products. At Ferguson, he held senior leadership roles overseeing $20 billion in revenue across multiple business lines. During his tenure, he advanced through a series of commercial and operational roles – including Outside Sales Representative, Branch Manager, Sales Manager, District Manager, and multiple Vice President positions – culminating in his appointment as Senior Vice President and Executive Committee member. He brings a proven track record of driving enterprise-wide performance, including market expansion, operational transformation and enhanced customer experience. 

Sean Kramer brings over two decades of experience driving scalable growth, digital transformation and operational excellence within distribution and service-based businesses. Most recently, he served as Chief Digital Officer at Artera Services, and prior to that as Executive Vice President of Digital & Technology at SiteOne Landscape Supply, where he built and scaled the company's digital and IT functions. His earlier career includes technology leadership roles with Volkswagen Group of America and Stellantis.

"Garland's strong leadership and track record leading growth-oriented organizations, combined with Sean's proven ability to drive growth and operational excellence, create a powerful leadership combination for BSS," said Smith. "Together, they bring the commercial discipline, innovative mindset, and executional rigor to build on the company's strong foundation and continue to deliver exceptional value to our customers and OEM partners. It has been an honor and a privilege to lead this company and I'm very much looking forward to working with Garland and Sean to ensure a smooth transition and help position the company for sustained success."

With this transition, Brooks Safety Solutions strengthens its leadership bench and underscores its commitment to operational excellence, customer success, and technology-enabled growth across its national platform.

About Brooks Safety Solutions:
Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Brooks Safety Solutions is the nation's premier fire, life safety & security solutions provider. Brooks Safety Solutions delivers value to its customers, vendors, and the broader fire safety industry through its brands: Brooks Equipment, Commercial Fire, ESC Central, ESC Supply, Heiser Logistics, L&J Fire Equipment, Logistics Supply, Water Specialties Company, and the FED Learning Center. The company offers life-saving products through 22 distribution centers, a multi-location program management system, and customer education and training. BSS serves as a one-stop shop for both service providers and OEMs, offering a comprehensive suite of FLS products and service categories, including suppression, alarms, safety, sprinklers, low-voltage, and monitoring. For further information, please visit www.bss.com.

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SOURCE Brooks Safety Solutions