Former CEO of PGT lands new top role with Michigan cabinet giant

Former PGT Innovations CEO Jeff Jackson, some two months after the Venice window maker was acquired by a Pennsylvania company in a $3.1 billion deal, has landed a new top executive position. 

Jackson was named CEO of Livonia, Michigan-based Cabinetworks Group, which bills itself as the country’s largest privately owned cabinet manufacturer, with 8,000 employees; 24 locations, including 18 manufacturing facilities; and 19 brands. Jackson succeeds John Barkhouse, who has transitioned into an advisory role and will continue helping Jackson and the company in the near term, according to a statement from the company. Beverly Hills-based Platinum Equity acquired Cabinetworks, based outside Detroit, in 2021. 

“Jeff is an inspiring and accomplished leader who has substantial experience leading operations and financial strategy, developing organizational capability, and improving business performance,” Platinum EquityManaging Director Christian Cook says in the release. “He knows the building products sector inside out, has a diverse skill set, and can lead with a steady hand across multiple economic cycles. We are excited to have Jeff on board.”

Jackson joined PGT Innovations, one of the leading window and door manufacturers in the country, in November 2005 as vice president and CFO. In 2006, he helped lead the company's IPO and was later named executive vice president before becoming president and COO in 2014. He was promoted to CEO in 2018. He currently serves on the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority board. He’s also on the board for Smith Douglas Homes, an Atlanta-based homebuilder, and Astec Industries, a maker of heavy machinery and road-building equipment. (Jackson was a guest on the Business Observer's From the Corner Office podcast last July, where he talked about his career and leadership lessons.) 

In a Wednesday afternoon text to the Business Observer, Jackson says he will maintain a home in the area while also commuting during the week to both the company’s Michigan headquarters and its plants across the country.

“I’m thrilled about the opportunity to join Cabinetworks at such an important time for our company and the building products industry,” Jackson says in the release. “I believe our business has enormous potential. We have an array of brands with reputations for quality, reliability and the right selection to meet the needs of any customer. I look forward to working with the talented and dedicated team of professionals at Cabinetworks to deliver industry-leading solutions, excellent services, and product innovations to our customers.”

PGT meanwhile, was founded in 1980. Harrisburg-based window and door manufacturer Miter Brands acquired the company in March, after a process that included at least one other suitor and dated back to late 2023. Miter paid $3.1 billion for PGT, which has 2,000 employees and revenue of $1.5 billion in 2023.