03/20/2026
Today, we pause together as a community to honor the life and legacy of our founder, Bob Chapman.
His vision was never just about building a business. It was about building a world where people feel seen, valued, and heard. A world where leadership is measured not by results alone, but by how we care for one another.
Because of him, our culture is not something we simply talk about; it is something we live every day in our workplaces, our schools, and our communities.
His belief was clear: when people feel cared for, they thrive, and when people thrive, performance follows. That belief continues to guide us.
While we feel the weight of this loss, we also feel a deep responsibility and a profound honor to carry his work forward. This is how we honor him, not just in words, but in action, not just in remembrance, but in how we lead every day.
His legacy lives on in each of us. And together, we will continue the work of building a more caring world.
It is with profound sadness that Barry-Wehmiller announces the death of its Chairman of the Board, Robert H. Chapman.
Bob Chapman was more than a business leader, author and speaker, he was a relentless optimist who dedicated his life to building a better world. He worked to redefine what it meant to be a leader in business, to further the understanding that it was an awesome responsibility because the way we lead impacts the way people live. He worked tirelessly to bring more caring to business and built the foundation for Barry-Wehmiller to champion new definitions for success in business: by demonstrating that economic growth and human vibrancy can exist in harmony.
Bob became CEO of a struggling Barry-Wehmiller in 1975 upon the death of his father, William Chapman. At the time, the company was a $20 million supplier of equipment for the brewing industry. As of 2025, when Bob handed the reigns of the business to his son Kyle, the current President and CEO, Barry-Wehmiller had become a $3.6 billion-plus global powerhouse with 12,000 team members and a portfolio spanning industrial and packaging automation, professional services, and life sciences technology.
Beyond his business acumen, in the late 1990s into the 2000s, Bob underwent a personal transformation that changed his thinking from that of traditional “management” to what would later be called Truly Human Leadership.
He then spent the last 15 years of his life sharing the lessons of his transformation by writing prolifically and speaking to audiences around the world.
Bob once answered a question of what he would want his eulogy to say with: “He genuinely cared for the people whose lives he had the privilege of touching.” He often said he would not go to his grave proud of the equipment built or services provided at Barry-Wehmiller but, instead, the people who built them.
Everyone in the Barry-Wehmiller family is proud to have been part of Bob’s span of care and our thoughts are with his beloved wife Cynthia and the entire Chapman family at this time.
Read the entire statement: https://www.barrywehmiller.com/news/company-news/release/barry-wehmiller-announces-the-passing-of-chairman-bob-chapman
