NewAge Industries, Inc. (NAI), parent company of AdvantaPure, NewAge Performance Products, and Verigenics, announced today that Ken Baker has officially completed his transition from President and CEO, a role he held since 1984. Baker, who succeeded his father and company founder Ray Baker, will remain on the Board of Directors. Mary Marcus, who assumed the role of permanent President and CEO in December 2024, now leads the global organization.
Baker was honored on May 8, 2026, during a celebration at Spring Mill Manor in Ivyland, Pennsylvania, attended by over 300 family members, peers, and current and former team members. The event included the annual ESOP share price announcement, highlighting Baker's commitment to employee ownership. Under his leadership, NAI transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) structure in 2006, and today employees own 100 percent of the company. Baker championed the belief that employee-owners are more invested in long-term success, and he co-founded the Pennsylvania Center for Employee Ownership.
Baker's tenure also saw significant environmental initiatives. NAI powered its corporate headquarters and an additional Bucks County manufacturing facility with solar energy from thousands of onsite solar panels, contributing to an EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating. The company also became a Certified B Corporation and earned ISO-9001 certification.
Under Baker's leadership, NAI expanded into the high-purity market with the AdvantaPure product line, supporting demand for tubing and hose solutions in critical applications such as vaccine development and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The company also continued serving industrial markets through the NewAge Performance Products line. In 2024, NAI opened a manufacturing facility in Coevorden, Netherlands, following a sales office in Hong Kong in 2023, adding to existing operations in Germany and Brazil.
Baker's philanthropic efforts include support for WHYY in Philadelphia and ACT II Playhouse in Ambler, Pennsylvania. He also founded the Center of Excellence for Employee Ownership at the Montgomery County Community College Foundation. His retirement marks the end of an era for NAI, which has been in business since 1954 and designs, manufactures, and distributes fluid transfer systems for high-purity pharmaceutical, biopharma, and industrial markets.
