Bell Helicopter names Mitch Synder as new CEO

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Bell Helicopter executive vice president Mitch Snyder will take over as CEO as John Garrison steps down from the post, Bell's parent company Textron announced on Thursday.

Garrison, who will be joining Terex Corporation as president and CEO following his departure from Bell Helicopter, held the post since 2009. Snyder joined Bell in 2004, leading several of the company's strategic initiatives including the the V-22 Osprey program. He also held leadership positions with Lockheed Martin.

"Mitch steps into the leadership position during one of the most exciting times in Bell's history," said Textron chairman and CEO Scott C. Donnelly in a statement. "He will focus on extending the great success we've built for established programs like the V-22 and H-1 military programs, while also growing our strong pipeline of new products such as the 525 Relentless, 505 Jet Ranger X and the V-280 Valor -- to name just a few."

Donnelly also thanked Garrison for his service to the company. Star-Telegram reports a drop in sales has led to Bell cutting hundreds of jobs in 2015.

Bell Helicopter is a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. The company specializes in military manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft, and serves customers in over 120 countries. In addition to Bell, Textron oversees Textron Systems, Cessna, Beechcraft, and a number of other businesses that produce aviation, defense and industrial products.