Dear BW IT Team Members,

Don Hanson, Infor XA Support Team Leader, will retire on December 31, after 36 years of service with Barry-Wehmiller. Don, who is based in Wisconsin, is an esteemed colleague and appreciated peer by many, and it has been a great honor for many of our IT team members to have worked directly with him over the years. 

Don began his career with BW in 1989 as a Programmer/Analyst for BW Papersystems (Marquip, Inc.). Over the years, he has served as a Senior Programmer/Analyst, a corporate ERP Developer, and an XA Project Manager. He brought a substantial track record of delivering successful projects across the company’s Infor XA environments, alongside a passion for developing and mentoring team members. 

Don’s leader, Claude Stoltz (Director, Enterprise Application Support), has worked alongside Don for nearly 25 years. Reflecting on some memorable projects across BW’s platforms, Claude said that one of their earliest collaborations was the transitioning of St. Louis Operations into the Marquip Infor XA environment in Phillips, Wisconsin. Since then, Don has contributed to countless initiatives, including the XA Release 7 and 9 upgrades (his personal favorite); the BW Backlog application (for which he handled finance audits, project management, multiple deployments, and off-hour support); and ultimately the creation of our Enterprise Application Support Team for Infor XA. 

Throughout his career, Claude has seen Don exemplify what it means to be a true IT professional, earning the trust and respect of both IT colleagues across the platforms and the broader XA user community. Don’s undeniable work ethic and dedication, and his stewardship of the Guiding Principles of Leadership, have left a lasting impact. 

Claude and John Simon (ERP Process Expert) with Don in 2010 (left to right). 

Claude shared, “We are deeply grateful for all that Don has accomplished for Barry-Wehmiller. He will be greatly missed by his peers, and with heartfelt appreciation, we wish him continued health, happiness, and fulfillment in retirement.”

We also asked Don what fond memory he has of his time at BW. He shared that there has been so much in the last 36 years that it would be hard to pick a specific memory, but added, “The IT team has always been like a second family to me, and I have made so many lifelong friends along the way. That is the part that I will cherish the most.”

During his retirement, Don plans to enjoy camping and riding his motorcycle with his wife. He has also built a woodworking shop and is excited to have more time to spend there working on various projects. 

Today, we proudly congratulate and send best wishes to Don as he begins his retirement journey. Please join us in recognizing and thanking him for his remarkable contributions here at Barry-Wehmiller. 

Sincerely,

Frank Lanuto

Chief Information Officer, Barry-Wehmiller