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 succeeded his father and company founder, Ray Baker, who established the company in 1954. He will remain actively involved in the governance of the organization as a member of the Board of Directors. As previously announced, Mary Marcus assumed the role as permanent President and CEO in December of 2024.
Baker was honored on May 8, 2026, during a celebration at Spring Mill Manor in Ivyland, PA, attended by over 300 guests, including family, peers, and current and previous team members. The event coincided with the company’s annual ESOP share price announcement. During his tenure, Baker was instrumental in laying the foundation for the company’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and employee ownership.
Under Baker’s leadership, NAI implemented significant environmental initiatives, including powering both its corporate headquarters and an additional manufacturing facility in Bucks County through solar energy generated by thousands of onsite solar panels. These efforts helped the company achieve an EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating. It was also during Baker’s leadership that NAI expanded into the high-purity market with the formation of the AdvantaPure product line, developed to support increasing demand for tubing and hose solutions used in critical processing applications, including vaccine development and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, while continuing to serve a broad range of industrial markets through the NewAge Performance Products industrial line.
In 2024, the company further expanded its global footprint with the opening of a manufacturing facility in Coevorden, Netherlands, following the establishment of a sales office in Hong Kong in 2023, adding to existing operations in Germany and Brazil. A strong advocate of employee ownership, Baker was committed to ensuring the company remained independent and employee-focused. In 2006, he began transitioning NAI to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) structure. Today, employees own 100 percent of the organization. Baker consistently championed the belief that employees who have a direct ownership stake in a company are more invested in its long-term success. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of the Pennsylvania Center for Employee Ownership.
Beyond his business leadership, Baker remains active in a variety of philanthropic and community initiatives. He has supported organizations including WHYY in Philadelphia, PA, and ACT II Playhouse in Ambler, PA. He also founded the Center of Excellence for Employee Ownership at the Montgomery County Community College Foundation. In business since 1954, NewAge Industries, Inc. is an ISO-9001 certified, 100% employee-owned corporation (ESOP) that has earned a Platinum EcoVadis Sustainability Rating and is also a Certified B Corporation.
