Mr. Wheeler became executive chairman of A. O. Smith on July 1, 2025, having served as chairman from 2020 and as president and chief executive officer from 2018 to 2025. As executive chairman he continues to lead the company's Board of Directors and remains actively involved in strategic development, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations and executive talent development.
He joined the company in 1994 as a regional sales manager and held positions of increasing responsibility, including managing director of its European operations and senior vice president leading its North America, India and Europe water heating business, then the company's largest operating unit. He also serves on the board of Graco Inc.