# Tom Pientok

> Tom Pientok is president and CEO of Folience, a Cedar Rapids-based employee-owned holding company. A former leader of Apache Inc. and Timberline Manufacturing, he has spent decades managing employee-owned industrial businesses and serves on corporate boards and the Iowa Center for Employee Ownership Advisory Council.

- **Role:** President & CEO at Folience
- **Organizations:** Folience, Timberline Manufacturing, Apache Inc., Benchmark, Inc., Rinderknecht Associates, Inc., Electrical Equipment Company, Mi-T-M Corporation, Iowa Center for Employee Ownership, Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Business and Economics, Coe College, MBA in Finance and Operations Management, University of Iowa
- **Known for:** Timberline revenue more than doubled during his 2018–2025 tenure, according to his 2026 conference biography., Led Timberline during the opening of a 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Marion in 2019., Helped guide roughly six acquisitions at Apache before its 2017 sale.

## Career timeline

- **1985** — Graduated from Coe College.
- **1991** — Earned an MBA from the University of Iowa.
- **2012** — Explained Apache’s name change and shift toward distributor, dealer, and OEM channels while leading the company.
- **2013** — Joined Timberline Manufacturing’s board.
- **2017** — Joined the Folience board; Apache was sold to Motion Industries.
- **2018** — Became president and CEO of Timberline Manufacturing.
- **2019** — Became Folience board chair; Timberline opened its new Marion facility.
- **2022** — Timberline received a $500,000 Manufacturing 4.0 grant during his leadership.
- **2025-02** — Began serving as Folience’s part-time interim CEO.
- **2025-05** — Retired from Timberline on May 2 and joined Benchmark’s board.
- **2025-06** — Became Folience president and CEO effective June 1.
- **2025-12** — During his tenure, Folience’s sale of The Gazette and 11 community newspaper titles to Adams MultiMedia became effective December 1.

## Achievements

- Timberline revenue more than doubled during his 2018–2025 tenure, according to his 2026 conference biography.
- Led Timberline during the opening of a 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Marion in 2019.
- Helped guide roughly six acquisitions at Apache before its 2017 sale.
- Appointed president and CEO of Folience after years as a director and board chair.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Listed as a speaker for the Iowa Center for Employee Ownership’s 2026 annual conference.
- **2026-01** — Coverage of The Gazette’s new publisher confirmed its December 2025 sale from Folience to Adams MultiMedia.
- **2025-09** — Featured in ESOPOD episode 17, released September 5, 2025.
- **2025-06** — Appointed president and CEO of Folience effective June 1.

## Links

- Website: https://folience.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-pientok-4876a57

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tom-pientok
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09