Optex Systems Holdings Announces Chad George as Chief Executive Officer
Rhea-AI Summary
Optex Systems Holdings (Nasdaq:OPXS) announced that Chad George will become President and Chief Executive Officer effective December 20, 2025. Mr. George was previously President and will assume full executive leadership and a seat on the board.
Mr. George has 20+ years in defense manufacturing and operations, with prior roles at Leonardo DRS and Raytheon, and holds a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering and an MBA. Outgoing CEO Danny Schoening, after 13 years as CEO, will remain on the board as Chairman.
Positive
- CEO transition effective December 20, 2025
- Chad George appointed to the board
- 20+ years of defense manufacturing and operations experience
- Outgoing CEO remains as Chairman maintaining board continuity
Negative
- Leadership change after 13 years as CEO introduces succession risk
- New CEO will need to execute strategic shifts while preserving operations
News Market Reaction 2 Alerts
On the day this news was published, OPXS declined 4.88%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction. Our momentum scanner triggered 2 alerts that day, indicating moderate trading interest and price volatility. This price movement removed approximately $5M from the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $93M at that time.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
OPXS was down 5.04% with several peers also lower: CODA (-2.39%), DPRO (-6.12%), HOVR (-2.75%), and VWAV (-2.01%), while MOB rose 1.39%. Scanner data did not flag a coordinated sector momentum move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 03 | Earnings call notice | Neutral | +5.1% | Announced date and access details for Q4 2025 earnings call. |
| Aug 12 | Quarterly results | Positive | -6.5% | Reported strong Q3 2025 revenue and net income growth with higher backlog. |
| Aug 11 | Management change | Positive | -6.1% | Named Chad George as President to drive growth and adjacent markets. |
| Aug 05 | Contract award | Positive | +8.8% | Won $1.6M laser-protected periscope order, backlog moved above $45M. |
| Aug 04 | Earnings call notice | Neutral | +3.5% | Scheduled fiscal 2025 Q3 earnings call and outlined access information. |
Recent history shows mixed reactions: a contract win drew a strong positive move, while strong quarterly financials and a prior leadership appointment saw negative reactions, indicating the stock has not consistently rewarded positive fundamental or management news.
Over the last six months, OPXS reported multiple operational and financial milestones. A $1.6 million periscope award in August 2025 coincided with a +8.79% move, while strong Q3 2025 financial highlights on Aug 12, 2025 saw shares fall 6.54%. The appointment of Chad George as President on Aug 11, 2025 was followed by a 6.14% decline. Earnings call scheduling in August and December produced modest gains. Today’s CEO promotion follows this ongoing transition of leadership responsibility to George.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement confirms a continued leadership transition, with Chad George moving from President to President and CEO effective December 20, 2025 and joining the board while the prior CEO remains Chairman. It builds on his prior appointment in August 2025 and long defense-operations background. In context of earlier contract wins and solid Q3 2025 results, investors may watch how strategic priorities, backlog, and margin trends evolve under his full executive authority.
Jargon Translator
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
RICHARDSON, TX / ACCESS Newswire / December 8, 2025 / Optex Systems Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:OPXS), a leading manufacturer of precision optical sighting systems for domestic and global military and commercial applications, is pleased to announce the promotion of Chad George to President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 20, 2025. Mr. George previously served as President and will now assume full executive leadership of the organization.
Mr. George brings an extensive record of operational excellence, strategic vision, and defense industry expertise to his new role. Before joining Optex, Mr. George served in senior operations and supply chain leadership roles within the defense industry, most recently as Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain at Leonardo DRS, where he successfully streamlined production processes and enhanced strategic sourcing capabilities. His background also includes impactful roles at Raytheon, where he developed a strong foundation in defense manufacturing and operational strategy.
Mr. George began his professional career as a manufacturing engineer for Raytheon, then transitioned to the consumer goods sector for Dr. Pepper for 4 years before returning to the defense sector, in which he has spent more than 20 years throughout his career.
He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas, equipping him with both the technical expertise and strategic insight necessary to lead Optex into its next phase of expansion.
"Chad has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a clear strategic vision since joining Optex," said Danny Schoening, outgoing CEO of Optex Systems Holdings. "His deep understanding of defense manufacturing, his operational leadership, and most importantly, his commitment to innovation makes him the ideal choice to guide Optex forward. After 13 years as serving as CEO, I am delighted to transition stewardship of Optex to Chad. I have the utmost confidence that under his leadership, the company will continue to strengthen its position as a leader in defense optics and prosper."
"I am honored to step into the role of Chief Executive Officer," said Chad George, President and CEO of Optex Systems Holdings. "Optex has a proud legacy of delivering mission-critical optical systems, and I look forward to expanding our product portfolio, advancing our technological capabilities, and exploring adjacent markets to create new opportunities for growth. I am excited to lead this exceptional team into the future."
In his role as President and CEO, Mr. George will oversee the company's strategic direction, drive innovation across product lines, and continue efforts to expand Optex's presence in both core and emerging market verticals. As part of this transition Mr. George has also been appointed to Optex's board of directors. Mr. Schoening will continue to serve on the board in his role as Chairman for Optex Systems Holdings, Inc.
ABOUT OPTEX SYSTEMS HOLDINGS
Optex, which was founded in 1987, is a Richardson, Texas based ISO 9001:2015 certified concern, which manufactures optical sighting systems and assemblies, primarily for Department of Defense (DOD) applications. Its products are installed on various types of U.S. military land vehicles, such as the Abrams and Bradley fighting vehicles, Light Armored and Armored Security Vehicles, and have been selected for installation on the Stryker family of vehicles. Optex also manufactures and delivers numerous periscope configurations, rifle and surveillance sights, and night vision optical assemblies. Optex delivers its products both directly to the military services and to prime contractors. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.optexsys.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including those relating to the products and services described herein. You can identify these statements by the use of the words "may," "will," "could," "should," "would," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," "likely," "forecast," "probable," and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, continued funding of defense programs and military spending, the timing of such funding, general economic and business conditions, including unforeseen weakness in the Company's markets, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, changes in the U.S. Government's interpretation of federal procurement rules and regulations, changes in spending due to policy changes in any new federal presidential administration, market acceptance of the Company's products, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, inability to fully realize the expected benefits from acquisitions and restructurings or delays in realizing such benefits, challenges in integrating acquired businesses and achieving anticipated synergies, changes to export regulations, increases in tax rates, changes to generally accepted accounting principles, difficulties in retaining key employees and customers, unanticipated costs under fixed-price service and system integration engagements, changes in the market for microcap stocks regardless of growth and value and various other factors beyond our control.
You must carefully consider any such statement and should understand that many factors could cause actual results to differ from the Company's forward-looking statements. These factors include inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of other risks and uncertainties, including some that are known and some that are not. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. You should carefully evaluate such statements in light of factors described in the Company's filings with the SEC, especially on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. In various filings the Company has identified important factors that could cause actual results to differ from expected or historic results. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, you should not consider any such list to be a complete list of all potential risks or uncertainties.
Contact:
IR@optexsys.com
(972) 764-5718
SOURCE: Optex Systems Holdings, Inc.
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
FAQ
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