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Proto Labs (NYSE: PRLB) adds Chief Commercial Officer as COO plans retirement

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(Moderate)
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(Neutral)
Form Type
8-K

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Proto Labs, Inc. announced an executive leadership transition. Chief Operations Officer Michael R. Kenison plans to retire effective July 1, 2026 after a long tenure helping expand the company’s global manufacturing footprint.

The company appointed Bernardo Parlange as its first Chief Commercial Officer, effective May 18, 2026. In this newly created role, he will lead global commercial strategy across sales, marketing, and customer success, with a focus on revenue growth, stronger strategic customer relationships, and enhancing the customer experience. These changes were detailed in an accompanying press release furnished as an exhibit.

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Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers Governance
Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure Disclosure
Material non-public information disclosed under Regulation Fair Disclosure, often investor presentations or guidance.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.
COO retirement date July 1, 2026 Effective retirement date for Chief Operations Officer Mike Kenison
CCO effective date May 18, 2026 Start date for Chief Commercial Officer Bernardo Parlange
Experience in B2B leadership More than 20 years Parlange’s experience leading B2B industrial commercial teams
Tenure at Ecolab 14 years Time Bernardo Parlange spent in leadership roles at Ecolab
Manufacturing services Four services Operations expanded under Kenison’s leadership
Global factories Nine factories Proto Labs’ global operations footprint mentioned in the release
Manufacturing space More than 1 million sq. ft. Total manufacturing space built during Kenison’s tenure
Chief Commercial Officer financial
"announced the appointment of Bernardo Parlange as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective May 18, 2026"
A chief commercial officer (CCO) is the senior executive responsible for a company’s revenue-generating activities, including sales, marketing, pricing, customer relationships and business development. Think of the CCO as the head coach who builds the game plan to win customers and grow sales; their effectiveness affects how fast a company earns money, enters new markets and sustains profits, making the role a key signal for investors about future revenue and competitive strength.
digital manufacturing services technical
"the world’s leading provider of digital manufacturing services, today announced the appointment"
forward-looking statements regulatory
"Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical or current facts are “forward-looking statements”"
Forward-looking statements are predictions or plans that companies share about what they expect to happen in the future, like estimating sales or profits. They matter because they help investors understand a company's outlook, but since they are based on guesses and assumptions, they can sometimes be wrong.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regulatory
"within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995"
B2B industrial financial
"brings more than 20 years of experience leading B2B industrial commercial teams and scaling organizations"
Understanding 8-K Material Events →
false 0001443669 0001443669 2026-05-06 2026-05-06 iso4217:USD xbrli:shares iso4217:USD xbrli:shares

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 6, 2026

 

Proto Labs, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Minnesota   001-35435   41-1939628
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)		   (Commission File Number)   (IRS Employer
Identification Number)
                 

5540 Pioneer Creek Drive

Maple Plain, Minnesota

   55359
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)
     
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:   (763) 479-3680
     
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
                                           

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

  ¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
     
  ¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
     
  ¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
     
  ¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, Par Value $0.001 Per Share PRLB New York Stock Exchange

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company ¨

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

On May 6, 2026, Proto Labs, Inc. (the “Company”) announced that Michael R. Kenison, Chief Operations Officer, intends to retire effective July 1, 2026. The Company thanks Mr. Kenison for his years of service and wishes him the very best in his retirement.

 

Effective May 18, 2026, Bernardo Parlange was appointed as the Company’s Chief Commercial Officer, a newly created role where Mr. Parlange will oversee the Company’s global commercial strategy, including sales, marketing, and customer success.

  

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

 

On May 7, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing the events described in Item 5.02 above. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

 

In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in that filing.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.   Description
99.1   Press release, dated May 7, 2026
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

  PROTO LABS, INC.
   
Date: May 7, 2026 /s/ Daniel Schumacher
  Daniel Schumacher
  Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Protolabs Strengthens Executive Leadership Team with Appointment of Bernardo Parlange as Chief Commercial Officer

 

Company also Announces Planned Retirement of Chief Operations Officer

 

MINNEAPOLIS, May 7, 2026 — Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB), the world’s leading provider of digital manufacturing services, today announced the appointment of Bernardo Parlange as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective May 18, 2026, reinforcing its leadership team as the company continues to advance its growth strategy.

 

In this newly created role, Parlange will oversee Protolabs’ global commercial strategy, including sales, marketing, and customer success. He will focus on supporting the digital manufacturer’s next phase of growth by strengthening relationships with large strategic customers and deepening engagement across the entire customer base. Additionally, he will be responsible for helping to accelerate revenue performance across all segments, while supporting Protolabs’ broader priorities of elevating the customer experience, fostering innovation, expanding production, and promoting operational efficiency.

 


Parlange brings more than 20 years of experience leading B2B industrial commercial teams and scaling organizations operating in complex, multi-market environments. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Fortrex, a Blackstone portfolio company and leading food safety and hygiene solutions provider serving food manufacturing, food distribution, and retail environments. Prior to Fortrex, Parlange spent 14 years at Ecolab, where he held a variety of leadership roles and a decade before that in project management and engineering positions at ZF Group, a global technology supplier of advanced mobility products and systems.

 

His experience spans traditional industrial environments as well as digital and SaaS-based platforms, and in businesses operating across multiple countries. Throughout his career, he has focused on driving cross-functional alignment, translating customer insights into clear commercial strategies, and implementing the systems needed to deliver consistent, profitable growth.

 

“Bernardo is an exceptional commercial leader who knows how to build and scale high-performing revenue organizations,” said Suresh Krishna, President and CEO of Protolabs. “His track record of leading global businesses will be a strong asset as we enter our next phase of growth. Bernardo will oversee our commercial organization, with the goal of enhancing the customer experience, accelerating innovation in our core services, and expanding our production offerings. With a diverse customer base ranging from large enterprises to small businesses and entrepreneurs, he will focus on deepening engagement, and strengthening our role as a trusted partner across the product life cycle, with an emphasis on driving sustained, profitable growth.”

 

Separately, Protolabs also announced the planned retirement of Mike Kenison, Chief Operations Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Kenison joined Protolabs in 2006 and went on to hold several senior operational leadership roles across the company. During his tenure, Kenison played a significant role in expanding Protolabs’ operations to four manufacturing services, nine global factories, and more than 1 million sq. ft. of manufacturing space.

 

 

 

“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Mike for his exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication to Protolabs and to digital manufacturing over the past two decades,” said Krishna. “His contributions have been instrumental in building and scaling our world-class global operations and positioning the company for continued success. We are grateful for Mike’s commitment and the lasting impact he has made on Protolabs, and we wish him the very best in his retirement.”

 

About Protolabs

 

Protolabs is the world’s fastest manufacturing service enabling companies across every industry to streamline production of quality parts throughout the entire product life cycle. From custom prototyping to end-use production, we support product developers, engineers, and supply chain teams along every phase of their manufacturing journey. Get started now at protolabs.com.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical or current facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the results of Protolabs to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. Certain of these risk factors and others are described in the “Risk Factors” section within reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Protolabs’ future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Protolabs cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Protolabs expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

 

Investor Relations Contacts:

Protolabs

Ryan Johnsrud, 612-225-4873

Senior Manager – Investor Relations and Corporate Development

ryan.johnsrud@protolabs.com

 

Gateway Group, Inc.

949-574-3860

PRLB@gateway-grp.com

 

Media Contacts:

Protolabs

Brent Renneke, 763-479-7704

Corporate Communications Manager

brent.renneke@protolabs.com

 

Skyya

protolabs@skyya.com

 

 

Source: View Original Filing on SEC EDGAR

FAQ

What leadership changes did Proto Labs (PRLB) announce in this 8-K filing?

Proto Labs announced the planned retirement of Chief Operations Officer Mike Kenison effective July 1, 2026, and the appointment of Bernardo Parlange as Chief Commercial Officer effective May 18, 2026, to lead global commercial strategy across sales, marketing, and customer success.

Who is Bernardo Parlange, the new Chief Commercial Officer of Proto Labs (PRLB)?

Bernardo Parlange is an executive with more than 20 years of experience leading B2B industrial commercial teams. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Fortrex and spent 14 years in various leadership roles at Ecolab, plus earlier engineering roles at ZF Group.

What will the new Chief Commercial Officer at Proto Labs (PRLB) be responsible for?

As Chief Commercial Officer, Bernardo Parlange will oversee Proto Labs’ global commercial strategy, including sales, marketing, and customer success. His responsibilities include accelerating revenue performance, deepening engagement with large strategic and smaller customers, and supporting priorities such as innovation, expanded production, and operational efficiency.

When is Proto Labs (PRLB) COO Mike Kenison retiring and what has he contributed?

Chief Operations Officer Mike Kenison plans to retire effective July 1, 2026. Since joining Proto Labs in 2006, he helped expand operations to four manufacturing services, nine global factories, and more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing space, supporting the company’s global scale.

How does Proto Labs (PRLB) describe its business in this disclosure?

Proto Labs describes itself as the world’s fastest manufacturing service, helping companies across industries produce quality parts from prototyping to end-use production. It supports product developers, engineers, and supply chain teams throughout the product life cycle using digital manufacturing services.

Does the Proto Labs (PRLB) press release include forward-looking statements?

Yes. The press release includes forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, noting risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ. It directs readers to risk factors in SEC reports and disclaims any obligation to update those statements.

Filing Exhibits & Attachments

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Press Releases

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