Tennant (NYSE: TNC) promotes Rusty Zay to COO role from CCO
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Tennant Company has appointed Richard H. (Rusty) Zay as Chief Operating Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Zay is an internal promotion, currently serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer and a member of the leadership team since 2010.
To recognize his increased responsibilities and support retention, the board’s Compensation Committee approved additional equity awards with a total value of $400,000, split evenly between restricted stock units and performance-based restricted stock units on the same terms as 2026 executive grants, to be issued when the company’s quarterly trading window opens. Tennant notes it generated $1.20 billion in sales in 2025 and employs approximately 4,500 people worldwide.
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8-K Event Classification
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Key Terms
restricted stock units financial
performance-based restricted stock units financial
Chief Operating Officer financial
trading window financial
emerging growth company regulatory
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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| Item 5.02 | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. |
On June 17, 2026, Tennant Company (the “Company”) announced the appointment of Richard H. (Rusty) Zay to the position of Chief Operating Officer (“COO”), effective July 1, 2026. Mr. Zay, age 55, currently serves as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, a position he has held since March 2021. Mr. Zay joined the Company in June 2010 as Vice President, Global Marketing and was named Senior Vice President, Global Marketing in October 2013 and Senior Vice President of the Americas business unit for the Company in 2014. In 2018, he assumed responsibility for Tennant Research and Development as well.
In connection with Mr. Zay’s promotion to COO, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors approved the grant of incremental equity awards to Mr. Zay to recognize his increased responsibilities and to retain and incentivize his continued service. The total value of the awards to Mr. Zay will be $400,000, delivered 50% in the form of restricted stock units and 50% in the form of performance-based restricted stock units, each having the same terms as the annual grants made earlier in 2026 to all executive officers, which awards will be granted when the Company’s quarterly trading window opens.
A press release announcing Mr. Zay’s appointment is attached as Exhibit 99.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit Number | Description | |
| 99 | News Release dated June 17, 2026, announcing COO appointment. | |
| 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.
| Tennant Company | |
| Date: June 17, 2026 | /s/ Kristin A. Erickson |
| Kristin A. Erickson | |
| Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary |
Exhibit 99
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jason Peterson
Director of Communications
jason.peterson@tennantco.com
1.651.216.0859
Tennant Company Names Richard H. Zay Chief Operating Officer
MINNEAPOLIS, June 17, 2026—Tennant Company (NYSE: TNC), a world leader in cleaning equipment and solutions, today announced that Richard H. (Rusty) Zay has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Zay, currently serving as the organization’s Chief Commercial Officer, has been on the company’s leadership team since 2010. An industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, and operations, he previously held leadership roles in other companies, including Whirlpool Corporation and Maytag Corporation.
In his new role, Zay will expand his leadership of Tennant’s global customer-facing business units, supply chain, manufacturing operations, R&D, and marketing. He will be tasked with driving strong financial results and value creation through rigorous execution, continuously improving cross-functional interaction, and driving efficiency throughout the business.
“Rusty has a proven track record of creating alignment across our business units to drive execution of new and existing strategies,” said Dave Huml, Tennant Company President and Chief Executive Officer. "He is a strategic and innovative thinker who is committed to finding new ways to leverage technology to enhance our organizational efficiency. Importantly, he is deeply committed to customer satisfaction, and to ensuring that Tennant remains a market leader through differentiated service to our customers in every interaction.”
Zay joined Tennant Company in June of 2010, initially serving as Vice President, Global Marketing. In 2014, he was promoted to Vice President of Americas Sales and Service. Following that, he served as the Senior Vice President, Innovation & Technology before assuming his current role as Chief Commercial Officer.
Throughout his career with Tennant, Zay has been instrumental in driving growth and adding value to the company’s performance. Most notably, he has led efforts focused on advancing new channel and customer expansion, increasing adoption of new technology like robotics in the market, scaling enterprise operating models to support growth and profitability, and enhancing the organization’s capabilities to deliver a superior customer experience.
“Tennant’s leadership position in the industry provides unique opportunities to serve more customers in new and existing markets as we continue to reinvent how the world cleans,” said Zay. “I’m honored to lead a very talented team that is focused on leveraging our recognized capabilities and scale, along with innovative ideas about how to reach and serve our customers, to continue driving our growth strategy.”
Zay holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Purdue University. Zay’s leadership has extended beyond Tennant Company through his service as President and Secretary of the Association of American Cleaning Equipment Manufacturers, where he has contributed to broader industry leadership and advancement. He also served on the Holy Family Catholic High School Board of Directors and Finance Committee, reflecting his commitment to community leadership, governance, and financial stewardship.
About Tennant Company
Founded in 1870, Tennant Company (TNC), headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of solutions that help create a cleaner, safer and healthier world. Its products include equipment for maintaining surfaces in industrial, commercial and outdoor environments; detergent-free and other sustainable cleaning technologies; and cleaning tools and supplies. Tennant's global field service network is the most extensive in the industry. Tennant Company had sales of $1.20 billion in 2025 and has approximately 4,500 employees. Tennant has manufacturing operations throughout the world and sells products directly in more than 21 countries and through distributors in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.tennantco.com and www.ipcworldwide.com. The Tennant Company logo and other trademarks designated with the symbol “®” are trademarks of Tennant Company registered in the United States and/or other countries.
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