Pacur LLC, a market leading supplier of specialty plastic packaging materials for the medical device industry, has made a planned transition in the leadership of the company. John Carlson, a 30-year veteran of the healthcare and medical device industry, will take over the role of CEO, succeeding Barry Johnson, who is retiring after leading the company for the past decade. Pacur is a portfolio company of middle market private equity firm Gryphon Investors.

Prior to joining Pacur, Carlson served as president of Flex Health Solutions, a business focused on design, engineering services and contract manufacturing for the medical technology market. Before that, he held a variety of technology and innovation roles at Johnson & Johnson, both at the parent company and at its Ethicon Endo-Surgery division.

“It is difficult to step down from my day-to-day work as CEO of Pacur,” said Johnson. “I have had the privilege to lead a great team of people who have grown Pacur into a world class supplier to the medical device industry. But the time is right for me to focus on my future. I’m very confident that John is the right leader to guide Pacur through our next phase of growth, and I look forward to working with him through the transition and as a Partner on the Board. I’m very bullish about our company.”

Craig Nikrant, chairman of the board for Pacur and Gryphon operating partner, said, “I am very pleased to partner with John as Pacur moves forward. His laser focus on customers, superior service, and quality, as well as his innovative mindset, gives me great confidence in his leadership and vision for the company.” Wes Lucas and Leigh Abramson, Partners and co-Heads of the Industrial Growth Group at Gryphon Investors, added, “We cannot thank Barry enough for his invaluable leadership and significant contributions that helped make Pacur the market leader it is today. All of us at Gryphon wish him the best in his retirement and look forward to his continued involvement on the Board.”

Carlson said, “I couldn’t be more excited to join the Pacur team to help expand upon the great foundation they have built. I look forward to working with Barry on the transition as we augment Pacur’s already strong technology, introduce new advanced products, and broaden the company’s capacity to serve its customers.”