Fort Worth, Texas – January 12, 2026 – KPS Global® announces the creation of a Refrigeration division with two key leadership appointments. Today’s announcement reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to the future of clean and sustainable cooling solutions. Leading this initiative is Tom Backman, who joins KPS Global as Senior Vice President of Innovation, Refrigeration and Sustainability. KPS Global also welcomes Shawn LeChappelle as Vice President of Refrigeration, strengthening the team with a deep understanding of refrigeration, dehumidification and controls.
Both hires bring proven leadership and enhance our ability to deliver fully integrated, high-performance temperature-controlled environments. By investing in refrigeration and bringing on leaders with deep industry experience, KPS Global will be able to meet evolving market demands and support customer sustainability initiatives.
“Standing up a Refrigeration division and having Tom and Shawn on board reflects the duty of KPS Global to deliver smarter, more integrated solutions to customers,” said Mike Eakins, CEO of KPS Global. “By aligning innovation, sustainability and refrigeration expertise under dedicated leadership, KPS Global is better positioned to solve complex challenges and support customers across controlled environment applications. It ensures insulated panels, refrigeration systems and installation approaches are aligned, delivering a higher value for our customers.”
Backman brings creative problem solving to KPS Global customers, vendors and employees, leveraging extensive experience across refrigeration systems, insulated panel manufacturing and cold storage integration. Backman is a technical thought leader as demonstrated by his development of proprietary refrigeration technologies, including several patents. This thought leadership will shape the future of climate-controlled solutions at KPS Global as the industry navigates the changing regulatory landscape.
LaChappelle brings years of industry experience that deliver innovative, cost-effective solutions to our customers with a strategic approach. He has built a reputation for combining deep technical knowledge with exceptional customer engagement skills.
KPS Global demonstrates its commitment to driving innovation with a focus on sustainability with these two key hires and the formation of the new division.
About KPS Global
KPS Global is the market-leading provider of end-to-end solutions for custom enclosures for controlled environments. The company has five strategically located manufacturing facilities and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. KPS Global is a privately held company, owned by the Viessmann Generations Group, with more than 850 employees.
