After 15 years at Flanders Filters Corporation, Harry Smith retired as CEO of the company July 1, but he isn’t leaving the company entirely he’s stepping into a new position as the vice chairman of the board.

“I am very excited about my move to the board, because the company is doing really well,” Smith said. “I am looking forward to getting behind Peter (Jones) as he takes Flanders to much higher levels.”

Flanders Filters was founded in 1950, and the company designs, manufactures, markets and distributes air filters in the United States.

Under Smith’s watch, the Washington-based company was sold in 2012 to Insight Equity. It was during that transition that Smith began thinking about retirement, he said. In December 2013, he told the board he felt it was time to begin the search for a new CEO.

Smith was a 1992 graduate of East Carolina University, who came to Flanders Filters to work in the sales office in 1999. During his time in sales, his sales position included, Whole Sale Division, FSS-Filters, FFI-Flanders Filters, Inc.; CSC-Charcoal Services, Inc., and AirSeal Filter Housings.

After eight years of moving up in the company, he was named CEO in November 2008.

“I worked in every department we had and continued to perform and when you perform you get opportunities,” Smith said. “The Board recognized the hard work and they rewarded it with a job.”

During his seven years as CEO of the company, he said he enjoyed every day of it.

“One of the epitomes of leadership is knowing when to let go and I don’t think you’ll see long tenured CEOs anymore,” Smith said. “Companies move very fast now, they take a lot of time and energy to run them as they should be.”

Smith won’t be pulling out the recliner just yet during his retirement.  Along with taking on the vice chairman role, he owns two businesses and is on the Board of Governors at UNC.

“There are some other civic areas that I would like to give back to as well,” Smith said. “I’ve got my time pretty well planned out.”