As CEO, Brown serves as a corporate officer and oversees Viking manufacturing, engineering, industrial design and quality control. He works directly with Selim Bassoul, CEO of the Middleby Corporation, and the Viking Engineering team to bring quality and performance to customers. Brown’s overall management and engineering skills have been highly instrumental in guiding the growth of Viking. Today, Viking operates three manufacturing plants and a distribution center with approximately 650 employees, all under Brown’s management.

About the Award

The Mississippi Business Journal recognizes leaders around the state of Mississippi who demonstrate excellence among the top executives in their field. The CEOs whom have helped their companies achieve strong growth and success, and have made a profound impact on their company and community. Honorees are selected in categories of Nonprofit CEOs, Rising Stars, Large Companies, Medium Companies and Small Companies.

About Kevin Brown

Brown holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from The University of Mississippi and two years towards his Masters of Business Administration from Union University. He began his career at Whirlpool in 1990 as a production line manufacturer, Inventory Controller, and Electrical Engineering Assistant. At Whirlpool and Maytag, he held numerous roles across 17 years that prepared him for his roles at Viking.

In February of 2007, Brown joined Viking Range as Chief Engineer and in 2011, he was promoted to Vice President of Engineering. In 2016, he was promoted to Vice President of Operations and later that same year he was named President. During this time period, Viking has seen tremendous change and growth. Since 2013, Viking has infused their products with the Middleby culture and commercial technology bringing new innovations to homes around the world. These technologies, once reserved for commercial restaurants, are now available for your home thanks to Brown and his team at Viking.