CEO of CodeBlue stepping down

Paul Gross, CEO of downtown water mitigation firm CodeBlue, announced he is stepping down from his post but will remain active with the company.

Gross recently opened a new retirement community in Madison County, where he also serves as a Madison County commissioner. Stepping down will allow him to spend more time on those responsibilities and with his family, Gross said.

“I can’t burn the candle at both ends forever,” Gross said last week. “Any good business needs a good succession plan, and this reflects in my judgment a great succession plan.”

Wayne Sharrah, a board member for CodeBlue and a former chief claims officer for the insurance firm esurance, will take over as early as today. Sharrah will split time between the company’s offices in Springfield and Eau Claire, Wis. However, Gross remains the company’s second-largest shareholder and will remain active in roles such as strategic planning, he said.

“This change really just affects the day-to-day leadership of the business and not my involvement with the company,” Gross said.

CodeBlue has more than 200 employees and an office in the Bushnell Building, 14 E. Main St. The company is based in Wisconsin and acts as a liaison between homeowners, insurance companies and independent contractors. Insurance firms contract with CodeBlue to dispatch contractors to sites where water damage has occurred.

Gross helped bring the company to Springfield in 2010 and has been active in the community, said John Detrick, Clark County commissioner.

“He’s done a great job,” Detrick said.

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