Runkle Starts New CareerRunkle Starts New Career

Don Runkle retired as vice chairman of Delphi Corp. June 30, but he already is moving ahead in a new career.

Runkle tells Ward's he is working with private equity groups seeking acquisitions in many industries, including automotive.

“We've put in some bids, but the numbers have to add up from a production and technical standpoint,” he says.

Runkle turned 60 in June and says that when he was passed over to succeed J.T. Battenberg III, who was retiring as chairman, he elected to take early retirement.

Delphi chose Robert (Steve) Miller, a former Chrysler Corp. executive and turnaround expert, to replace Battenberg.

Runkle joined General Motors Corp. 37 years ago and rose quickly in its car and truck engineering ranks. He moved over to GM's automotive components group in 1993 and stayed on in 1999 when the group was spun off as Delphi.

Despite its problems, Runkle sees Delphi surviving without resorting to bankruptcy and eventually returning to profitability. “Delphi has terrific technology,” he says.