Robert Goldschmidt was named president of Roto-Rooter Services Co., effective Oct.1. He succeeds Rick Arquilla, who is retiring at the end of the year.

For 28 years, Goldschmidt has been a key member of the executive team at Cincinnati-based Roto-Rooter, a provider of plumbing and drain cleaning services in North America. He currently serves as executive vice president, a role he has held since 2015. As president, he will oversee operations, national sales, call centers and corporate M&A activities. He will also provide guidance to the company's manufacturing division and franchising network.

"Robert's proven track record of thought leadership and vision will continue to be an important part of our future success at Roto-Rooter," said Spencer Lee, Roto-Rooter's chairman and CEO.

Goldschmidt joined Roto-Rooter's parent company, Chemed Corp. in 1989. In 1992, he began his career at Roto-Rooter as director of development, focusing on growing the company via the acquisition of independent Roto-Rooter franchises. Since then, he has completed over 100 acquisitions. In 1999, he was promoted to vice president and was tasked with developing and operating a network of corporate call centers. In 2003, he added marketing to his areas of responsibility and was promoted to the position of senior vice president. Since then, Goldschmidt has also assumed responsibility for employee relations and information technology. In 2015, he was promoted to executive vice president. 

Goldschmidt earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Roto-Rooter's longtime president and COO, Arquilla, will stay on until his retirement at the end of 2020. Arquilla joined Roto-Rooter in 1989 as regional vice president and was promoted to president and COO in 1999. During his 21-year tenure at the helm, Roto-Rooter's annual sales grew from $280 million to $700 million while operating profit grew from $38 million to $150 million.

Roto-Rooter was established in 1935 as a provider of plumbing and drain cleaning services in North America. Roto-Rooter also provides water damage cleanup services and operates businesses in 130 company-owned territories and over 400 franchise territories, serving approximately 91% of the U.S. population and 40% of the Canadian population. Roto-Rooter also has licensed master franchises in the republics of Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. For more information visit rotorooter.com.