People

Dec. 1, 2008
Promotions and new appointments in the electrical industry.

Madison Electric Products (Bedford Heights, Ohio): J. Bradley (Brad) Wiandt has been appointed as Madison's new president. Bob Starr, who had been president since 1987, when he purchased Madison, will transition into a new sales role with the company. Wiandt joins Madison from TCP Inc., where he was vice president of sales for the company's energy-efficient lighting products. Prior to TCP, he had been with SLI Lighting and Simkar Inc. He began his career in the electrical industry with a manufacturers' rep agency in Cleveland. Starr, who will work jointly with Wiandt through year-end, has taken on a new role at Madison with his focus primarily on expanding Madison's sales through distributors in select markets and the company's network of manufacturers' representatives. Starr will now be reporting to Bill Starr, vice president of sales and marketing, and will continue to drive sales and marketing. Starr's background in the electrical industry began in 1964 and includes positions as president of NPS (division of American Broadcasting), and senior vice president of Endata, a supplier of hardware and software solutions used for inventory control and general ledger management.

Philips Lighting Electronics, a division of Philips Electronics North America Corp., and The Bodine Co. (Rosemont, Ill., and Collierville, Tenn.): John Levesque has been appointed to the position of general manager of Bodine. Levesque has expertise in the product management, engineering, manufacturing and commercial aspects of the emergency lighting business, holding successive senior management positions throughout his two decades of service and most recently serving as Bodine's national sales manager. With this promotion, Levesque will be responsible for overall management of the company's emergency lighting business. Levesque is an active member of the Illuminating Engineering Society and Independent Electrical Contractors.

Baynes Electric Supply Co. Inc. (Brockton, Mass.): Baynes Electric has formed a new team to manage national, multi-facility projects. The national projects team will focus on multi-location commercial spaces and distribution centers. Three people have been added to the team. David Tebbs joins the company as director of national projects. Tebbs most recently held the position of director of national accounts at LiteControl and has served in senior sales, marketing and management positions with companies including JJI Lighting Group, Zumtobel and Genlyte. Michael J. Lane has been appointed to business development manager. In addition to outside sales, he will be responsible for handling incoming business, quotations, customer development and management. Emily Wilson joins the company as its newest project manager. Wilson is the lead coordinator for the company's national, multi-facility projects and manages the scheduling and budgeting processes.

Bridgeport Fittings (Stratford, Conn.): Eric Cerasale has been promoted to product manager. Cerasale will be responsible for the planning, organizing and monitoring of Bridgeport's product development with specific emphasis on new products. He was previously technical sales manager at Bridgeport. Cerasale will continue to maintain his field support activities, which include helping the region directors attain their sales goals, establishing closer relationships with the electrical contractor community, providing technical support for the company's external customers and supporting distributor conversion opportunities in key markets. Cerasale previously worked for WESCO and Spring & Buckley Inc., both electrical distributors in Connecticut, and for Panduit Corp. He was also employed as a product applications specialist at O-Z/Gedney and is a former licensed journeyman electrician.

Leviton Manufacturing Co. (Little Neck, N.Y.): Brian Sorensen has been promoted to director of National Distribution Accounts for the company's commercial data networking business. In his new post, Sorensen directs the strategic growth of Leviton's complete line of voice and data devices, and builds relationships with key channel partner and end-user markets. Sorensen joined Leviton in 2006 as manager of national accounts. His previous experience includes positions with Tyco Electronics/DEK, where he was responsible for sales of the company's premise and industrial products worldwide.

Leviton announced two new appointments in its Network Solutions division, Bothell, Wash. Pete Newman, a 20-year company veteran, has been promoted to senior director of international business development for all Network Solutions products. Scott Leighton, who has 20 years of network infrastructure industry and sales/marketing management experience, joins Network Solutions as director of marketing and customer service. Newman will be responsible for growing Network Solutions' product sales outside the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, China and other key international markets. Newman was most recently director of marketing and customer service. Leighton comes to Leviton from Molex and CommScope, where he held a series of sales and marketing positions.

Schaedler Yesco (Harrisburg, Pa.): Robert Linsley has been named industrial automation component specialist. He will provide technical assistance for industrial control components and safety products in the northern Pennsylvania areas as well as locations surrounding the company's St. Marys, State College, Williamsport and Pocono Mountain branches.

C.N. Robinson Lighting Supply Co. (Baltimore, Md.): Peter Gray has been promoted to the position of vice president. Previously Gray held the position of director of MRO sales. Gray has been with the company for 19 years. In addition to his role at CNR, Gray serves on the board of the National Association of Independent Lighting Distributors (NAILD).

LEDtronics Inc. (Torrance, Calif.): Greg Krymer has been named product sales manager for Architectural Lighting. Krymer has been the company's Southern California district sales manager. In switching from a territorial to a product category focus, he will spearhead the company's efforts to build a wider commercial market, expand national and international sales activities, and accommodate customers with architectural LED lighting product solutions.

Staco Energy Products Co. (Dayton, Ohio): Chuck Gougler has been named marketing manager. Gougler will be responsible for all worldwide marketing, advertising and communications functions. Gougler was most recently manager, business development. Judy Poettinger has joined the company as purchasing manager. Poettinger will be responsible for all worldwide procurement and inventory control functions. Poettinger comes to Staco from American Honda Motor Co.

National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA, Tarrytown, N.Y.): Kenneth W. Hooper has been named to succeed Henry P. Bergson as president of the association. After 23 years at the helm of NEMRA, Bergson is retiring as NEMRA president and assuming a new role as an independent electrical industry consultant. Hooper is currently vice president of sales and marketing for Ferraz Shawmut Inc. Hooper will take over the reins of the 39-year old association on Jan. 5, 2009. Hooper comes to NEMRA after 16 years with the Newburyport, Mass., manufacturer of fuses and other electrical products. Prior to joining Ferraz Shawmut, he worked with Pass & Seymour/Legrand and General Electric. During his time with Ferraz Shawmut, Hooper served on the executive committee of the NEMRA Manufacturers Group (NMG). In 2007, he was the recipient of NEMRA's Manufacturer of the Year Award. See related article on page 20.