Graybar Electric Co. (St. Louis): Executive Chairman of the Board Robert Reynolds, Jr., will retire effective Jan. 1, 2013. Reynolds was succeeded as president and CEO by Kathleen Mazzarella in June. Upon Reynolds' retirement in January, Mazzarella will also serve as chairman of the board. Reynolds has been with Graybar for 40 years, including nearly 12 years as chairman, president and CEO. He has served as executive chairman of the board since June 1 of this year. During his time as CEO, Reynolds led Graybar through times of economic prosperity and recession, strengthened the company's financial condition and invested in technology to prepare the business for future growth. Reynolds has also been actively involved in industry, civic and community organizations, serving as chairman of the National Association of Wholesale Distributors, the National Association of Electrical Distributors and the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association.
Power/mation (St. Paul, Minn.): Tom Kulikowski was named president and CEO of this industrial automation distributor. He most recently served as president and CEO of Kustom Signals Inc., a global designer and manufacturer of products and services for law enforcement professionals. Before that he was group president of Telex Communications and general manager of Electrosonic Systems. Kulikowski received his undergraduate degree in engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and did his graduate studies in business at Widener University.
Electric Supply Center (ESC) (Boston): As account manager Daniel O'Toole will focus on switchgear, lighting and large commodity opportunities for new and existing ESC customers, as well as working on design build projects and offering value engineering options when needed. O'Toole previously worked for Granite City Electric Supply and Graybar. ESC said in a press release that during his five years at Granite City Electric, O'Toole generated millions of dollars in sales, exceeded gross profit goals and significantly grew target accounts.
Pike Electric Corp. (Mt. Airy, N.C.): This provider of energy solutions for the utility market says James Turner has joined its board of directors. Turner is now an executive mentor with Merryk & Co., a business leader mentoring firm and previously was president and CEO of Duke Energy's U.S. franchised electric and gas business.
Powell Industries Inc. (Houston): The manufacturer of switchgear and motor controls named Michael Lucas president and chief executive officer. For the past 14 years, Lucas has held various senior management positions at Emerson, most recently as president, Emerson Network.
USA Wire & Cable Inc. (USAWC) (Austin, Texas): New Account Manager Trey Sitterle will be responsible for sales through electrical distributor accounts in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and North Dakota and South Dakota. Prior to joining USAWC, he worked for the United States Department of Agriculture, Sysco Food Services and Ranger Marketing, where he was a manufacturers' representative. Sitterle graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in agriculture economics.
Evolucia Inc. (Sarasota, Fla.) Charles Rockwood has been appointed executive V.P. and CFO. Rockwood brings 25 years of financial and operational experience to Evolucia, with a specialized background in public and regulated environments. During his 25-year-career, Rockwood has held CFO, COO and CEO positions at companies including Academic Press, Ocwen Technology Xchange, Data Warehouse and Kesselring Holding Corp. Most recently, Rockwood was the Chief Financial Officer at Green Jets Inc. He holds a B.S. in accounting from Suffolk University.
Bridgeport Fittings (Stratford, Conn.): Wayne Beach is now technical sales manager. He will generate and manage sales through Bridgeport's distributor partner channel; train distributors, sales representatives and the end-user community; and assist Bridgeport's reps in attaining their sales goals. An experienced construction electrician, Beach is a 15-year veteran of Glynn Electric, working as foreman and project manager. He also spent 20 years with the U.S. Navy Seabees. In addition to his field responsibilities, Beach is a certified instructor for the Massachusetts Apprenticeship Program in the areas of electrical theory, trouble shooting, NEC review, bonding and grounding, along with hands-on wiring and conduit installation training.
Parsons Brinckerhoff (New York): John Munro, a tunnel services specialist and executive from its Australia office, is now director of this construction firm's Mechanical & Electrical Technical Excellence Center (TEC). In his new position, Mr. Munro provides leadership and strategic direction to the TEC with a focus on growing the firm's tunnel and underground infrastructure business, enhancing marketing capabilities, and strengthening client relationships. He has relocated to the United States and will work from Parsons Brinckerhoff's New York City headquarters.
Cerro Wire LLC (Hartselle, Ala.): George Merritt has been appointed sales manager of the company's electrical distribution segment. He joins Cerro Wire from Aetna Insulated Wire, where he served as vice president of sales for the past 13 years. He was previously national sales manager of Circle Wire, a former sales division of Cerro Wire. In addition, he has held various sales and marketing management positions with Phelps Dodge, Triangle Wire & Cable and Pirelli. He has a BS in marketing management from Siena College.
Solon Corp. (Berlin, Germany): This provider of turnkey solar power plants and photovoltaic (PV) products in the United States has hired Jared Schoch as V.P. and general manager of its power plant business. Schoch will oversee the company's commercial and utility-scale power plants and focus on expanding Solon's power plant business in the Americas. Prior to joining Solon, Schoch spent four and a half years growing SunEdison's commercial and utility-scale solar development businesses throughout the United States.
Western Extralite (Kansas City, Mo.): Dale Hahs has joined the company as executive V.P. of sales and marketing, replacing John Isenberg, who has taken on the role of V.P. of government sales. Prior to joining Western Extralite, Hahs served as executive director of the Energy Services Coalition and served as a technical assistance provider for the United States Department of Energy, creating public facility retrofit programs for states across the country. He previously was manager of business development for ConEdison Solutions, one of the leading energy service companies in the Midwest, and a regional manager for Control Concepts Corp. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Southeast Missouri State University.
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) (Rosslyn, Va.): Mike Leibowitz is a recipient of the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) prestigious IEC 1906 Award. Leibowitz is being recognized for “his extraordinary technical and organizational support to TC 113, which is involved with the standardization of the technologies relevant to electrical and electronic products and systems in the field of nanotechnology in close cooperation with other committees of IEC and ISO TC 229. For five of his 27 years at NEMA, Leibowitz has been secretary of the U.S. mirror committee to IEC TC 113.”
Halco Lighting Technologies (Norcross, Ga.): Lauritz Kouadio is now a product analyst and will report to Kristoff Byrd, product manager. She will be aiding in Halco's product development through industry reporting, competitive analysis and market research. Prior to joining Halco, Kouadio worked in the accounting industry for two years and also served as an equity research analyst intern. She graduated from the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance.
Heery International (Atlanta): Steven Sveda has been named director of electrical engineering at this construction management, architecture and engineering firm. He will lead the electrical engineering department in Heery's Atlanta office. Sveda has more than 35 years of engineering experience and has managed major projects for the General Services Administration, Social Security Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S Air Force. His portfolio includes the electrical engineering design on laboratories for systems integration, research facilities and communications centers. He has a bachelor of architectural engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master of business administration from George Washington University.