Osram Sylvania (Danvers, Mass.): Rick Leaman was named president and CEO, effective Oct. 1.He will succeed Charlie Jerabek, who will assume a new role as the company's vice chairman. The announcement was made by Martin Goetzeler, CEO of Munich-based OSRAM GmbH. Leaman has been executive vice president and general manager of Osram's global Automotive Lighting division in Munich, Germany since 2006. His 25-year lighting career has included executive positions in Osram Sylvania's automotive lighting, materials and components, and general lighting businesses. Leaman is a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University, with a bachelor of science degree in administrative and management science, mathematics and economics. Jerabek will continue as a member of the company's board of directors and support the company in legislative activities and electrical industry associations.
National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) (Portsmouth, N.H.): Michelle Rivers-Jameson has joined NEMRA as manager of operations and will be responsible for directing the association's support activities including finance/accounting, human resources and office administration. She holds a bachelor's degree in finance and brings with her more than 20 years of operations experience with her previous employers Price Waterhouse, Liberty Financial and General Electric.
Kirsty Stebbins will be NEMRA's new manager of marketing and member services. In that position she will lead the association's efforts in the development of new member programs and services and manage the association's communications and NEMRA Annual Conference activities. Stebbins holds a bachelor's degree in project management and has more than 10 years of event planning and sales/marketing experience with her previous employers: Siemens, Microscan Systems Inc., and Liberty Mutual.
Nancy Sciotto, the association's longtime vice president of operations, decided to not make the move with NEMRA to Portsmouth, N.H., and is currently evaluating other career options. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
Appleton/EGS (Rosemont, Ill.): John de Guzman has been appointed manager of global accounts focusing on large petrochemical customers. He was most recently global accounts manager of oil and gas for GE's Consumer and Industrial division. He received an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from the University of Toronto. After working for several years, he received an MBA with a focus in corporate finance and international business from the University of North Carolina. de Guzman will be located in Houston.
Omni Cable Corp. (West Chester, Pa.): Greg Donato is executive vice president of sales operations. This newly created position will focus on working with Omni Cable's 10 branch locations across the U.S. on key sales growth initiatives. Donato has more than 25 years experience in the electrical distribution industry managing inside and outside sales teams as well as extensive P&L responsibility. He has held positions ranging from district sales manager to regional vice president and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Widener University. Donato has also completed executive training programs at MIT School of Management, Villanova University and Kellogg University.
OneSource Distributors (Oceanside, Calif.): Gary Wolcott, manager of central distribution center services recently marked 50 years in the electrical industry, the past 13 with OneSource. He started in the electrical industry in 1959 working with WW Electric Supply in Springfield, Ohio, as a warehouse employee, then an outside salesperson. He moved to All-Phase Electric in 1975 where he relocated during his 21 years to Louisiana, Washington and Oxnard, Calif.
Frost Electric Supply Co. (Maryland Heights, Mo.): Scott Szymonik recently joined the company as a senior accountant at the headquarters location and Matt Buhs recently joined Frost as an account manager at the Collinsville, Ill., branch. Szymonik's responsibilities include general accounting, financial statement preparation, budgeting and analysis. He earned B.A. and MBA degrees from Southern Illinois University and currently is a Level II candidate in the CFA program. Buhs' responsibilities include maintaining and growing the company's industrial and commercial electrical accounts and penetrating the voice and data market for Frost Electric Supply. He has 14 years of experience in the electrical industry, including the distribution and contracting field.
Westinghouse Lighting Corp. (Philadelphia): Joe Catrambone was promoted to vice president of supply chain. The position encompasses the company's product management, inventory management, key customer inventory management, purchasing, traffic/logistics, customer direct import and quality control areas in the United States and Asia. In his new role he will lead efforts to integrate Westinghouse's Asian supply chain operations with its corporate supply chain department and quality control. He has worked in every facet of the company and was most recently the senior director of sales.
Hubbell Inc. (Orange, Conn.): Lynn J. Good and Carlos A. Rodriguez were elected directors of Hubbell. These additions to the Hubbell board of directors bring the total number of directors to eleven. Good is currently group executive and president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy Corp.'s Commercial Business unit. Rodriguez is currently the division president for Automated Data Processing Inc.'s Small Business Services unit in Roseland, N.J.
Thomas & Betts Corp. (Memphis, Tenn.): Kenneth Fluke, T&B's senior vice president and chief financial officer, will retire from the company on Oct. 1. In a planned succession, William Weaver, Jr., who has served as vice president and controller for Thomas & Betts since November 2008, will succeed Fluke.
Underground Tools, Inc. (Lino Lakes, Minn.): Mark Gehrke has joined the company as territory sales manager. He has over 15 years of sales and product management experience in the underground construction equipment industry.
IDEA (Arlington, Va.): Ronald D. Schlader, vice president of operations and quality at Crescent Electric Supply Co., East Dubuque, Ill., is IDEA chairman of the board for 2009-2010. He was previously vice-chair and has been involved with IDEA since its inception in 1998. Outgoing IDEA chairman David J. FitzGibbon, CEO, ILSCO Corp., will continue to serve on the 2009-2010 board as a voting director. The other 2009-2010 IDEA officers are (vice chairman) Del Nickel, president, Hoffman Enclosures Inc.; (treasurer) Larry Stern, president and CEO, Standard Electric Supply Co. (Wis.); (secretary) Phil Barrios, senior director of corporate marketing and E-Business, Hubbell, Inc.; and (president) Robert Gaylord, IDEA's president and CEO. Also on the 2009-2010 IDEA board of directors are Valerie Jones, vice president of customer service and inside sales, Osram Sylvania; Greg Thrall, senior vice president of operations, Border States Electric; James Tinker, manager, master file maintenance officer, Rexel Inc.; and Joe Wallace, data pricing administration manager, Van Meter Industrial Inc. Non-voting directors on the board are Gaylord; Tom Naber, president and CEO; National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED); and Evan Gaddis, president, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).
Allen Ray Associates (Kennedale, Texas): Jack Justilian has joined the firm as a consulting associate. Justilian brings more than 30 years of experience as an electrical distributor, having worked for Maurice Electrical, Summit Electric and Key Electric in positions including sales, sales management, marketing, supplier relations, operations, financial management and executive leadership.
Rep News
Madison Electric Products, (Bedford Height, Ohio) recently appointed Electrical Sales Associates (ESA), Seattle; Flynn and Reynolds, Tewksbury, Mass.; Supreme Marketing, Salt Lake City; and Team Electrical Sales, Detroit; as company sales representatives. ESA will be the stocking agent and sales representative in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho territories. Supreme Marketing will be the sales representative for the Utah territory and Flynn and Reynolds will be the sales representative for the Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island territories. Team Electrical Sales will be the stocking agent sales representative for the company's Michigan territory.