Please note that this was written in October 2009, company overviews may not reflect current standings.
Summit Electric Supply (Albuquerque, N.M.): Joe Chesky, senior vice president of asset management, will become Summit's first senior vice president of business development. Chesky has been with Summit since 1986 and helped establish the company's significant presence in Texas. Drew Ott, vice president of sales since 2006, will take on Chesky's former role, overseeing purchasing, inventory, pricing and supplier relations. The company also has split its 20 locations into two sales regions. Dan Ferrari, formerly the company's Houston service center leader and a 30-year veteran of the industry, has been promoted to regional vice president of the Gulf Coast Region. He will remain in Houston. Scott Cogan, the Phoenix service center leader since 1996, will serve as regional vice president of the Southwest Region. Cogan, who joined Summit in 1983, will return to Albuquerque to assume his new role.
E-Mon Corp. (Langhorne, Pa.): Christopher Rennick is the company's new vice president of government sales. He will work extensively in Washington, D.C., and around the country to develop and implement E-Mon's government sales strategy by identifying sales opportunities, negotiating contracts, reviewing regulatory issues and spearheading key registrations. Before joining E-Mon, Rennick's efforts as government manager of U.S. sales for Eaton Corp. resulted in more than 30 percent growth of the company's Powerware line in the federal sector. His prior sales management responsibilities at American Power Conversion resulted in key growth of their UPS and data center cooling solutions, and included inside government account management for the U.S House of Representatives, the Department of Energy and other clients. He received his Bachelor of science degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and finance from the University of Rhode Island.
IDEA (Rosslyn, Va.): Pat McCartin, director of sales, has left IDEA to pursue other interests. He can be reached at [email protected] or (978) 454-7819.
EYE Lighting International of North America (Mentor, Ohio): Tom Salpietra is now president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining EYE Lighting, Salpietra held senior executive positions with Cooper Industries and Acuity Brands Lighting. He replaces Keith Ward, who left in May to become president, CEO and a member of the board of directors at Luminus, Billerica, Mass., a manufacturer of LED products.
Ideal Electric Supply Corp. (Washington, D.C.): Dennis Harris was promoted to senior vice president. A veteran of the telecommunication infrastructure industry, Harris joined the company in 2005 as vice president of operations. He has more than 24 years of business management experience and has been a driving force in the company's process reorganization and growth in the past four years.
Landis+Gyr (Alpharetta, Ga.): Heath Thompson is now vice president and CTO, North America. He comes to the company from posts at Internet Security Systems and IBM.
First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Ariz.): Robert Gillette has been appointed chief executive officer, succeeding Mike Ahearn. Gillette spent the last four and a half years as the CEO and president of Honeywell Aerospace. In this role, he led more than 40,000 associates at nearly 100 worldwide manufacturing and service sites. First Solar had 2008 revenues of $1.2 billion, up from $498 million in 2007. The 4,000-employee company went public in 2007 and is one of the largest manufacturers of thin-film photovoltaic panels in the world.
Schreder Lighting USA (Chicago): Tim Grygera has been appointed Western regional sales manager. In this newly established position, Grygera will work closely with lighting specifiers, designers, engineers, electrical contractors and architects to develop viable and dynamic exterior lighting solutions. Prior to joining Schreder Lighting USA, he served as regional sales representative for Big Ass Fans and also worked for Zumtobel Lighting, Ruud Lighting and the Beta and Kramer Lighting Brands. Grygera has a B.S. degree from Concordia College and is an Accredited Professional (AP) for LEED.<>
W. W. Grainger Inc. (Lake Forest, Ill): Sean O'Brien has been named president of Acklands-Grainger Inc., Grainger's Canadian subsidiary. O'Brien's new responsibilities include oversight of the Canadian business operations, which had revenues of approximately $728 million in 2008. O'Brien succeeds and reports to Court Carruthers, who became senior vice president and president, Grainger International, in March. He joined Acklands-Grainger as vice president of sales in November 2007 and has led several key initiatives in business services, inventory solutions, training and sales effectiveness. Earlier this year, O'Brien took on additional responsibilities for e-business and marketing.
In other personnel moves at Grainger, Jeff Yin has been named vice president and general manager, Grainger China, based in Shanghai. Yin's new responsibilities include oversight of the Chinese business operations, which had revenues of approximately $10 million in 2008. Yin joined Grainger China in April 2007 as director of sales and marketing and has been integral in growing the company's customer base, services and offerings in China.
Allied Wire & Cable, (Collegeville, Pa.): has hired two new sales representatives: Michael Cresswell and Isaac Rose. Both will work at the Collegeville, Pa., headquarters. Cresswell is a 2007 graduate of Shippensburg University and Rose is a 2008 graduate of Drexel University.
Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures (Belding, Mich.): Craig Mitchell has been appointed general manager. He has more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing, most recently as vice president of operations for Key Plastics. Mitchell obtained his BBA degree from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Sol Inc. (Palm City, Fla.): Susan Schierwagen is now vice president of worldwide sales for this manufacturer solar LED outdoor lighting products. She was previously with Lutron Electronics Co. She has a B.S. degree in civil engineering from Tufts University.
Graybar Electric Co. (St. Louis.): Mike Dumas was named district vice president for the company's St. Louis regional operations. Dumas replaces Mike Fowler, who recently retired after six years in the position and more than 35 years with the company. Before being named district vice president, Dumas served as vice president, comm/data sales, at Graybar's corporate headquarters in Clayton, Mo., and has been with the company for 22 years. Dumas has a B.A. in general business administration from Tarleton State University.
Cobra Wire & Cable (Hatboro, Pa.): Tom Stone is now national sales manager. In his new position, Stone will be responsible for the overall execution of the company's field sales initiatives. Cobra Wire & Cable produces power cable and connectivity products for various markets including central office, data centers, marine operations, battery applications and the energy market.
Ericson Manufacturing (Willoughby, Ohio): Jim Johnson has been promoted to national sales and marketing manager. Johnson joined Ericson this past March, serving as the North Central regional sales manager. Prior to joining Ericson, he spent 18 years with the Lester Sales Co., a manufacturer's representative, serving as the Indiana sales manager. Johnson brings to Ericson more than 20 years of experience within the electrical industry and a proven track record in sales management, leadership development and field training, the company said. Johnson has a B.S. degree from Northern Illinois University and maintains his CPMR certification.
Danaher Corp. (Washington, D.C.): Philip Knisely, executive vice president, will retire from the company at the end of 2009. He had been with the firm, the owner of Fluke Corp., for nine years.