Southwire (Carrolton, GA)
Winn Wise (photo above) has been named executive VP and chief commercial officer, effective April 29.
In line with the company’s long-term strategy, its efforts to remain generationally-sustainable and its commitment to best meet the needs of its stakeholders, Wise will lead commercial activities for the company and drive continuous improvement of the customer experience.
Most recently, Wise served as senior VP of Southwire’s Infrastructure business, where he led sales with a focus on solutions that allow contractors to work safer while being more efficient, competitive and profitable.
As part of this transition, Aaron Asher will assume the title of senior VP, Customer Experience, and will report to Wise as he continues to lead Southwire’s distribution operations with a stronger emphasis on customer experience. The company’s inside sales for Infrastructure and Electrical Products and Engineered Solutions (EP&ES) and Southwire SPEED services teams will now report to Asher, further supporting Southwire’s efforts toward sustaining a premier customer experience.
Fromm Electric Supply (Reading, PA):
Patrick Standish was appointed regional VP. In this role, he will oversee all sales and operations of Fromm’s Allentown, Bloomsburg, Honesdale, Lebanon, and Souderton branch locations in eastern Pennsylvania. Standish has held leadership roles at Graybar, Cooper Electric Supply, Schwing Electrical Supply, U.S. Electrical Services and All Jersey Mechanical & Construction.
DOT Family Holdings (DFH) (Mt. Sterling, IL)
DFH, the investment office of the Tracy family and owners and operators of Dot Food Inc., the largest food industry redistributor in North America and OmniCable, West Chester, PA, announced the appointment of Christopher Breslin as OmniCable’s CEO effective May 13. Breslin will succeed interim CEO Jeff Siegfried, the company’s co-founder, who will remain as vice chairman.
In 2019, DFH acquired OmniCable, a redistributor selling wire, cable, fiber and other communications and electrical products exclusively to distributors. The appointment of Breslin followed an extensive CEO search process conducted by the board over the last several months, with the mandate to appoint a passionate leader with extensive experience developing strong supplier and customer relationships.
Breslin joins OmniCable with more than 28 years of global distribution experience in both the electronics and electrical industries. Most recently, he was president of Farnell Electronics, responsible for the strategy, execution and financial performance of its $2-billion global businesses. Prior to Farnell, he spent five years as the COO for Crescent Electric Supply Co.
Motion Industries/Genuine Parts Co. (GPC) (Atlanta): GPC’s board of directors appointed James Howe as president of its Motion industrial business. Howe has nearly 30 years of experience with the company. Most recently, he served as the executive VP and chief commercial and technology officer at Motion.
Ideal Industries (Sycamore, IL)
Pam McMeen is now chief marketing officer (CMO). Since 2021, McMeen has been a board director for Ideal Industries. Most recently, she was the CMO for Chamberlain Group, which she joined in 2014. She previously, worked at consumer goods companies in marketing roles for Lifetime Brands and Instant Brands. McMeen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and an MBA from Northern Illinois University.
Zekelman (Chicago)
Steve Simpson is now VP-Electrical Sales. In this role, he will have full commercial responsibility for Wheatland Tube, Western Tube and Picoma, three of Zekelman’s operating companies.
Simpson has more than 20 years in the electrical industry in a variety of leadership roles. In his previous role, he grew the company’s account coverage to more than $1.2 billion. He currently resides in Phoenix with his wife and two children. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lewis University.
Service Wire (Culloden, WV)
Ron Gibson, project manager, received the 2024 Distinguished Career Award from the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA). This industry award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a high degree of professional integrity and outstanding leadership.
Nominated and selected by his peers, Gibson is recognized for his persistence and capacity for managing complex assignments and in multiple vectors of the business, including quality, purchasing and logistics.
Rexel USA (Dallas)
Shawn Hawkins is now the company’s Gulf Central Region president. He has worked in the distribution industry for 30 years, most recently as VP of Commercial Excellence at at WESCO. He has served in a variety of capacities on both the supplier and distribution side, working in customer segments ranging from commercial and industrial construction; industrial MRO; automation; semiconductor; integrated supply; data, security and communications; industrial OEM; and utility.
Shat-R-Shield (Salisbury, NC):
Shat·R·Shield Lighting (Salibury, NC): Dan Roser is now the company’s Northeast regional sales manager. He will cover Maryland, the D.C. Metro, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut. He will represent Shat·R·Shield Lighting by collaborating with reps and distributors in the Northeast region and grow brand recognition in target verticals, specifically the correctional and industrial industries. He will also work with end-user and distributor customers in the Northeast region.
Roser is a seasoned lighting professional with extensive manufacturer, distributor, and rep firm experience. He comes on board the Shat·R·Shield team with electrical distribution experience and has worked at a NEMRA rep firm, along with other various lighting manufacturers.
Roser has a bachelor’s degree from Campbell University and served eight years with the U.S. Army Reserve.
WAC Lighting (Port Washington, NY)
WAC Lighting (Port Washington, NY): Becky Li (photo above) was promoted to president following the retirement of former president Dirk Wald. Wang will continue his role as chairman of WAC. In her new position, Li will collaborate with senior management to oversee all facets of operations, encompassing sales, marketing, product development, human resources, supply chain and IoT.
WAC Lighting Founder Tony Wang (in above photo) said in the press release, “Becky has always been an integral and dedicated executive at our firm. With her wealth of experience in senior executive roles and adept strategic planning skills, we are confident in her ability to lead. We look forward to watching Becky at the helm as we continue to prepare this company for exponential growth.”
With nearly three decades of service at WAC, Li’s journey began in the accounting department, where she rose to the position of controller. Subsequently, she was named executive VP, where she played a pivotal role in overseeing the company’s operations. Moreover, her active involvement in WAC’s Giving Back Program, particularly in supporting the American Cancer Society, underscores her commitment to social responsibility. She is a Cum Laude graduate of New York’s Baruch College in New York.