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Electrical Equipment Co. (Richmond, Va.): Mark Holmes has been promoted to senior V.P. of sales and marketing for the organization's Electrical Supplies
April 8, 2011
4 min read

Electrical Equipment Co. (Richmond, Va.): Mark Holmes has been promoted to senior V.P. of sales and marketing for the organization's Electrical Supplies Division. Holmes has a B.S. electrical engineering degree. Before coming to Electrical Equipment Co., he worked Weyerhaeuser Co. as a systems specialist.

Border States Electric (BSE) (Fargo, N.D.): Ismael Carbajal has been named branch operations manager for the company's Brownsville, Texas, location. He joined BSE in 2010 as a utility customer service representative in BSE's Amarillo branch. Before joining BSE, he worked for Texas Electric Cooperatives in Lubbock, Texas.

Manufacturers Agents National Association (MANA) (Aliso Viejo, Calif.): Charles Cohon, president of Prime Devices Corp., has been hired as MANA's president. He will remain president of Prime Devices, his independent rep firm in Morton Grove, Ill. Cohon, a long-time member of MANA and NEMRA, is also one of Electrical Wholesaling's contributing writers.

Houston Wire & Cable (HWCC) (Houston): Southern Wire, a division of Houston Wire & Cable Co. (HWCC), has appointed Chris Sokoll president. A 21-year HWCC veteran, Sokoll has worked as an inside salesperson, branch manager, regional manager and regional V.P. for HWCC before being appointed Southern Wire's president. He holds a Bachelor's of professional studies degree in Organizational Leadership from Roosevelt University and a Certificate in Executive Finance from the University of Chicago.

National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) (St. Louis Mo.): The following industry leaders will be honored at the upcoming NAED Leadership Summit: John Duda, retired CEO and chairman, Butler Supply Company, Fenton, Mo., will receive NAED's highest honor, the 2011 Arthur W. Hooper Achievement Award; Glenn Goedecke, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Mayer Electric Supply, Birmingham, Ala., is the recipient of the 2011 NAED Distributor Distinguished Service Award; Delton Nickel, retired president of Pentair's Technical Products Group, is being honored with the Associate Service Award; and RAB Lighting will receive the 2011 NAED Industry Award of Merit. This award is presented in recognition of a company or individual in the electrical manufacturing business that has been exceptionally active in promoting and supporting the wholesale electrical distribution industry. RAB Lighting is receiving this award for their involvement and commitment to both NAED and the industry.

Reel-O-Matic (Oklahoma City, Okla.): Bill Schmerheim has been appointed V.P. of sales. Previously employed by WEMCO, Schmerheim has 15 years of experience helping distributors with their reel and cable handling needs.

Schréder Lighting US (Elk Grove Village, Ill.): Louis Cairo is now a sales engineer with the company and will support the Schréder sales team with photometric applications and architectural renderings, as well as pole and bracket engineering. He will create technical sales presentations, photometric calculations and maintain a photometric database for the wide range of Schréder Lighting products. Prior to joining Schréder Lighting US, Cairo was a sales engineer for Power Plant Services and a senior technician for Argonne National Laboratory. He holds a B.S. degree in engineering physics from the University of Illinois.

Allied Wire & Cable (Collegeville, Pa.): Skip Bjorkman is now sales manager of the company's Las Vegas facility. A 30-year veteran of the wire and cable business, Bjorkman previously worked for Anixter and Priority Wire and Cable. He opened Priority Wire and Cable's branches in Duluth, Minn., and Las Vegas.

LED One (Hangzhou, China): Dr. Gary Hua, CEO, was recently honored by China's media giant CCTV as a finalist for China's “Economic Person of the Year.” The prestigious annual award is presented to those individuals deemed to be making significant and lasting contributions to China's robust economy and growth.

Founded in 2008, LED One specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing, and sale of LED lighting products for both commercial and residential lighting applications. The company is affiliated with Inventronics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., a manufacturer of power electronics for solid-state lighting applications. Together, the companies serve over 1,500 clients in more than 30 countries and have amassed a portfolio of more than 240 patents granted or pending.