A-D Appoints Oldfather Vice President, Electrical Supply Division

Industry veteran David Oldfather is now vice president of Affiliated Distributors’ electrical supply division.

Oldfather was most recently senior vice president of sales for the contractor and installer groups at Hagemeyer North America. Before Tristate Electrical Supply Co., Hagerstown, Md., was acquired by Hagemeyer, Oldfather was Tristate’s executive vice president of operations.

In an exclusive interview with EM, Oldfather said during the next year he will continue to focus on programs that enhance the profitability of A-D’s affiliates and help increase the market share of the suppliers that support A-D.

He will also focus on improving communication between A-D, its affiliates and its suppliers. Oldfather said he plans to assist affiliates in gaining a better understanding of how A-D’s programs can help them improve profitability.

Oldfather has been an active member of the King of Prussia, Pa.-based A-D, the nation’s largest buying/marketing group, serving as a network member and committee participant during his many years at Hagemeyer and Tristate. He was also an executive committee member for A-D, Integrated Supply Task Force participant, A-D network chairman and a member of the NA2000 task force. Oldfather has also served on several suppliers’ distributor advisory councils over the years, including Carlon, Hoffman, Hubbell, Osram, Phillips, Progress Lighting and Thomas & Betts.

Prior to joining the electrical industry, Oldfather taught at the collegiate level, worked in the banking industry and owned and operated his own marketing company.

“David’s skill set, combined with his deep commitment to the electrical industry, will enable him to serve as a strong and effective leader for our electrical supply division for many years to come,” said Bill Weisberg, chairman and CEO, Affiliated Distributors. “David is a great strategic thinker. He is viewed as a true industry leader and brings a distributor-centric thought process to Affiliated Distributors. David will do well in rebuilding the strong communication links that are necessary between A-D and its distributors,” stated Rick Dahlstrom, corporate vice president of sales and marketing, McNaughton-McKay Electric Co.

Bob Smith, executive vice president of sales, Pass & Seymour, Syracuse, N.Y., said, “David is a professional who thinks issues through and negotiates in a manner that results in ‘win-win’ business relationships, which translates into mutual market- share gains.”

Another former senior executive at Hagemeyer and Tristate recently moved onto to another company. Mel Meineke is now vice president of corporate marketing for Hughes Supply, Orlando, Fla. He was vice president of marketing for Hagemeyer North America, and had a senior marketing position at Tristate before Hagemeyer acquired the company.

Tom Morgan, president of Hughes Supply, said, “Mel Meineke is a seasoned marketing professional with a vast amount of knowledge and experience in our industry. We are pleased to have him join the Hughes family, as he will be a great asset to our company.”