Graybar Electric Co., (St. Louis): Kathleen Mazzarella has become the company’s 11th president and CEO. As president and CEO, Mazzarella oversees the day-to-day operations of the business and sets the strategic direction for Graybar’s sales and marketing efforts. She succeeds Robert Reynolds, Jr. who now serves as Graybar’s executive chairman, overseeing the company’s strategy and providing guidance to the executive team.
Mazzarella is a member of Graybar’s board of directors and most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. During her 32-year career with the employee-owned company, she has held leadership positions in sales, marketing, human resources and strategic planning. She holds an associate degree in telecommunications engineering, a bachelor’s degree in applied behavioral sciences and a master’s degree in business administration. In addition, Mazzarella serves on the boards of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), NAW Institute and St. Louis Club. She also serves on the NAED Channel Advantage Partnership Council and the Advisory Board for the Webster University School of Business and Technology.
WESCO International Inc. (Pittsburgh): Kenneth Parks is now V.P. and CFO. He joins WESCO with 27 years of experience, most recently as V.P. of finance at United Technologies Corp. for its global Fire and Security business, which has approximately $7 billion in revenue and includes over 40 factories, 350 branches, and 38,000 employees around the world. He began his career at Coopers & Lybrand and is a graduate of the University of Tulsa.
EverLast Lighting (Jackson, Mich.): Brandon Marken has been promoted to V.P. of commercial sales. He is a professional lighting consultant who joined EverLast Lighting as the director of commercial sales in March 2009. At this post he cultivated a nationwide network of manufacturers’ representatives and distributors, increasing consumer awareness of EverLast lighting products and leading the company to record sales for the last three years. He travels throughout the United States addressing IES audiences, government officials, facility managers, electrical engineers, energy service consultants, municipalities and lighting designers, educating them on the benefits of induction lighting technology. Marken earned his BBA in marketing & management from Spring Arbor University’s Gainey School of Business.
Eaton Corp. (Cleveland): Ramanath Ramakrishnan has been appointed executive V.P. and chief technology officer, succeeding Lennart Jonsson, who will remain with the company until June 15 to ensure a smooth transition.
Ramakrishnan joined Eaton in 2005 as a director of corporate technology and most recently was senior vice president of technology for the Industrial Sector, where he led significant technology and innovation programs for Eaton’s Aerospace, Hydraulics and Vehicle businesses. Prior to that, he led the successful growth of Eaton’s India Engineering Center in Pune, India. Before joining Eaton, he had been with GE for nine years, most recently as general manager of reliability and safety engineering, and held their Global Six Sigma quality and engineering role for global research as well as other progressively responsible engineering roles with GE. Prior to GE he held engineering positions with Wyman-Gordon Co. an aerospace components manufacturer.
Ramakrishnan is a certified professional engineer with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio University, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bangalore University in India. He is also a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and holds two patents.
Border States Electric (Fargo, N.D.): Larry Johnson has been named branch manager for BSE’s Clovis, N.M., location. Most recently he was employed by C.C. Distributors Inc. located on the Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M. He began his career working for Roosevelt Country Electric Cooperative Inc. as the materials and warehouse manager.
In other news at Border States, Lee Clouser has been named branch manager for the company’s Amarillo, Texas, location. Clouser joined BSE in 1989 working in the Albuquerque, N.M., branch primarily in the industrial sales market. In Nov. 2004, he moved to Clovis, N.M., and worked as a conductor for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway until he rejoined BSE in October 2008. He has 19 years of experience in the electrical industry with his most recent role being the branch manager in BSE’s Clovis, N.M., branch.
Cerro Wire LLC (Hartselle, Ala.): Stewart Smallwood is now regional contractor relations manager for the eastern United States. He was most recently sourcing and inventory manager at Gexpro, where he built and maintained relationships with manufacturers throughout the Southeast. He also oversaw the negotiation, profiling and setup of on-site customer projects, while developing stock strategies for several key Gexpro product lines.