Madison Electric Products (Bedford Heights, Ohio): J. Bradley (Brad) Wiandt has been appointed as Madison’s new president. Bob Starr, who had been president since 1987, when he purchased Madison, will transition into a new sales role with the company. Wiandt joins Madison from TCP Inc., where he was vice president of sales for the company’s energy-efficient lighting products. Prior to TCP, he had been with SLI Lighting and Simkar Inc. He began his career in the electrical industry with a manufacturer’s rep agency in Cleveland.Starr, who will work jointly with Wiandt through year-end, has taken on a new role at Madison with his focus primarily on expanding Madison’s sales through distributors in select markets and the company’s network of manufacturers’ representatives. Starr will now be reporting to Bill Starr, vice president of sales and marketing, and will continue to drive sales and marketing. Starr’s background in the electrical industry began in 1964 and includes positions as president of NPS (division of American Broadcasting), and senior vice president of Endata, a supplier of hardware and software solutions used for inventory control and general ledger management.
Philips Lighting Electronics, a division of Philips Electronics North America Corp., and The Bodine Co. (Rosemont, Ill., and Collierville, Tenn.): John Levesque has been appointed to the position of general manager of Bodine. Levesque has expertise in the product management, engineering, manufacturing and commercial aspects of the emergency lighting business, holding successive senior management positions throughout his two decades of service and most recently serving as Bodine’s national sales manager. With this promotion, Levesque will be responsible for overall management of the company’s emergency lighting business. Levesque is an active member of such recognized industry trade associations as the IES and IEC.
Leviton Manufacturing Co. (Little Neck, N.Y.): Brian Sorensen has been promoted to director of National Distribution Accounts for the company’s commercial data networking business. In his new post, Sorensen directs the strategic growth of Leviton’s complete line of voice and data devices, and builds relationships with key channel partner and end-user markets. Sorensen joined Leviton in 2006 as manager of national accounts. His previous experience includes positions with Tyco Electronics/DEK, where he was responsible for sales of the company’s premise and industrial products worldwide. Previously, as regional sales manager for Prestolite/Krone, he developed strong relationships with large distributors and channel partners, and was a specialist for the company’s Lecroy Test Unit in the eastern United States.