Ericson Manufacturing (Willoughby, OH): Brian Earl (photo above) joined Ericson as the new VP of sales and marketing. Earl will spearhead Ericson’s expansion into new markets and oversee the overall marketing and sales strategy for the organization. He brings 30 years of experience in both the manufacturing and distributor channels to the role. He previously worked as national director of sales at Leviton Manufacturing Co.; VP of sales and distribution at Actuant Electrical; VP of sales and marketing at Connexion; and for Steiner Electric. Hailing from Minnesota originally, Earl graduated from the University of Minnesota with an undergraduate degree and has an MBA from the University of Michigan, focusing on strategic marketing and market planning.
National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) (Washington, DC): Eric Hoplin will become CEO effective Oct. 19. As announced in February, current CEO Dirk Van Dongen will retire after a 41-year tenure leading the organization. Hoplin currently serves as head of external relations for Wells Fargo & Co., in Washington, DC. In this role, Hoplin has served as an ambassador for Wells Fargo, leading a team that drives the company’s reputation and policy priorities by partnering with NGOs, think tanks, trade associations, advocacy groups, academic institutions and charitable organizations.
Before joining Wells Fargo, Hoplin served as the executive director at the Financial Services Roundtable (now BPI), a trade association representing the CEOs of the nation’s largest financial services companies. Prior to that, Hoplin worked in management consulting at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he helped senior leaders across the government solve their most vexing challenges. Earlier in his career, Hoplin worked in politics, supporting a number of congressional, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.
A Minnesota native, Hoplin holds a Master of international affairs degree from Columbia University; an MBA from Augsburg College; and a BA in political science and communications from St. Olaf College. He serves on the boards of the Trust for the National Mall and the Reagan Ranch.
Lumileds (San Jose, CA): Matt Roney will be the company’s CEO effective Oct. 1. He most recently served as president of Lumileds’ Automotive Business Unit and succeeds Dr. Jonathan Rich who will continue with the company as executive chairman of the board.
Prior to joining Lumileds, Roney served as COO for Stanley Infrastructure, a division of Stanley Black & Decker. Previously, Roney was the president of Paladin Attachments, which was acquired by Stanley Infrastructure. He also spent eight years at TRW Automotive, now known as ZF TRW, in roles of rising responsibility, including VP and general manager of its $2.5-billion Global Steering Business. Roney has a BS in electrical engineering from Cornell University, an MSE in mechanical engineering from Purdue and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
H2O Degree (Bensalem, PA): This manufacturer of two-way wireless submetering systems for tenant billing, leak detection, utility conservation and building automation system integration in multi-family and commercial facilities, recently announced the promotion of Jerry Armstrong to VP- technical sales & services. In his previous position as director of technical services, Armstrong positioned H2O Degree as a supplier of wireless submetering and leak detection systems.
H2O Degree manufactures wireless, radio-based and LoRaWAN-enabled submetering and leak/flood detection and alarm systems that measure individual apartment or condo use of water, domestic hot water energy, boiler and chiller energy, electricity, gas and BTUs. The company also offers green thermostats that track energy use and apartment temperature while allowing tenants and property owners to set temperature set-points and schedules, adjust set-back temperatures when tenants are away or asleep and report HVAC maintenance issues.
Don Millstein, president of H20 Degree, is a well-known exec in the submetering and electrical fields through his experience as a senior executive with E-Mon for more than 20 years. Honeywell bought E-Mon in 2010.
Pure Safety Group (PSG) (Houston): Jeff Ward is now CEO of this manufacturer of fall protection and jobsite safety products and provider of training for safe work practices in the construction industry. He previously was president of PSG’s international operations. Prior to joining PSG, Ward was CEO of Centurion Safety Products and director of the British Safety Industry Federation. Ward has had other executive posts with industrial and consumer goods companies. He has an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the University of Warwick in the U.K.