People On the Move - August 8, 2025 Update

Executive appointments at Power Grid Components, Atkore, Espen Technology, Graybar, Mersen, OmniCable and MK Morse.
Aug. 7, 2025
3 min read
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Power Grid Components (PGC) (Bessemer, AL):

This domestic supplier of a wide range of components for the electrical grid announced that Michael Plaster (photo above), an industry veteran with nearly four decades of leadership experience in electrical equipment and solutions companies, will be joining PGC as its CEO effective Aug. 18. He will succeed Rick McClure, who will transition to chairman of the board.
Plaster joins PGC from ABB, where he spent 20 years and most recently served as executive VP and lead business manager for Electrification. Since May 2020, he has both led ABB’s U.S. Electrification commercial organization and held P&L responsibility for ABB’s North American Distribution Solutions business line, driving significant growth. His leadership of a 3,000-person team and service on the NEMA board of governors and executive committee underscore his industry influence.
Prior to his tenure at ABB, Plaster spent time at Kirby Risk Electrical Supply and Schneider Electric. He holds a bachelor’s of science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University and a MBA from Butler University. While serving at ABB, he completed its Senior Leadership Development Program at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, equipping him with advanced global leadership and strategic management skills.

 

Espen Technology (Santa Fe Springs, CA)

Cathy Zhang is the company’s  new CEO, joining forces with her father, Richard Zhang to continue building the legacy of the family-owned business, according to a company  LinkedIn post.


Atkore Inc. (Harvey, IL)

Bill Waltz, CEO and president, informed the Atkore board of directors of his decision to retire from the company. Waltz plans to serve in his roles until a successor is appointed. Atkore’s board is engaged in its succession plan process to identify the company’s next CEO.

Graybar (St. Louis, MO)

Jonathan Rayment was promoted to district VP for the company’s Seattle district, according to a LinkedIn post.


Mersen (Paris, France)

Salvador Lamas was appointed as successor to Luc Themelin as CEO. He will take office following the annual general meeting in May 2026. Lamas is currently COO and was selected by the board of directors following a succession process launched several months ago. Since joining Mersen in July 2021 as VP Business Unit, Salvador Lamas led the development of the Electrical Power business unit’s Solutions for Power Management.

 

OmniCable (Westchester, PA)

Wade Buick was appointed senior ice president VP–Distribution and Operations. He brings more than 20 years of executive leadership experience in supply chain, operations and people development and most recently, served as the vice president of Operations and Strategy at Eastern Engineered Wood Products, Inc.
He has also held senior roles at Royal Truck and Equipment  and DuPont - Titanium Technologies (Chemours). Buick is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy; earned his MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia; and served more than seven years in the U.S. Navy, concluding his military service as an Operations Officer in eastern Afghanistan.

 

M. K. Morse Co. (Canton, OH)

Jacob Lilley was hired as regional sales manager, Industrial Division, for the company’s Western region. He has more than a decade of experience at companies including Band-It IDEX, Lapp USA and most recently WIKUS.