Zekelman Industries (Chicago, IL)
Meredith Peck (in photo) has been named CFO, succeeding Mike Graham, who will retire on May 15, 2026 following a planned transition period.
Peck brings more than 20 years of financial leadership experience to Zekelman Industries. She most recently served as CFO for COTSWORKS Inc., ascending to the C-suite after serving as the company’s controller and then VP of finance & administration. She holds an MBA in finance from Case Western Reserve University and a bachelor’s degree from the United States Coast Guard Academy. Graham’s joined the company in Sept. 2012 and has served as CFO throughout a period of significant growth and transformation.
National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) (Carmel, IN)
The association appointed four new officers to its board of directors and three new members to the Executive Committee of the NEMRA Manufacturers Group (NMG), effective February 12, 2026. NEMRA also announced the members of its strategic advisory council (SAC), which helps the association shape the vision and strategic pathways the NEMRA board of directors. The council is comprised of leaders representing both the manufacturers’ representative and manufacturing communities.
Board of directors: NEMRA welcomes Bob Powell of DZ Cook (Hayward, CA); Bob Easterlin of Electra Sales of North Texas (Irving, TX); and Rick DeFazio of DeFazio (Glen Allen, VA) to the board. In addition, NEMRA announced that Joe Saganowich, chief commercial officer of NSI — who has served on the NMG Executive Committee, including as its chair — will join the board as the manufacturer (NMG) member.
NMG Executive Committee: NEMRA also welcomes Scott Bausch, VP of Sales, Panduit; Troit Freeland, VP - Sales – Central Region, Hubbell Electrical Solutions; and Kevin Heffernan, president – Electrical, Zekelman Industries, to the NMG executive committee.
Strategic Advisory Council: The council’s membership includes the following industry leaders: Larry Rodger, president, ELA + Synergy — NEMRA board chair; Chris Allshouse, president, McAuliffe; Corey Collins, principal, Agents West; Brian Rooney, principal, Callas-Kingsley; Joe LiPuma, president, The Yusen MacPherson Group; Hagen Denton, principal, ELA + Synergy; Pete Jones, president, Nexus Power; Chris Marlow, senior VP- Sales, ABB; Rob Mondillo, VP Sales- Genlyte; Tom Click, president, Patriot Industries; Scott Bausch, VP, Panduit; and Matt Strand, president, Greaves.
Hammond Power Solutions (Guelph, Ontario)
In his new role as VP-Strategic Accounts, Xavier Biot will lead HPS’ strategic account team. He will partner with customers to align transformer and power quality solutions with evolving electrification, sustainability, and operational needs. His focus will be on helping customers improve efficiency, reliability, and long-term value in their energy infrastructure.
Bringing more than 25 years of global leadership experience, Biot has held senior roles in sales, operations, and strategic market development. Most recently, he served as VP-Digital Energy & Power Products at Schneider Electric, overseeing P&L and delivering solutions across homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industrial markets.
K/E Electric Supply Corp. (Mount Clemens, MI)
Team K/E has promoted Lou Grozdanovski as its director of perations, a newly created position at K/E. He previously served as branch manager of the company’s headquarters and in the new role plans to help K/E further strengthen internal operations and outward customer service. His career spans over 32 years in the electrical industry, with managerial roles throughout.
Border States (Fargo, ND)
As VP-Digital Transformation, Charlie Hoertz will lead Border States' enterprise-wide digital strategy. Through the use of advanced technologies, including AI tools, process automation, data analytics and IoT, Hoertz will spearhead the organization’s efforts to increase efficiency and elevate experiences for employee-owners, customers and vendors.
Hoertz joins Border States with more than 15 years of experience leading digital transformation. He has held roles as a senior advisory board member for a European private equity firm and as a Chief Digital Officer, with experience spanning manufacturing, supply chain and commercial functions.
Hoertz holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Louisiana State University. He completed MIT’s two-year Advanced Management Program and teaches digital transformation in the MBA program at Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business.
Dart Controls (Zionsville, IN)
John Burch was appointed president of this manufacturer of variable speed motor drives, controls and accessories for electric motors. He formerly led Bison Gear & Engineering Corp., where he guided the guided the company’s strategic initiatives, operational execution and market expansion in a highly competitive manufacturing environment. Before becoming CEO at Bison, he gained over 25 years of experience in general management, sales, marketing, business development and operations within industrial and business-to-business markets.
Representative Materials Co. (RMC): This supplier of steel and stainless-steel conduit raceway systems appointed Johan Denecke as VP of Enterprise Operations, with responsibility for enterprise-wide manufacturing, quality and supply chain operations across the company’s Oxnard, CA, and Houston, TX, facilities.
Denecke served as senior VP of Operations for multiple technology and manufacturing organizations, leading large-scale operational transformations, multi-site manufacturing networks, and global supply chains. His background includes leadership roles at companies such as Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Atomica.