IMARK Group Endorses NEMRA Point of Transfer (POT) Standards
Recognizing the importance of National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) sales agents to the success of its members, the IMARK Board of Directors learned more about the NEMRA Point of Sale/ Point of Transfer (POS/POT) Minimum Reporting Standards from NEMRA President Ken Hooper at its recent board meeting.
After learning that many of the 39 manufacturers/brands are IMARK preferred suppliers, the IMARK board passed the following motion: “The IMARK Board of Directors has endorsed the support of the NEMRA’s efforts to ensure all representatives are fairly compensated for their efforts through the utilization of standardized POT reporting for all products sold within their respective trading areas. While nonbinding, the IMARK board recognizes the importance of NEMRA to our members’ continued success and encourages the adoption of POT standardization in support of this objective.”
The board appreciates the fact that the NEMRA standards recognized the proprietary nature of customer information and that manufacturers, for the purposes of manufacturer representative compensation and sales management reporting, only need zip code-level information that NEMRA defines as “place of sale.”
“It is gratifying that the IMARK board and membership see the value in ensuring that the reps who call on them are appropriately and accurately compensated,” Hooper said. “With the support of IMARK’s board and management, NEMRA will be reaching out to members to share the standards and encourage them to individually endorse and utilize the reporting template, which will help standardize reporting for members and across manufacturers.”
Bob Smith, president and CEO of IMARK Group, said, “As a former manufacturer, I know that compensating reps for their hard work is the right thing to do, no exceptions. As an advocate for our members, I encourage all IMARK members to endorse, support and implement this initiative and then let your reps know you are helping them be compensated fairly and accurately. This will help motivate your local reps to further support your company knowing they will be properly compensated.”
To learn more about the NEMRA POS/POT Minimum Reporting Standards initiative, visit nemra.org.
IMARK Canada Announces 2018 Product Stampede Winners
During the recently held IMARK Canada meeting in Montreal, executives from 14 of the leading manufacturers in Canada participated in the IMARK Canada Product Stampede on June 28. Manufacturer executives had precisely five minutes to present a key product with superior growth potential to the members of IMARK Canada. Distributor member executives then rated each supplier based on the quality of the presentation and the perceived sales potential of the product being demonstrated.
“All of the suppliers did an excellent job and our members picked up a lot of valuable information in a very short time,” said Steve Ruane, IMARK Canada vice president of marketing.
IMARK Canada is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Product Stampede.
- First Place: Mark Banducci and John Pocino presented Viscor Inc.’s Wireless Luminaire package.
- Second Place: Stephane Larocque presented Ouellett Canada’s C-Range Air Curtain line.
- Third Place: Doug Wood presented Leviton Canada’s Load Center–Power Distribution Panel.
For more information about IMARK Canada, please contact Jim Taggart of IMARK Canada at jtaggart@imarkgroup.com.
Klein Tools Partners with Project HOOD to Equip Students in the Trades
Klein Tools in Lincolnshire, Illinois recently announced its support of Project HOOD, a nonprofit organization in Chicago that provides training and employment opportunities to deserving members of the community. At a press conference held at Project HOOD, Klein Tools unveiled its “Pliers Promise” initiative, which equips 15 students in Project HOOD’s construction program with more than $10,000 worth of Klein Tools. As part of the new partnership, Klein Tools will also offer scholarships to the top graduates within Project HOOD’s construction program so they can successfully move to more advanced electrical training alongside students at Chicago’s HVAC Technical Institute.
Project HOOD’s construction program trains men and women between the ages of 18-24 for a career in the trades. In partnership with the Illinois chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, the 12-week construction program uses the organization’s nationally-recognized training curriculum to teach students basic carpentry skills. Project HOOD also partners with the Preservation of Affordable Housing’s Woodlawn Resource Center to provide employment coaching and financial services for each student. These partnerships help every student with placement into an apprenticeship program or an entrylevel job after graduation. Project HOOD’s construction program also encourages students to explore different career paths within the construction industry in an effort to address the skills gap across all trade industries.
Upon completion of Project HOOD’s construction program, two students from each 2018 cohort will be recognized for their top-performance and awarded scholarships for advanced technical training at Chicago’s HVAC Technical Institute. HVAC Technical Institute recognizes the need for qualified technicians and provides the necessary skills and knowledge for career growth. Available courses specialize in both electrical and HVAC work, helping aspiring professionals be successful in the trades.
For more information, visit kleintools.com.
Emerson Realigns Leadership at Appleton Group, Buys Division of Textron
Emerson, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, recently announced key executive changes at Appleton Group, an automation solutions business, that support its growing sales leadership in the global industrial markets.
Twenty-five-year electrical industry veteran Andy Schwegel has been promoted to vice president of international and industrial/commercial sales for Appleton Group. In his new role, he will be responsible for global sales growth and operations outside the United States, along with management of international industrial/commercial business and relationship management of Emerson channel partners.
To fill Mr. Schwegel’s former position of vice president/general manager of Sola and Heating Cable Systems, Harish Shinde has been promoted from vice president of strategy and customer care at Appleton Group. In this new role, Shinde will lead strategies for expansion into new markets, as well as spearhead the launch of new products for control power and heating cable applications. He has also held the position of vice president of Appleton Canada with responsibility for sales, marketing and operations.
Emerson also announced that Joe Ugarte has been promoted to vice president of hazardous at Appleton Group with direction for the sales of electrical products targeting the North American hazardous location petrochemical and chemical processing markets, among others. He was previously vice president of global sales for TESCOM/Anderson Greenwood Instrumentation, another business unit of Emerson Automation Solutions.
Russ Kerstetter, president of electrical apparatus and lighting at Emerson Automation Solutions, expressed his appreciation to John Peterson who is retiring from his position as executive vice president of global sales after 16 years with Emerson. “I want to thank John for his leadership and unwavering dedication over the years to delivering the best to our customers,” Kerstetter said. “He has played a vital role in helping the Appleton brand become the global powerhouse it is today. Speaking for everyone at Emerson, I wish him well in his retirement.”
Emerson also recently announced it has signed an agreement to purchase the Tools and Test Equipment (Tools & Test) business of Textron for $810 million. Tools & Test is a leading manufacturer of electrical and utility tools, diagnostics and test and measurement instruments with strong global distribution and highly-respected brands, including Greenlee and Klauke. The acquisition, joined with Emerson’s Ridge Tool Company, creates a global $1 billion professional tools business with the broadest offering for mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors.
For more information, visit emerson.com.
Southwire Receives NECA Industry Partner Award
The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has selected Southwire, headquartered in Carrollton, Georgia, as the 2018 recipient of the NECA Industry Partner Award.
Southwire touches millions of people around the world. One in three new homes built in the United States contains its wire, and it produces half of the cable used to transmit and distribute electricity throughout the United States. More than half of the world’s refined copper passes through the Southwire SCR system.
“Southwire has built innovative products that make electrical contractors more productive and safe,” said NECA CEO John Grau. “It is a leader in the industry when it comes to cutting-edge solutions that simplify installation while saving customers time and money.”
Southwire’s reach stretches beyond business as well. In Carroll County, Georgia, where one in three students in a first-grade classroom will not graduate from high school, Southwire and the county’s school system created 12 FOR LIFE educational services. The program provides classroom and work-study opportunities and has been recognized for its impact on the community.
“Southwire is making a difference in the community where it counts: preparing kids for the future,” Grau said. “The company is doing phenomenal work.”
Since 1996, the NECA Industry Partner Award is presented to individuals or organizations allied with the electrical construction industry. Southwire has been a NECA Premier Partner since 2015 and a Platinum Training Partner of the electrical training alliance.
For more information, visit southwire.com.
Ty-Rap Cable Ties Mark 60th Year
Given the evidence at hand, Thomas & Betts, a member of the ABB Group, will produce its 28 billionth Ty-Rap cable tie in 2018—the 60th anniversary of a simple product that has quietly become an essential part of the modern world.
Thomas & Betts engineer Maurus C. Logan patented the Ty- Rap cable tie, the original cable tie, in 1958. Logan observed in 1956 that workers in a Boeing aircraft plant had to laboriously knot thousands of feet of electric cables together with waxed nylon cord, tearing their fingers in the process. He knew there had to be a better way, so he entered the lab and emerged two years later with his invention: the Ty-Rap cable tie, the world’s first self-cinching cable tie.
By 1965, Thomas & Betts extended its patent on the Ty-Rap cable tie to include the characteristic Grip of Steel locking barb in the Original Oval head. Combined with the equally characteristic ribbed and stippled body, rounded strap profile and upturned no-slip tail, the basic features of Ty-Rap cable ties gave them the ability to hold cable bundles with unparalleled strength and reliability. And the innovations have continued unabated since then.
Today, Ty-Rap cable ties come in heat-resistant varieties, along with product lines that are resistant to ultraviolet rays, harsh chemicals and extreme heat and cold. A version has been designed to withstand the sizzling radiation and vacuum of space. Another has been infused with special materials to make it easily detectable if it falls into food processing lines. And a variety of related Ty-Fast cable ties have been designed to kill microbes on their surface.
This year, the 60th anniversary, will see the introduction of an improved detectable Ty-Rap cable tie that is up to 300 percent more detectable than similar cable ties on the market, and the introduction of a line that changes color in the presence of scalding heat.
For more information, visit tnb.com.
Universal Lighting Unveils Dedicated Online Portal
Universal Lighting Technologies Inc., a member of the Panasonic Group, recently introduced an online resource portal for end users looking for assistance with a lighting upgrade. The web page offers both a database of local “ESCO Select” energy teams and support tools to help end users find cost-saving solutions for their next project.
The portal will serve as a resource for end users, like facility and energy managers, looking for assistance in optimizing cost savings and sourcing high-performance LED products needed to upgrade their buildings. The web page offers tools to request training, lighting audits, lighting proposals and energy calculations. The ESCO Support web page also includes a search tool that allows users to search by zip code and state to find Universal’s DesignLights Consortium (DLC)-qualified listed products in their local rebate program and calculate cost savings accordingly.
In addition to the support tools designed to assist with upgrades, the company has partnered with local energy teams. The ESCO Select energy partners can work with end users to conduct on-site lighting audits for their projects and recommend comprehensive total energy saving strategies.
The ESCO Support page offers features such as a rebate tool that provides cost savings estimates alongside a listing of EVERLINE LED products with links to specification sheets, IES files, application guides and success stories. Its lighting audit feature will offer insight into local end-user energy savings requirements and propose a plan of action to stay within budget.
For more information, visit unvlt.com.
Hubbell Names VP Sales, Commercial Markets
Chris Stockton has been named vice president, sales, commercial markets for Hubbell Lighting. Stockton will oversee all Hubbell Lighting commercial and industrial sales, as well as national accounts, security lighting and international markets. He will report to Kevin Poyck, group president, Hubbell Lighting.
Stockton joined Hubbell in March 2010 and has held various sales leadership positions, including vice president of national accounts and strategic markets. Stockton has held senior sales management roles at Grainger and GE Lighting Systems.
For more information, visit hubbell.com.
IM Supply Hires Director of National Account Sales
IM Supply appointed Dave McGowan to the position of director of national account sales. He brings to IM Supply an extensive amount of relevant industry experience, along with a proven track record of creating and growing national account partnerships with Fortune 1000 companies. Spending the entirety of his distribution career with WESCO, McGowan looks forward to working with key leaders to write many new national account contracts featuring IM Supply distributors.
“I am excited about IM Supply’s vision for the present and the future to offer our customers single national account solutions, strengthened by sustained cost savings and meaningful business analytics, all supported by the strongest distributor partners and fulfillment network in the industry,” McGowan said.
McGowan earned a hospitality administration degree from Florida State University, then began his professional career in sales with the Atlanta Braves baseball organization. After three seasons, he enrolled full time in Georgia Tech’s MBA program. Upon graduation, he officially entered the world of electrical distribution by way of WESCO Global Accounts.
For more information, visit imsupplygroup.com.
Tom Pankratz Joins Mersen
Mersen Electrical Power recently hired Tom Pankratz as vice president of distribution sales and customer care for the United States and Canada. He reports to Deb Huttenburg, vice president of sales and customer care for the Americas.
Pankratz has a successful track record working with electrical and electronics distributors, buying groups and manufacturers’ representatives. He comes to Mersen from Appleton Group where he held a variety of sales leadership and global account management roles over a 14-year period. He has a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from California State University at Chico.
For more information, visit mersen.com.
NSi Announces Key Personnel Changes
NSi Industries LLC in Huntersville, North Carolina recently hired Janet Caruso as national account manager. Caruso comes to NSi Industries with more than 20 years of experience in electrical sales and marketing. She started her career with Affiliated Distributors and later worked for Omni Cable as a marketing manager. Most recently, she worked as national account manager for Houston Wire & Cable Co.
Caruso will be responsible for maintaining and expanding relationships with key national clients. Caruso served in the United State Marine Corps as part of JAG as a legal service specialist.
NSi Industries also announced the appointment of Anthony Jones Sr. as technical customer service representative. Jones comes to NSi Industries with more than 12 years of experience in technical customer support for monitoring and support centers. He started his career with Carrier and most recently worked for Vanguard.
NSi Industries also named Colin Smith as the new territory account manager for Maryland and northern Virginia. Smith will be responsible for developing and executing national sales strategy and will work closely to help expand the company’s product offering in the Chesapeake region.
Smith’s recent experience includes working in operations and sales management with electrical industry companies including City Electric Company Inc., Joseph E. Biden Sales Corp. and Klein Tools. He received his bachelor’s degree from Philadelphia University.
For more information, visit nsiindustries.com.
Omni Cable Promotes Bell Tran, Receives Communications Award
Omni Cable, headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, recently promoted Bell Tran to Seattle sales manager.
As sales manager, Tran is responsible for the sales growth and the onboarding and training of the Seattle branch’s new sales staff.
Tran joined Omni Cable in 2010. Prior to sales manager, Tran was an account manager for Omni Cable’s San Francisco branch. “In his new role, Bell will bring the perfect balance of knowledge and leadership to our rapidly growing Seattle branch,” said Mark Serafino, Omni Cable’s western regional vice president.
Tran is a graduate from California State University with a degree in communications.
Omni Cable was recently selected by The ESOP Association as the runner-up in the 2018 Annual Award for Communication Excellence (AACE) Employee Ownership Marketing category for companies with more than 250 employee-owners. “Omni Cable is proud to be an ESOP company, and we try to promote our ESOP, internally and externally, as much as we can,” said Nikki Schuhl, Omni Cable ESOP Committee chair. “Our marketing materials are an excellent way to feature our company culture and let other companies know that when they work with us, they’ll be working with an employee-owner.”
For more information, visit omnicable.com.