People

Jan. 16, 2009
TORK, a division of NSi Industries LLC (Huntersville, N.C.): Sam Shankar, president of Tork, retired at the end of the year after 35 years with the company.

TORK, a division of NSi Industries LLC (Huntersville, N.C.): Sam Shankar, president of Tork, retired at the end of the year after 35 years with the company. Shankar graduated in electrical engineering in 1963. He worked as a junior engineer with a consulting engineering firm, then for an electrical construction company. He joined Tork in 1973 as a manufacturing engineer. He worked in production and inventory control, purchasing, engineering, sales and marketing. Shankar was named president in 1987 and co-CEO in 1996. He will be a consultant to Tork and the electrical industry.

Fire-Lite Alarms (Northford, Conn.): The company hired two new representatives: Dan Lajoie in the east and Leon Parks to cover the northwest. As sales manager for the northern mid-Atlantic region, Lajoie is responsible for Fire-Lite sales and customer support throughout Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Lajoie worked for Honeywell Security Group's sales team before subsequently joining Fire-Lite. In his role as northwest regional sales manager, Parks will provide Fire-Lite dealer and distributor support across Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. Prior to joining Fire-Lite, Parks managed the sales, installation and operations of two fire alarm dealers, Smith Fire Systems and Mountain Alarm, for nearly 10 years.

Staco Energy Products Co., a subsidiary of Component Corp. of America (Dayton, Ohio): Sumit Chatterjea has joined the company as Eastern regional sales manager. Chatterjea, who is based in the Chicago area, is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with business partners who promote the company's power quality products in the eastern region of the U.S. Chatterjea has experience within the electrical controls arena and comes to Staco from Siemens.

CRF Solutions (Simi Valley, Calif.): Chris Ring has joined the company as business development manager for the Lien Management Division. For the past six years, Ring has helped hundreds of companies develop and implement procedures to best utilize the Mechanics' Lien and Bond Claim filing process. Ring has conducted educational seminars for the National Association of Credit Managers and several Fortune 500 companies on the Mechanics' Lien and Bond Claim filing process. Ring is based in the Midwest office of CRF Solutions.

The Conduit Division of Robroy Industries (Gilmer, Texas): Rhonda McLeroy has joined the sales team as a quotations specialist. McLeroy brings with her a background in sales and corporate support. Over the past two years, McLeroy has worked for IDEXX Laboratories (Veterinary Diagnostic).

National Lighting Bureau (Silver Spring, Md.): Robert W. “Rob” Colgan Jr. has been elected chair of the National Lighting Bureau. Colgan agreed to serve as interim chair of the Bureau during the final quarter of 2008, when then-Chair Doug Baillie retired from Acuity Brands Lighting. Colgan was elected to a full term as chair at the Bureau's recent annual meeting. At the same meeting, Susan Bloom, the Philips Lighting and Advance representative, was re-elected Bureau vice chair; Howard P. Lewis, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) representative, was elected secretary/treasurer. Colgan is the National Electrical Contractors Association's (NECA's) executive director of marketing. He also oversees NECA's public relations and membership recruitment and retention activities. Others elected or re-elected to serve on the National Lighting Bureau's Executive Committee are: Steve Braun (Vandal Shields); Mike Colotti (OSRAM Sylvania Inc.); John Coventry (International Association of Lighting Designers); Mary Beth Gotti (GE Lighting); Terry McGowan (International Dark-sky Association); Cary S. Mendelsohn (interNational Association of Lighting Management Companies); Steven Myers (Philips Lighting Co.); Tom Naber (National Association of Electrical Distributors); Ron Runkles (National Electrical Manufacturers Association); Kristine Winner, IIDA (National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions); and James M. Yorgey (Lutron Electronics Co.).