SupplyFORCE (King of Prussia): This sourcing and procurement company recently named John Burke as new president and CEO. For the past 13 years, Burke was president and COO of Kirby Risk Electrical Supply. Burke began his career with GE where he spent 15 years engaged in various management positions in the areas of Government Contracting, Sourcing and Materials Management in the Power Systems and Electrical Distribution businesses.
He has served on numerous electrical industry advisory boards for electrical manufacturers, the NAED Board of Directors, the IDEA Board of Directors, the NAED Education and Research Foundation Board of Directors, the EDGE Global Supply Board of Directors and an Advisory Board for the School of Industrial Distribution at Purdue University.
Industry Data Exchange Association Inc. (IDEA) (Arlington, Va.): IDEA has appointed Susan Streich as manager, Wholesale Data Services. She was formerly national sales manager at IDEA and now will be responsible for the IDW Data Synchronization Platform and managing the Data Management Specialist team.
Streich brings over a decade of electrical channel experience to IDEA and over 20 years’ experience working with product content. Prior to joining IDEA, Streich previously worked for Vista Information Services during her tenure at Epicor (formerly Activant Solutions). She also spent eight years at a large buying group consortium in the food distribution industry, and began her career categorizing and analyzing point-of-sale data for A.C. Nielsen, a global leader in measurement and information services.
Panasonic Corp. of North America (Newark, N.J.): Dan Silver is now president of Panasonic Eco Solutions North America and will concurrently serve as president of Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning North America. Panasonic Eco Solutions will focus its activities on the marketing and sales of electrical construction and eco-responsible products, including vent fans, lighting control systems and cordless assembly tools, serving the commercial, government, factory and residential sectors.
In addition, Silver will lead Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning North America, which in conjunction with ventilation products, positions Panasonic as a leading innovator in indoor air quality solutions. An employee of Panasonic for 29 years, Silver has held a succession of leadership positions with the company. He holds a BA in political science from Amherst College; a MA from Johns Hopkins in international relations; studied and taught in Japan, and is fluent in Japanese.
Burndy (Manchester, N.H.): Mike Smetana is now Central Regional sales manager. He assumed his role on April 1 and reports to Warren Jenkins, V.P., sales and marketing. Smetana joined Burndy in July 2011 as a field sales rep on the company’s Chicago sales team. He previously was with Klein Tools as a district manager and regional sales manager and handled both Crescent Electric and Border States as national accounts for the company. He holds a BA from the University of Iowa.
Buckles-Smith (San Jose, Calif.): Eric Peschke has joined the Buckles-Smith team as director of supply chain solutions at the San Jose corporate headquarters. He most recently held the position of V.P. of operations with Valin Corp., a valve and process automation. A graduate of Cornell University, Peschke earned a bachelor’s of science degree in applied economics and management. With more than 12 years of industry experience, Peschke also previously worked as the director of operations with Engineered Solutions, a contract manufacturer headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
BlueVolt (Portland, Ore.): This developer of learning management systems (LMS) for businesses in the service and manufacturing industries, announced that Douglas Gastich has joined the company as president and general manager. In his new position, he will drive the continued growth of the company and manage the day-to-day operations. He succeeds outgoing president, Don Spear, who remains at BlueVolt as chairman.
National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), St. Louis: NAED will honor four industry leaders who have made significant contributions to the electrical industry with Annual Achievement Awards at its upcoming 2014 National Meeting in San Francisco. Tammy Miller, CEO, Fargo, North Dakota-based Border States Electric, is the recipient of the NAED’s highest honor, the 2014 Arthur W. Hooper Achievement Award. This honor is presented to an individual who has led an exceptional career in electrical distribution spanning many years. Wes Smith, president of Mayer Electric Supply, Birmingham, Ala., is one of two recipients of the 2014 NAED Distributor Distinguished Service Award. The award is given in recognition of outstanding and dedicated service to NAED and the electrical distribution industry. David Rosenstein, president and CEO of Buffalo Grove, Illinois-based Connexion, is a 30-year industry veteran and the second recipient of the 2014 NAED Distributor Distinguished Service Award.
Bruce Bittner, CEO of NSi Industries, is the recipient of the 2014 NAED Associate Service Award. This Award is given to an individual at a manufacturing firm who has consistently promoted and supported the tenets and goals of the NAED. Encore Wire will receive the 2014 NAED Industry Award of Merit. This award is presented in recognition of a company or individual in the electrical manufacturing business that has been active in promoting and supporting the electrical distribution industry.