People on the Move - December 6, 2024

National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (Carmel, IN):

Jeff Bristol was appointed VP of the newly formed NEMRA Lighting Division. He was most recently senior VP of sales & marketing for MaxLite. His responsibilities there included managing a 40-plus agent network.
Bristol’s career has also included leadership roles at Panasonic/Universal Lighting Technologies, Philips Lighting, Osram Sylvania, and Westinghouse Lighting. Throughout his career, he has worked closely across the agent landscape, including with NEMRA agents, specification lighting agents and design & build lighting agencies. Bristol is no stranger to NEMRA, having supported the association as a member of the NMG executive committee since 2012.

Turtle & Hughes (Clark, NJ):

The company announced several key promotions on Linkedin. Bob Courcy will be chief revenue officer; Teesee Murray is now group president; Michael Vitiello has taken on the role of president of Distribution; Brian Fitzgerald, a 17-year company veteran, is now senior VP, Digital Operations; Robert Del Guerico was appointed senior VP, Purchasing; Garrett Conner, a 20-year electrical market veteran is Gulf Region VP, Sales; and Beatrice Clark is VP, Sustainability & Social Impact.

Electri-Flex Co. (Roselle, IL):

Ron Pelka, plant manager, retired  after 47 years with the company. According to a company press release, Pelka played an essential role in maintaining the smooth and efficient operation of the manufacturing plant. He joined Electri-Flex in 1978 , and during his career, held several significant positions, including R&D manager, tool room supervisor, maintenance supervisor and eventually production supervisor. 
The release said Pelko played an integral role in constructing the Liquatite brand into what it is today. He oversaw many advancements in roll-forming strip and extrusion, including expanding the product lines from several to the nearly 50 varieties available today. He also managed the expansion of the manufacturing facility with the addition of a second location. More recently, he oversaw plant enhancements and new machinery that increased capacity and efficiency on the factory floor.
Intralec Electrical Products (Mississauga ON): Beverly Pisco and Shaun Stevens have joined this rep firm, according to Canada’s Electrical Business magazine. A post at www.ebmag.com said Pisco joined the industry in 2017 at an electrical distributor, where she was involved in both inside and outside sales. Her territory includes the northern Toronto area and northern Ontario. Pisco will work with Martin McDermott as he prepares for retirement.

JAW Lighting (Nashville, TN)

Jim Williams, the founder of this new lighting agency said in a company Linkedin post that Jason Tatge has joined the company as vice president and general manager.  He had been a profit center manager with Consolidated Electrical Distributors for more than 16 years. Williams was formerly president and chief executive officer of KSA Lighting & Controls, one of Chicago’s largest lighting reps.

Fromm (Reading, PA)

Chris Kline was appointed general manager of FrommConnect, a subsidiary specializing in design, fabrication and labor-saving solutions and services for manufacturers and electrical contractors. 
Kline brings more than 25 years of experience in process engineering, automation system design, workplace safety and cybersecurity. He previously served as Fromm’s Industrial Automation Group manager from 2003-2013 and most recently as sales and engineering manager for Grantek Corp. in Allentown, PA. Kline will oversee FrommConnect’s sales and operations at the company’s state of the art facility in Reading, PA.
Fromm is ranked #73 in Electrical Wholesaling’s 2024 Top 100 ranking with 109 employees and nine branches.

Obituary

Paul Suzio, a well-known senior executive in the market, passed away peacefully on Nov. 21 after a lengthy battle with cancer, according to a post at www.nemra.org. He was the named president & COO of Bridgeport Fittings in 2006, and earlier in his career became VP and general manager at Edwards Signaling when he was only 28 years old.
He was active with NEMRA, NAED and NEMA, and won numerous awards, including Electrical Wholesaling’s Rising Star Award, and was a fixture at industry functions for years. He is survived by his wife of 44 years Grace; three children; and six grandchildren.