People On the Move - Feb. 28, 2025 Update

Panduit Corp. (Tinley Park, IL)

 Scott Bausch  (in photo) was appointed VP of North America Sales. He will be responsible for overseeing Panduit's U.S. and Canada sales within the Network Infrastructure and Electrical Infrastructure organizations and driving the strategic direction for Panduit North America sales operations.

Bausch's association with Panduit dates back to 1994, when he first joined the company as an account manager for the Ohio sales territory. Throughout his decade of service with Panduit, he developed a strong track record of success, building lasting relationships with customers and contributing to significant growth. Since then, Bausch has held multiple general manager and sales roles including his most recent job as senior VP of Revenue Operations and Strategic Accounts within Legrand’s Electrical Division.

Bausch holds a bachelor’s of science in business management from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y., and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Franklin University.

Affiliated Distributors (Wayne, PA)

AD’s Independent Electrical Supply Division (IESD) announced two changes to its 2025 board of directors. Steve Helle, president of Granite City Electric Supply, will step into the role of board co-chair to lead the board alongside John Hanna, president and COO of Fromm Electric Supply, and Stephen Paul, president of Elliott Electric Supply, will join the board. 

Helle is the president of Granite City Electric Supply, a large independent electrical supply distributor in the New England region for more than 100 years. Under Helle’s leadership, Granite City Electric Supply has expanded through acquisitions and adding new locations. During this tenure, the company has grown from five locations and 75 employees to 32 locations and almost 500 employees across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Albany, NY. 

Paul joined the Elliott Electric Supply leadership team in 2023 as president. Prior to Elliott, he spent 24 years at Eaton Corp., where he held various leadership roles spanning sales and manufacturing across the country, including as regional VP for the Gulf Region. Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial distribution from Texas A&M University and is actively engaged with helping this program today as it attracts new talent to the industry.

The members of the 2025 AD Independent Electrical Supply Division Board are:

Steve Helle, president, Granite City Electric Supply and IESD board co-chair

John Hanna, president & COO, Fromm Electric Supply and IESD board co-chair

John Cady, president, Revere Electric Supply Co.

Michael Doris, president, Mars Electric

Danny Gray, president & CEO, Independent Electric Supply

Paul Kennedy, president & CEO, DSG

Craig LaRue, president, Alameda Electrical Distributors

John Marshall, president & owner, Atlantic Coast Electric Supply

Lura McBride, president & CEO, Van Meter

Jeff Metzler, CEO, Lonestar Electric Supply

Stephen Paul, president, Elliott Electric Supply

Jason Seger, president & CEO, Border States

Bruce Summerville, president, Inline Electric Supply Co.

Luis Valls, president & Co-CEO, Turtle

HellermannTyton (Milwaukee, WI)

Jason Hill was promoted to executive sales director - Electrical, according to a Linkedin post.

Milbank Manufacturing (North Kansas City, MO)

Jack Hackathorn is now senior director, Product & Utility Engagement, according to a Linkedin post.

Gross Electric Co. (Toledo, OH)

Company President Laurie Gross was appointed interim president of the American Lighting Association. She will serve in this role until a new president/CEO is hired, according to a post on the Gross Electric web-site.

OBITUARY

Pete Kunz, a retired partner at the Kunz-Powell independent rep firm based in Royersford PA, passed away recently. Bob Powell, who merged his rep firm with Kunz’s agency to form Kunz-Powell Associates in 1982, offered this remembrance of Pete’s legacy at Kunz-Powell and in the electrical industry:

“After his active Marine Corps days as a Marine aviator, Pete went to work for the Exide Corp. and specialized in emergency lighting sales. In 1973, he became the sole owner of the R.A. Johnson Co., an electrical agency started in 1947 by Ray Johnson.

“I met Pete soon after I began my electrical career with Plymouth Rubber and started a friendship that lasted over the years. I left Plymouth and opened my business in Philly in the spring of 1980. Right before the 1982 NEMRA Conference, Pete and I merged our companies (his was a lot bigger) and began Kunz-Powell & Associates Inc. Pete retired in 1988, but kept his hand in electrical distribution with two or three specialty lines for the next 25 years.

“Pete was a truly good man and a better mentor. His ability to stay calm and measured while my inclination was to attack and burn a village caused me to reevaluate the way that I approached things. While he was not at the LaGuardia founding meeting, he was always a strong and vocal supporter of NEMRA and The Electrical Association of Philadelphia.”