People

Feb. 1, 2008
Promotions and new appointments in the electrical industry. Find out who's on the move, and where they're going.

Leviton Manufacturing Co. Inc. (Little Neck, N.Y.): David Weigand has been promoted to national sales manager for commercial energy management products. He will focus on expanding the market for the company's line of occupancy sensors, whole-building energy management controls, daylight harvesting systems and other lighting management systems. In a career spanning more than 25 years, Weigand has worked in the lighting consulting, contracting and commercial construction industries, in addition to the pubic utility sector, where he established energy incentive programs for Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, Washington Water Power and the Bonneville Power Administration. Before joining Leviton, he worked as manager of lighting and electrical standards for the Starbucks Coffee chain.

Dual-Lite, a Hubbell Lighting Inc. brand (Greenville, S.C.): Anthony (Tony) Campbell has been appointed to the position of manager, product development for life safety products. Campbell has spent 15 years in the lighting industry. His experience includes product and brand management positions with Devine Lighting (a Hubbell Lighting Inc. brand) and Holophane (an Acuity Brands company). As manager, product development for Dual-Lite, Campbell's primary responsibility will be the identification of new business and product opportunities for the life safety brand.

Ideal Industries Inc. (Sycamore, Ill.): Joe Saganowich has been promoted to national field sales manager. He will report to Bob Bukowsky, vice president of sales for Ideal. Prior to his promotion, Saganowich served as Southeast regional sales manager for Ideal where he demonstrated his management and sales talents for the past eight years. In all, Saganowich brings a track record of more than 18 years in sales management to his new position. He will direct all Ideal field sales regions serving electrical distribution.

The Electric League of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, Wis.): The following people have been elected to two-year terms as officers of the Electric League of Milwaukee. They are James Forret — Total Lighting, president; James Seefeldt — Venture Electric, vice president ; James Lloyd — Viking Electric, secretary; and James Knoerr — Dolan & Dustin, treasurer.

United Electric Supply (New Castle, Del.): Dennis Risner recently received a promotion to product manager of wire, conduit and datacom for Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Risner first joined United Electric Supply in 1999 as a datacom product specialist and has held various positions in the wire and conduit areas. Altogether, he has over 18 years of experience in the field of electrical distribution.

Pentadyne Power Corp. (Chatsworth, Calif.): Mark Campion has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer. Since 2003, Campion has been the CFO of Silicon Valley-based PolyFuel Inc., a leader in the development of engineered membranes for fuel cells.

Wiedenbach-Brown Co. Inc. (Hawthorne, N.Y.): Rodger S. Cherry has been appointed president. Previously senior vice president of the commercial construction division for Wiedenbach-Brown, New York, Cherry has extensive lighting distribution and financial management experience. Prior to Wiedenbach-Brown, Cherry was the president of the largest lighting distribution company in New York City. His lighting experience includes being senior vice president of Neoray Lighting, a linear fluorescent lighting manufacturer and vice president of International Lights, a lighting representative agency based in New York City.

Staco Energy Products Co. (Dayton, Ohio): Billy (Bo) Stanfill has been promoted to vice president of operations. In his new role, Stanfill will be responsible for all manufacturing and operations endeavors. He was production manager.

Madison Electric Products Inc. (Bedford Hts., Ohio): Bill Starr has been promoted to vice president — sales and marketing. Formerly national sales manager, Starr will be responsible for all sales and marketing efforts, including both the Construction and Industrial division and the Consumer Products division. Starr had previously been regional sales manager of Kraloy and held sales positions at the independent sales rep and distributor levels.

Q-TRAN (Bridgeport, Conn.) Shannon Markey has been appointed Western regional sales manager. Markey will work closely with lighting showrooms and electrical distributors, lighting designers, engineers, architects and other lighting professionals in the specification community, throughout the western region of the United States. His territory will include Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota and Minnesota.

Maurice Electrical Supply (Washington, D.C.): Tony Wilhelm has joined the switchgear department in Washington, D.C. Wilhelm has come back to the D.C. market after working in Atlanta for Siemens. Most of Wilhelm's 26-year career in the electrical industry has been spent in the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia markets working for major switchgear manufacturers. With the addition of Wilhelm, Maurice Electrical Supply now has 10 people specializing in switchgear sales in the Washington D.C. metropolitan market.

Schréder Lighting (Elk Grove Village, Ill.): Jeff Sanders has been named inside sales manager. Sanders will oversee the inside sales team and work closely with Schréder's independent sales agencies, and the specification lighting community, including lighting designers, architects and engineers. Sanders will work with key lighting professionals to fulfill their commercial outdoor lighting needs, specifically in the area of public and urban lighting, tunnel and transit lighting and other related categories. Sanders worked for North Star/Thorn Lighting for more than 20 years, and most recently served as special projects manager.

EncapSulite International Inc. (Rosenberg, Texas): Gary Cunningham has been appointed Eastern regional sales manager. Cunningham will be responsible for EncapSulite sales activity east of the Mississippi River. He will be working directly with the company's independent sales agents, distributors and OEM customers. Cunningham is the past president of both the NEMRA Southern Ohio Chapter and the Greater Cincinnati Electrical Association. Cunningham started representing EncapSulite 20 years ago in Ohio and for the past 16 months has served as regional manager for Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania.

Obituary

Arthur I. Appleton, former president of Appleton Electric Co., died Jan. 15. He was 92 years old.

Appleton directed the affairs of Appleton Electric Co. from 1947 when he became president following his father's retirement, through 1982 when Appleton Electric was sold to Emerson. Prior to assuming the presidency, Appleton served in various capacities with the company, including both plant and administrative positions, starting with the company in June, 1936 upon his graduation from Dartmouth College. Under his guidance and direction, the company carried out major modernization and automation programs, which expanded Appleton's manufacturing capabilities, increased production efficiency and reduced manufacturing costs.

In addition to his duties as the active administrative head of the company, Appleton was responsible for the improvement and development of many Appleton products. Most of his inventions were innovations in the electrical field and were exclusive to the Appleton line. He held approximately 114 patents in his own name, and is listed as joint patentee on nine additional patent applications. In 1978, he was the recipient of the Chicago Electric Association's Gold Medal Award, honoring his “outstanding creative technical and managerial talents,” and his efforts in “exemplifying the highest qualities of industry and community leadership, which won him the respect and admiration of the entire electrical industry.”

Appleton also was one of the country's leading thoroughbred horse breeders and owners.

He is survived by four sons, Arthur Jr., Tom, Jim and Bill; and a daughter, Linda.