Klein Tools (Lincolnshire, Ill.): John Cate has been named director of marketing. With 30 years of experience, he will oversee all aspects of marketing.
Ideal Industries Inc. (Sycamore, Ill.): Paul Alger has been promoted to national account manager. Prior to his promotion, Alger held the position of senior area sales manager for Ideal, covering southern Alabama, the Florida panhandle, eastern Mississippi and key regional accounts.
W.W. Grainger Inc. (Lake Forest, Ill.): Patrick A. Davidson has been promoted to senior vice president for sales and marketing. With Grainger since 1986, Davidson most recently served as senior vice president, customer service. Michael A. Pulick will succeed Davidson in that position.
Graybar Electric Co. (St. Louis): David Pferrer has been promoted to branch manager of the company's Parsippany, N.J., location. He has five years of branch management experience at electrical distributor Rexel and 23 years of management experience with Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley.
Sea Gull Lighting Products (Riverside, N.J.): Eric Borden has been appointed to the newly created position of vice president, product management and market research. With Sea Gull Lighting since 1994, Borden most recently served as vice president of Ambiance Lighting Systems.
Guarantee Electrical Co. (St. Louis): Thomas W. Montgomery has been named director of purchasing. Montgomery brings to Guarantee more than 26 years of experience in electrical sales. Most recently he served as a regional sales manager for Rexel. As director of purchasing, Montgomery directs and coordinates Guarantee's major material, equipment and machinery purchases.
Leviton Manufacturing Co. Inc. (Little Neck, N.Y.): Clyde Wixom has been appointed senior marketing/new business development manager for Leviton Integrated Networks and Controls' Residential Systems Group. Wixom will provide strategic marketing direction for Leviton's residential lighting control and home automation products, and generate joint business opportunities with industry channel partners.
Nora Lighting Inc. (Commerce, Calif.): David Carey has been appointed western regional sales manager, commercial division. Carey's experience in the lighting and electrical business spans more than 15 years with many industry leaders, including Cooper Lighting, Alflex Corp. and Targetti North America Inc.
Legrand North America (West Hartford, Conn.): As part of a restructuring of Legrand North America in which the company moves to one sales and management structure representing Wiremold/Legrand, Pass & Seymour/Legrand, On-Q/Legrand and Cablofil to electrical distributors, contractors and end users, John Hoffman has been appointed vice president, specification. He was formerly vice president of sales, Wiremold. Bob Smith has been named executive vice president, sales. He was formerly executive vice president of sales, Pass & Seymour.
Columbia Electric Supply Inc. (Brockton, Mass.): Russell Baker has been named purchasing manager. The 30-year electrical industry veteran will oversee all purchasing functions for the distributor's three Massachusetts locations.
US Electrical Services LLC (USESI, Exton, Pa.): John Marshall has been appointed regional president responsible for the Washington, D.C.; Virginia; and Maryland region. Marshall has 19 years of experience in the electrical distribution industry. Most recently, he was chief operating officer for Capital Lighting & Supply, a division of Sonepar USA.
Obituary
Robert “Bob” Liskay, co-founder of Riffle & Associates Inc., a rep firm headquartered in Cincinnati, died Sept. 15. He was 74 years old.
Liskay most recently served Riffle & Associates as secretary, treasurer and comptroller. He was an integral part of the rep firm, initially in sales and later as chief financial officer.
Liskay is survived by his wife, Toni. Memorial contributions may be made to Holy Family Home, 6707 State Road, Parma, OH 44134.