The Electrical Industry Newsletter October 3, 2014 Volume 39, Number 19

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1 The Electrical Industry Newsletter October 3, 2014 Volume 39, Number 19 Hunzicker Brothers Acquires SESCO Hunzicker Brothers, Inc., Oklahoma City, has agreed to acquire what it says is the leading electrical distributor in southern Oklahoma, SESCO Electric Supply Co., based in Lawton, Okla. Mike Lockard, president and CEO of Hunzicker Bros., said the deal with David Dyer, president and CEO of SESCO, unites two independent electrical distributors in a bid to fend off national chains. SESCO has four locations in Oklahoma, with branches in Duncan, Chickasha and Ardmore as well as the Lawton headquarters. We are proud to welcome SESCO to the Hunzicker family and team, Lockard said in a Hunzicker release. We strongly believe that the joining together of two independent and family-owned distributors is a combination that will greatly serve our respective customers and employees in an environment where distributors continue to be consumed by national and international chains. We also believe that the expertise and service that can be provided to our customers and suppliers by independents is unparalleled. Jeff and Wynona Dyer, Tom and Lorraine Ezzell, and Robert Schacher established SESCO in Lawton in 1963 and established another store in Duncan in The Dyer family purchased all outstanding stock from the other investors in Sept They would later establish locations in Chickasha and Ardmore. Jeff and Wynona s son, David Dyer, has led the company since his father s death in Under David s Continued on page 2 Inside Generac buys MAC... p. 3 Sonepar buys in UK... p. 4 IDEA adds to IDW mandate... p. 5 NRG pushes further in solar... p. 5 A Penton publication. Publishers of Electrical Wholesaling and EC&M magazines. Sonepar Goes Big in MRO with Deal to Acquire Industrial Distribution Group Sonepar made a big move into the industrial MRO market with the purchase of Industrial Distribution Group (IDG), Belmont, N.C., one of the larger industrial distributors in North America, with sales of approximately $700 million. On the same day that it announced the IDG purchase, Sonepar also posted on its website that it had acquired Routeco Group Holdings Ltd., the largest automation distributor in the United Kingdom (see article on page 4). Founded in 1997 and operating in the industrial distribution, integrated supply solutions and energy distribution niches, IDG serves its customers from 42 branches in the U.S. and over 170 on-site customer locations in North America, Asia, and Europe. The Sonepar release said IDG is the largest privately owned industrial MRO distributor in the United States. Modern Distribution Management ranks the company as the 22nd largest industrial distributor in the United States. Sonepar had already been active in the industrial supply/mro market through its Hagemeyer business unit as well as the MRO activities of several of its electrical distribution businesses. In the IDG release, Dave Gabriel, CEO Sonepar North America, said, The acquisition of IDG strengthens our position in the Integrated Supply and MRO space enhancing our North American footprint and reach. The combined synergies between Hagemeyer North America and IDG in the Integrated Supply, Industrial Distribution and Technical Services areas will allow us to expand our portfolio to better meet the needs of our customers. Charles Lingenfelter, IDG president and CEO and the company s 1,365 associates will be joining Sonepar. According to information on the IDG website, Lingenfelter was named IDG president and CEO in Nov. Continued on page 4 Philips Follows Siemens in Move to Spin Off Lighting Solutions as Stand-Alone Business Royal Philips, Eindhoven, Netherlands, announced last week at a London meeting with investors and analysts that it would separate its HealthTech and Lighting Solutions businesses into two separate companies and concentrate Royal Philips itself on consumer healthcare products and services. The Philips Lighting Solutions business has annual sales of 7 billion (approximately $9 billion) excluding the company s Lumileds (LED components) and Automotive lighting businesses, which were recently spun off into another separate lighting business. Philips divestiture of lighting follows a trend in the market that s being driven by the shift to solid-state lighting technologies and the growing competition in the LED lighting market. Siemens last year spun off its Osram lighting business as a stand-alone company. GE recently sold Electrolux its appliances business, but held onto GE Lighting, which was part of the appliance organization. Speculation that GE will ultimately get out of lighting continues to simmer. The moves share a common theme in the accelerating decline of sales in conventional lighting technologies and the rise of new entrants selling LED lighting without the baggage of legacy technologies. Lighting was one of the foundational technologies for Philips when it was founded 123 years ago, a legacy not lost on Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips, who said in a press release, I do appreciate the magnitude of the decision we are taking, but the time is right to take the next strategic step for Philips, as we continue on our transformation. To become the global leader in HealthTech and shape the future of the industry, we will combine our vibrant Healthcare and Consumer Lifestyle businesses into one company. At the same Continued on page 2 Copying or reprinting all or parts of this newsletter without specific permission violates Federal law!

2 Cree Stock Drops 13% During Mid-Day Trading on Oct. 2; Analysts Blame Guidance Citing Weaker Global LED Demand Cree s stock got hammered Thursday on Wall Street after the company announced revenue from its LED Products division is expected to decline 20% year-over-year and 13% sequentially to $174 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 due to weaker global demand than originally targeted. In preliminary estimates of financial results for its first fiscal quarter ended Sept. 28, Cree said it expects revenue for the quarter to be approximately $428 million. The report said the expected revenue is below the company s previously targeted range of $440 million to $465 million due to lower LED Products revenue and that, Overall gross margin is expected to be below the company s previously announced targets primarily due to the lower LED Products revenue and higher than targeted LED bulb revenue. LED Products and Lighting Products segment gross margins are expected to be lower sequentially primarily due to the product mix within each segment. Hunzicker Bros Buy SESCO Continued from page 1 leadership SESCO has become the leading electrical distributor in southern Oklahoma. David Dyer, SESCO president, stated, SESCO s mission of we give, we serve, we comfort is aligned with the Hunzicker culture of a family-owned Oklahoma distributorship that was built on customer service and an outstanding team of employees. I strongly believe that the joining of these two companies will serve our customers and employees well in future years. Jack Henderson, executive vice president of Hunzicker Brothers, said he is extremely excited to welcome SESCO. This acquisition allows us to combine the operations, which together gives us 145-plus years of experience to better serve our statewide customer base. We remain committed to growth, and adding these new markets will increase our service capabilities and strengthen our position as a significant force in the electrical distribution business in our marketplace. We will continue to seek additional strategic acquisitions with similar values that have served Hunzicker Brothers well since our founding in CNBC Mad Money host Jim Cramer attributed the drop to Wall Street worries over use of the phrase weaker global demand. During midday trading on Thursday, Cree s stock was at 20-month low of $34.50 a 45% drop year-to-date. Despite the fact that Cree is acknowledged in the lighting business as a market leader in LED lighting that s successfully competing with Philips, Osram/Sylvania and GE Lighting, stock analysts appear to have mixed feelings on the future performance of the company s stock. An Investor s Business Daily article cited a research note on in which one analyst said, Lower gross margin, doubts regarding the company's capability to sustain its growth in the long term and rising competition from bigger players such as General Electric are some of the key factors contributing to the negative sentiment around Cree's stock. On the flip side, still rates Cree as a buy, and said in a post that surfaced at Yahoo Finance, This is driven by a number of strengths, which Philips to Spin Off Lighting Solutions Group Continued from page 1 time, giving independence to our Lighting Solutions business will better enable it to expand its global leadership position and venture into adjacent market opportunities. Both companies will be able to make the appropriate investments to boost growth and drive profitability, ultimately generating significantly more value for our customers, employees and shareholders. Philips Lighting Solutions business, already one of the global leaders in lighting and serving a growing market estimated to exceed 60 billion (approximately $77.1 billion), will be better positioned to capitalize on the fundamental changes taking place in the lighting industry, in which the value is shifting from individual products to systems and services, the Philips release said. As a stand-alone company, the Lighting Solutions business will benefit from improved speed and agility in its operations to deliver innovation and capital market access to boost growth in connected LED lighting systems and services, more than offsetting the decline of conventional lighting, Philips said. we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company s strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, good cash flow from operations, growth in earnings per share and expanding profit margins. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself. Despite its stock market slump, Cree continues to invest heavily in R&D and to bolster its line of LED lighting in key product niches. Earlier this week, the company launched another alternative to fluorescent office lighting, its ZR High Efficacy (HE) LED troffer, a specificationgrade troffer designed to reduce energy consumption by 70% when compared to traditional fluorescent troffers. The new product pumps out 150 lumens-per-watt and is said to last 100,00 hours twice as long as comparable LED troffers. The creation of the Lighting Solutions company follows the recently announced plan to combine Philips Lumileds (LED components) and Automotive lighting businesses into a stand-alone lighting components company. Philips viewed those business lines as closely linked by joint research and development on the upstream side of the lighting business, while the lighting solutions business concentrates on providing lighting and services to the trade and consumer markets downstream. Meanwhile, Philips said lighting s contribution to company results will mean improvement in earnings in the second half of 2014, with cost savings programs and a less negative impact from currency headwinds compared to the first half of 2014 bolstered by gradual improvement in performance in Professional Lighting Solutions North America and Consumer Luminaires Europe. Those improvements will be partially offset by additional costs related to the company s Cleveland production facility, certain legal proceedings and softness in multiple markets. 2 Copying or reprinting all or parts of this newsletter without specific permission violates Federal law! October 3, 2014 Electrical Marketing

3 U.S. Commerce Department Data Shows Dip in August Value of New Construction The Department of Commerce says construction spending during Aug was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $961 billion, 0.8% below the revised July estimate of $968.8 billion. The August figure is 5% above the August 2013 estimate of $915.3 billion. During the first eight months of this year, construction spending amounted to $623.1 billion, 6.8% above the $583.2 billion for the same period in Communication construction showed the biggest percent increase in August with a 3.6% boost to $15.8 billion, while Power construction declined the most, with a 3.9% decrease to $89.6 billion. Private construction. Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $685 billion, 0.8% below the revised July estimate of $690.3 billion. Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $351.7 billion in August, 0.1% below the revised July estimate of $352.1 billion. Nonresidential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $333.3 billion in August, 1.4% below the revised July estimate of $338.1 billion. Public construction. In August, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $275.9 billion, 0.9% below the revised July estimate of $278.5 billion. Educational construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $62.3 billion, 2.9% below the revised July estimate of $64.1 billion. Public office construction enjoyed a 10.7% increase in August to $8.7 billion and Commercial construction was up 8.3% to $1.8 billion. Highway construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $83.3 billion, 0.6% below the revised July estimate of $83.8 billion. Value Of New Construction Put In Place August 2014 Value of Construction Put-in-Place ($ billions, seasonally adjusted annual rate) Aug July 14 2 Mo. % Change Aug. 13 YTY % Change Total Construction Total Private Construction Residential New single family New multi-family Nonresidential Lodging Office , Commercial Health care Educational Religious Amusement and recreation Transportation , Communication Power Manufacturing Total Public Construction Residential Nonresidential Office Commercial Health care Educational Public safety Amusement and recreation Transportation Power Highway and street Sewage and waste disposal , Water supply Conservation and development Preliminary; 2 Revised Note: The U.S. Census department changed its construction categories beginning with its May 2003 statistics. With the changes in the project classifications, data now presented are not directly comparable with those data previously published in the regular-format press releases and tables. Direct comparisons can only be made at the total, total private, total state and local, total federal, and total public levels for annual and not seasonally adjusted monthly data. For more information, check out Around the Industry Generac acquires MAC heaters with eye on oil & gas Generac Holdings Inc., Waukesha, Wis., manufacturer of power generation equipment and other engine powered products, announced the purchase of MAC Inc. and its related entities, a manufacturer of commercial and industrial mobile heaters based in Bismarck, N.D. Generac said the acquisition will enhance the company s access to the oil and gas market. The acquisition of MAC is an exciting development for Generac as it further expands our growing mobile products platform by adding a strong brand of industrial heaters and increases our access to the projected long term up-cycle in the oil and gas market said Aaron Jagdfeld, president and chief executive officer. In addition to gaining immediate access to a broad lineup of mobile heating equipment that is essential to colder climate, oil and gas and construction sites, this acquisition creates cross-selling opportunities with our existing mobile products distribution. MAC, established in 1983 and with approximately 100 employees today, primarily serves the oil and gas and construction markets, as well as other industrial sectors through national equipment rental companies and independent dealers, providing a line of flameless, indirect-fired and hydronic surface heaters. The MAC management team will continue to lead the company and the MAC product brand will be retained and will join Generac s family of brands. New-home sales top 500,000 in August, highest since 2008 Sales of newly built, single-family homes increased 18% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 504,000 units in August, the highest level in six years, according to newly released data by the U.S. Census Bureau. Regionally, new home sales rose 50% in the West, 29.2% in the Northeast and 7.8% in the South. Sales were unchanged in the Midwest. This robust level of new-home sales activity is a good sign that the housing recovery is moving towards higher ground, said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe in an NAHB release. Historically low mortgage rates, attractive home prices and firming job and economic growth should keep the housing market moving forward in Electrical Marketing October 3, 2014 Copying or reprinting all or parts of this newsletter without specific permission violates Federal law! 3

4 Industry Events October 5 8 A-D Electrical Divisions North American Annual Meeting Chicago; , meetings@adhq.com October Solar Power 2014 Las Vegas; Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA); ; October GreenBuild 2014 New Orleans; U.S. Green Buildings Council; November 7 8 NEMA Annual Meeting San Diego; National Electrical Manufacturers Association, , November NAED Eastern Conference Marco Island, Fla.; National Association of Electrical Distributors, , January 19 21, 2015 NAED Western Conference San Diego; National Association of Electrical Distributors, January NAW Executive Summit Washington, D.C.; National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, ; naw@naw.org January NEMRA Annual Conference San Diego; National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association; February 17-19, 2015 NAED Western Conference San Antonio, Texas, National Association of Electrical Distributors, Sonepar Enters UK Industrial Automation Market with Purchase of Routeco Group Sonepar SA has agreed to purchase the shares of Routeco Group Holdings Ltd., a British automation specialist with 13 branches and more than 200 employees in the United Kingdom and operations in Austria and the Netherlands. The transaction, which is subject to approval from competition authorities in Austria, where Routeco has an operating company, is expected to close during the fourth quarter. Founded in 1978 in Milton Keynes, Great Britain, Routeco had 2014 sales of 135 million (approximately $170.3 million). The company has been a Rockwell Automation authorized distributor since 1992 and according to the Sonepar press release is one of the largest automation distributors in the United Kingdom. The company s line card includes familiar brand names such as Bussmann, GE Power, Legrand, Merlin Gerin, Molex, Phoenix Contact, Rittal, Thomas & Betts, Weidmuller and Tyco. Routeco also private labels some electrical products under its own brand name, including lamps and steel boxes. Sonepar, which has global sales of approximately $20.5 billion, 36,000 employees, and branches in 41 countries, said in its release that Routeco will continue to operate as a separate business unit within Sonepar Northern Europe. This acquisition strategy mirrors what Sonepar has done with its acquisitions in North America over the years. At Routeco, CEO Ian Stewart and the existing management team that has driven the development over the last 25 years will remain in charge. This acquisition underlines the ongoing efforts of Sonepar to strengthen its position with entries into new countries as well as into the immense market of Industrial Automation, the press release said. Routeco Continued from page He has held executive posts within the company since 1988, when he served as president of The Distribution Group, one of the companies that merged to form Industrial Distribution Group in Lingenfelter also has manufacturing experience and held various sales and marketing positions with Ingersoll-Rand Co., including V.P. of sales and marketing for the company s Tools Group. will continue to work closely together with Rockwell Automation and will be supported by Sonepar to improve the value proposition to its very loyal customers base, through providing support in offering more complementary lines, supply chain services and e-commerce capabilities. The company s website, com, said Routeco was formed in 1978 as a multi-franchise industrial electrical distributor that focused on electrical products such as lighting, cable and wiring accessories. Routeco got an Allen-Bradley franchise in 1980 for its Milton Keynes location and the surrounding area and several years later we were appointed as a Siemens distributor for switchgear and programmable logic controllers. With these automation lines the company changed its focus from mainstream electrical products to industrial control and automation products. The company got the Allen-Bradley (now owned by Rockwell Automation) line for all of its locations in 1992 and at that time started expanding aggressively through Great Britain, Wales and Scotland. The company made its first acquisition in 1996, purchasing Control Gear Ltd. in Wales, and two years later formed Routeco GmbH based in Linz to serve the Austrian market. Last year the company formed Routeco BV as the preferred Rockwell Automation channel serving the Netherlands market. Routeco has invested in online purchasing and e-commerce since the digital technologies first entered the distribution world and today has a fully functioning online storefront and related purchasing services such as integrating customers buying applications directly into its ERP system or assisting them in procuring products through online marketplaces like Ariba. IDG Acquisition Gives Sonepar Expanded Presence in Broader Industrial Maintenance Supply Market IDG has been an active acquirer itself in recent years and recently bought Tommy White Supply Co. (TWS), Midland, Texas, and the Industrial Division of Duncan Co., Minneapolis. TWS supplies and services customers in the Permian Basin, one of the most active oil and natural gas producing regions in North America. Duncan Industrial distributes industrial supplies, including cutting tools, abrasives and metal-removal products, in the Upper Midwest. 4 Copying or reprinting all or parts of this newsletter without specific permission violates Federal law! October 3, 2014 Electrical Marketing

5 IDEA Expands Industry Data Warehouse Standard, Mandating 43 Fields of Data The Industry Data Exchange Association, Inc. (IDEA), Arlington, Va., announced an expansion to the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) standard that governs the data included in the IDW database, which distributors throughout the electrical industry use to update product data from their suppliers. IDEA is an association jointly owned by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) to standardize and handle product data that drives distributors internal information systems and supports efforts to provide customers with comprehensive e-commerce capabilities. IDEA said in a release that its management and board have mandated the population of a set of 43 critical data fields that distributors have identified as necessary to conduct business. Manufacturer compliance to this updated standard will NRG Energy Acquires Pure Energies, Online Platform for Residential Solar Sales NRG Energy, Inc., Princeton, N.J., has been establishing a reputation as one of the most progressive and aggressive utility companies in North America about embracing and shaping the future of distributed power generation technologies such as rooftop solar. The company this week announced a move that will give it an online platform for finding and courting customers who may be interested in producing their own power. NRG said it has acquired Pure Energies Group, Inc., a Toronto-based company that specializes in web-based customer acquisition in residential solar. In a release, NRG said Pure Energies completes the residential solar capabilities the utility has been working to assemble and perfectly complements NRG s acquisition earlier this year of Roof Diagnostics Solar, a leader in home solar direct sales and installation, along with NRG s own Residential Solar Solutions, which has focused on the financing and business operations associated with solar leasing. All of these capabilities and operations, combined as NRG Home Solar, give NRG a one-stop shop for prospective solar customers, offering the optimal rooftop solar system customized to their homes and needs. be measured as part of IDEA s new Data Certification Program, the first comprehensive IDW metric for data quantity and quality. These critical data fields and the related Data Certification Program support IDEA s continuous goal of increasing the depth, breadth, and quality of the IDW, said Chris Curtis, chief executive officer, IDEA. Manufacturers and distributors alike will see an increase in the value they receive from complete, certified product data, improving the overall quality of any trading partner transaction moving forward. Effective Feb. 1, 2015, all new items added to the IDW must have all 43 critical fields fully populated, IDEA said, and all existing active IDW items must have all 43 critical fields fully populated by Oct. 1, Evaluation results from both metrics will be reported. A list outlining all mandatory fields can be accessed via the IDEA website, idea4industry.com. Pure Energies has a proprietary customer acquisition process that will help NRG Home Solar reduce customer acquisition costs while providing a simplified solar adoption process. Pure Energies online capabilities also are expected, ultimately, to provide a valuable sales channel for NRG s Goal Zero line of portable solar and energy storage products and NRG s retail businesses (NRG, Reliant and Green Mountain). Home solar is the gateway for most American consumers to join the growing movement toward a clean energy future, and the combination of Pure Energies rapid growing online footprint with our existing residential solar platform will enhance our ability to provide customers, wherever they are, the freedom to make their own clean energy and capitalize on the energy generating potential of their own home, said David Crane, president and CEO of NRG Energy. While residential solar is being increasingly embraced by homeowners of all ages across the United States, buying over the internet is the acquisition channel of choice in particular for the younger generation of Americans for whom commitment to a sustainable lifestyle is a fundamental part of their DNA. People Crescent Electric Supply Co. (East Dubuque, Ill.): Dan Franey is now the energy business development manager for the company s Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso markets. A native of Minnesota, Franey brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the position where he will primarily identify and secure new commercial and industrial business opportunities within each of the three markets. Prior to joining Crescent Electric, Franey spearheaded the lighting rebate department within the Salt River Project commercial rebate program. Franey resides in the Phoenix area and holds a bachelor s degree in business from Atlantic International University. NSi Industries (Huntersville, N.C.): The company has appointed John Watson as regional V.P. of sales-central Region reporting to the executive V.P. of sales. Watson brings over 20 years of experience developing successful sales organizations that focus on creating demand and bringing value to partners in the industry. Recently, Watson was the director of sales for PEPCO out of Eastlake, Ohio, and prior to that, spent 17 years with Panduit Corp. At NSi, he will be responsible for aligning and driving the national sales strategy throughout the Great Lakes and Midwest regions. In other news, Allen Ustianowski has been added to the NSi Industries Application Sales Team reporting to the regional V.P. Central Region with dotted line responsibilities to the executive V.P. of marketing and business development. Ustianowski brings over 15 years of electrical industry experience as the former senior product marketing manager for Intermatic with a background that includes product management, product design engineering, OEM sales and training. As the Midwest Regional application sales engineer, he will call on specifying engineers and end users to drive demand in the marketplace and will have additional product management responsibilities for NSi s recently enhanced lighting offering. Also, Eric Zuehlke has been hired as V.P. of information technology for NSi Industries reporting to the CFO. Zuehlke brings over 17 years of experience having spent 8 years with Tyco International and nine years with USLEC. Charged with Continued on page 6 Electrical Marketing October 3, 2014 Copying or reprinting all or parts of this newsletter without specific permission violates Federal law! 5

6 People Continued from page 5 leading the IT department and establishing strategies for technology and efficiency improvement, Zuehlke will focus on e- commerce, EDI capabilities and increased reporting capabilities. Additionally, Buddy Shah has been promoted to V.P. and general manager of Tork operations for NSi Industries reporting to the CEO. Shah will be responsible for manufacturing, engineering, production and business operations at the Mt. Vernon, N.Y., facility. Having joined Tork in 1983 as a design engineer, Shah held several positions in the company, most recently as director of engineering. Electrical Equipment Co. (EECO) (Raleigh, N.C.): Tradd Bazemore, Diane McClure and Cheryl Roebuck, inside salespeople for the company, have earned the Certified Electrical Professional Inside Sales (CEP-IS) credential. EECO currently has seven sales professionals at the company who hold this certification, which is part of a program administered by the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), St. Louis. Previously certified include Theadora Ammon, Mandy Bell, Chappell Hawthorne and Mendy O Connor. The CEP Inside Sales designation has only been awarded to 817 individuals from 143 companies nationwide. The certification program for distributors, manufacturers and others in the electrical distribution channel shows that the holder has demonstrated expertise and professionalism in areas such as product knowledge, customer service, sales skills, and communication skills, giving them added credibility in the electrical industry. System Sensor (St. Charles, Ill.): Jeff Klein has been appointed general manager for System Sensor Americas, a global manufacturer of fire and life safety devices, specializing in smoke detection, carbon monoxide detection, and notification technology for world-wide applications. Klein succeeds Tom Potosnak who after six years as leader of System Sensor Americas was appointed to a new role at Honeywell. Klein was most recently V.P. of marketing for System Sensor Americas, a role he held for the past six years. He joined Honeywell in 2001 as director of marketing for System Sensor and went on to roles of increasing responsibility within the business. Barron Lighting Group (Glendale, Ariz.): Jerry Perkowski is now Midwest Regional V.P. He brings over 20 years of experience and has worked both on the distribution and manufacturing sides of the business. Most recently, Perkowski was with Crescent Electric Supply as a lighting application account manager. Previous to that, he spent several years with Acuity Brands Lighting as a specification sales manager. He will be based in the Milwaukee, Wis. WAGO (Germantown, Wis.): Jesse Cox has been promoted to field applications engineer for the Pacific Northwest region. Cox has served as WAGO s regional sales manager for Oregon, Washington and Idaho since Cox previously held positions in application support and sales at Platt Electric and Kinetic Solutions. TÜV Rheinland AG (Boxborough, Mass.): The Supervisory Board of this global provider of independent testing, inspection, and certification services, has appointed Dr.-Ing Michael Fübi as the new chairman of the executive board. Fübi, 47, will assume his new position on January 1, Since 2012, Fübi has served as chief executive officer for Germany-based RWE Technology, the RWE Group s arm responsible for project development and power plant construction. Fübi began his career at RWE Technology in 2002, where his various roles included management of climate protection at RWE Power for a four-year period. Prior to RWE Technology, Fübi held key positions at Babcock Borsig AG, also in Germany. He completed his studies at Dortmund University and Aachen Technical University and obtained a doctorate in engineering from RWTH Aachen, Jülich Research Center, all in Germany. He also currently serves as the chairman of the Board of Directors at VGB Power Tech, a European technical association for power and heat generation, headquartered in Germany. Summit Electric Supply (Albuquerque, N.M): Greg Pickens is has been hired as director of learning and development, where he will support key training for associates across the company. Pickens has advanced as a technical trainer and training manager in the learning and development field for over 15 years. He s designed, implemented and managed numerous training initiatives and custom courseware, and has conducted training on various hardware and software technologies, most recently for Dell Inc. Rep News Agents Midwest Ltd., Wood Dale, Ill., will represent additional product lines for Eaton Corp. and its Cooper Industries family of products. The rep firm, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has represented Eaton/Cutler Hammer Residential package since 2002 and will add B-Line, Crouse-Hinds Industrial, Bussmann/Edison Fuses and Wiring Device responsibilities. Mark Gibson, an agency principal and owner, said aligning Agents Midwest with the Eaton divisions, its sales organizations and its future acquisitions, helps provide a comprehensive package for the firm in its Illinois/Wisconsin marketplace. With this change the firm will no longer represent Hubbell Electrical Products and Littelfuse. 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