Photo of Joseph Fruscione. Courtesy of Tompkins Community Bank.
Demonstrating its commitment to strengthening commercial lending services, Tompkins Community Bank (Tompkins) has appointed Joseph Fruscione as vice president and commercial banking relationship manager.
Before joining Tompkins, Fruscione was a senior business banking relationship manager at Northwest Bank.
Bringing 25 years of banking and financial industry expertise to his new role, Fruscione will oversee an expanded commercial lending team responsible for business development across the Buffalo region while strategically fostering new business relationships, including lending and deposits.
“Joe’s extensive leadership capabilities, particularly cultivating employee engagement, will add another layer of depth to our commercial lending team,” said Sean Quinn, commercial banking regional manager at Tompkins. “We look forward to seeing him expand our impact across Tompkins’ Buffalo-based markets.”
A graduate of Niagara University, Fruscione holds an Executive Leadership Professional Development Training Certification from Furman University. He resides in Orchard Park, New York, with his wife and two children.
Oxbo is pleased to announce its newest dealer, Sapelo Equipment Company, in Georgia. The Sapleo team will be providing sales, parts, and service support for the full line of Oxbo blueberry harvesters.
“We are excited to bring a more energized approach for sales and service to our blueberry farmers—offering competitive pricing and service plans that cater to the times of year we are harvesting fruit,” said Dave Baxter, owner of Sapelo. “This is an exciting time for us and for our customer base. We look forward to providing a level of service that decreases downtime and keeps our machines doing what they were made to do: harvesting blueberries.”
Oxbo blueberry harvesters were designed to protect fruit quality and improve customer profitability. Technologies like Autosteer and EcoMode as well as Oxbo’s Orbirotor and Dynarotor picking heads were designed to help growers maximize their profit and to harvest Georgia blueberries at peak ripeness.
“Models like the Oxbo 7440 and 8040 are a great fit for Georgia blueberry growers,” commented Austin White, Sales Manager for Sapelo. “Our customers are able to pick fresh-market quality blueberries by machine, addressing the labor challenges during peak blueberry harvest. Machine harvest translates into profitability for farmers and fresh, Georgia fruit for customers.”
Oxbo blueberry harvesters have been hard at work in Georgia for decades, with new features and improvements year after year. As harvesting technology continues to improve and as growers face challenging market prices, more and more growers are turning to Oxbo harvesters.
The Oxbo 8040 and 8140 are single-drop harvester platforms designed for growers with lower tonnage varieties and for those with challenging field conditions, like mud and sand, where the traction package on the 8040 shines. The top-load 7440 and 7450 are the answer for growers with high tonnage varieties—with onboard fruit storage of up to 5,000 pounds.
With various decking, cleaning, and fruit-loading configurations, the 7440 is the best-fit harvester for many Georgia growers. Oxbo continues to work on new, integrated technologies designed to reduce labor costs and improve fruit quality for customers in the southeast.
In its fruit division, Oxbo supplies berry, coffee, grape, olive, pistachio, and tomato growers with harvesters and other specialty equipment.
For more information on the full line of Oxbo berry harvesters, please visit www.oxbo.com.
Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM) (“GHM” or the “Company”), a global leader in the design and manufacture of mission critical fluid, power, heat transfer and vacuum technologies for the defense, space, energy, and process industries, today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended March 31 (“fiscal 2024”). Results for the fiscal year include approximately five months of operations from the P3 Technologies, LLC (“P3”) acquisition, which was completed on November 9, 2023.
“Steady execution on our plan set two years ago has brought significant progress,” commented Daniel J. Thoren, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Over the past year, we achieved record revenue and orders, and enhanced profitability and cash flow management. This enabled continued investments in our operations and people, the acquisition of P3 Technologies, as well as the complete repayment of our debt. However, our successes extend beyond these financial achievements.
“During fiscal 2024, we completed and shipped the remaining two first article units for the Columbia Class submarine and Ford Class carrier programs. The Navy expansion at Barber-Nichols has been successful, resulting in a significant follow-on order to support the MK48 Mod 7 Heavyweight Torpedo program. Additionally, we received a $13.5 million strategic investment from a major defense customer to expand and enhance our Batavia, N.Y. production capabilities. Furthermore, we acquired P3 Technologies and successfully integrated it with our Barber-Nichols team.
“Looking ahead, our nearly $400 million of backlog and the increasing demand from the Navy for accelerated work and expanded scope make this an exciting time for GHM. We will continue to strive to engage all partners in improving our business and are confident in our future growth prospects. Our fiscal 2025 guidance reflects continued growth and enhancements in margin and profitability and keeps us on track to hit our fiscal 2027 targets.”
The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) board of directors advanced an initial resolution for GE Bergen Owner, LLC’s proposed 196,000 square-foot facility at Apple Tree Acres in the town of Bergen at its board meeting on Thursday, June 6.
The proposed facility would be leased to an end user and would create 60 new full-time jobs and generate $38 million in wages and benefits as well as revenues for local governments over ten years.
The project is pending, subject to receiving incentives from the Empire State Development Corporation.
GE Bergen Owner LLC is requesting sales tax exemptions estimated at approximately $1.75 million, a property tax abatement of approximately $2.15 million a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT), and a mortgage tax exemption of $366,000.
The project would generate a $13 fiscal impact for every $1 of proposed incentives. A public hearing for the proposed project agreements will be scheduled in the town of Bergen.
Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM) (“GHM” or “the Company”), a global leader in the design and manufacture of mission-critical fluid, power, heat transfer and vacuum technologies for the defense, space, energy and process industries, announced that Daniel J. Thoren, President and Chief Executive Officer and Christopher J. Thome, Vice President – Finance and Chief Financial Officer, will present at the Sidoti Small-Cap Virtual Conference on Thursday, June 13.
The Graham presentation is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. A live audio webcast of the event with accompanying slides will be available at GHM Investor Relations. An archive of the presentation will be available at the same link following the conference.
Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM) (“GHM” or “the Company”), a global leader in the design and manufacture of mission critical fluid, power, heat transfer, and vacuum technologies for the defense, space, energy, and process industries, today announced that it has received approximately $17 million of orders for two expansion projects in the energy and petrochemical markets.
Daniel J. Thoren, President and CEO, commented, “We are excited to work with our North American customer as they aim to create the world's first net-zero carbon emissions integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives site. Graham’s surface condensers with custom venting package allow the turbine drives to operate at peak efficiency and are considered state of the art in our industry. Additionally, we received a notable order to support an expansion project in the Middle East, which we attribute to our strong relationship and our customer’s preference for our high-performance steam jet ejectors.”
Milenda Kilby, CRPC TM, APMA TM is part of the Batavia office of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. as an associate financial advisor. She practices with Fieldstone Private Wealth, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Their office is located at 219 East Main Street, Batavia.
“Mindy’s passion for helping clients address their financial concerns and delivering personalized investment, retirement, and estate planning makes her a wonderful team player,” said Mark Woodward, CFP ®, CLTC ®, APMA TM, owner of Fieldstone Private Wealth.
“I am thrilled to be a part of Fieldstone Private Wealth because of our strong, positive reputation in the community and the way we provide exemplary service to clients,” said Kilby.
She has 17 years of experience with Ameriprise Financial. Fieldstone Private Wealth has served the Western New York area for 30-plus years. Kilby graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a degree in Business Administration.
As a private wealth advisory practice, Fieldstone Private Wealth provides financial advice that is anchored in a solid understanding of client needs and expectations and provided in one-on-one relationships with their clients. For more information, please contact Mark Woodward at 585-344-1262, visit the Ameriprise office at 219 East Main Street, Batavia or visit their website www.fieldstoneprivatewealth.com.
MCWA Board Chairman Scott Nasca and MCWA Executive Director Nick Noce. Submitted photo.
Press Release:
Monroe County Water Authority won the J.D. Power Award for ranking the highest in customer satisfaction with midsize water utilities in the northeast region.
The award is based on the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, which measured satisfaction among residential customers of 92 water utilities that deliver water to at least 400,000 customers.
This year’s study is based on the responses of 32,833 residential water utility customers and was conducted from June 2023 through March 2024. Results are reported for eight geographic regions in two size categories, of which Monroe County Water Authority falls under northeast midsize.
The study measured overall satisfaction in eight core dimensions. Monroe County Water Authority ranked number one in six of those categories, including:
Quality and reliability
Trust
Ease of doing business
Total monthly cost
People
Resolving problems or complaints
“Water is so often taken for granted,” said Monroe County Water Authority Executive Director Nick Noce. “We are honored and humbled to know our customers appreciate the hard work and dedication that our team continuously puts into delivering quality, affordable water to the communities we serve.”
Monroe County Water Authority Board Chairman Scott Nasca added, “Maintaining customer trust is paramount in an industry that is essential for providing the basic necessity of life. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we commend the MCWA team for excelling in every aspect of superior customer satisfaction.”
Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM), a global leader in the design and manufacture of mission-critical fluid, power, heat transfer and vacuum technologies for the defense, space, energy and process industries, announced that it will release its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024 financial results before financial markets open on Friday, June 7.
The Company will host a conference call and webcast to review its financial and operating results, strategy, and outlook. A question-and-answer session will follow.
Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Results Conference Call is Friday, June 7 at 11 a.m. Call 201-689-8560 for more information. Internet webcast link and accompanying slide presentation can be found at ir.grahamcorp.com.
A telephonic replay will be available from 3 p.m. ET on the day of the teleconference through Friday, June 14. To listen to the archived call, dial 412-317-6671 and enter conference ID number 13745902 or access the webcast replay via the Company’s website at ir.grahamcorp.com, where a transcript will also be posted once available.
Deep Blue Pool & Spa: Dominick Camelio, partner; Rich Pfreedom, service tech; Cory Bater, service tech; and Brian Bater, partner. Photo by Howard Owens.
When you want to take a dip in a pool or grill hot dogs, rain isn't your friend.
But a bit of precipitation didn't dampen the spirits on Saturday of Dominick Comelio and Brian Bater, who were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their business, Deep Blue Pool and Spa, located at 4152 W Main Street Road, Batavia (Valu Plaza).
Bater said it's been a good business, especially in Batavia.
"I started working for Danny Dugan at Denny's Pool World in 1984," Bater said. "He was kind of my mentor. Along the way, Dominick and I started a service business called BNR Pool Service. We opened that around 1990. We did all the service work for 15 years, and then we decided to go into the retail side of it. Now, we continue to have a large service department, and we also do the retail side."
The first location was in Warsaw, and within two years, Comelio and Bater moved their location in Batavia. In 2010, they decided to expand and opened a store in Henrietta.
"We decided (a couple of years later) it was too much for us," Bater said. "We wanted to consolidate back down and focus on the Batavia region and our customer base here."
Camelio said he's enjoyed the pool business.
"It's fun, it's exciting. There's always something new to work on and make people happy," Camelio said.
Grace Campbell and Kyle Bater Photo by Howard Owens.
Demonstrating its commitment to fostering internal growth, Tompkins Community Bank (Tompkins) has promoted Stacie Mastin to senior vice president, director of human resources. Bringing nearly three decades of financial and banking industry experience to her new role, Mastin will align human resources practices with the organization’s overall goals, while also providing guidance and support to employees. She succeeds Bonita Lindberg, who retired from the role this May.
“Throughout her 16 years at Tompkins, Stacie has consistently demonstrated her commitment to our employee's well-being, and the company’s overall goals,” said Steve Romaine, president and CEO, Tompkins Financial. “Stacie has shown an impressive ability to enrich our corporate culture and we look forward to her bringing that talent to her new role.”
Previously, Mastin served as vice president, manager of human resources, at Tompkins; during this time, she led several strategic initiatives that created a welcoming environment in which employees, and clients, felt valued. In addition, Mastin previously served as a Wealth Advisor with our partners at Tompkins Financial Advisors. A graduate of Post University with a bachelor's degree in human services and a concentration in human resources management, Mastin worked as a multi-site branch manager at M&T Bank before joining Tompkins in 2008. Currently, she serves as the president of The Society for Human Resource Management of Tompkins County (SHRMTC) and is a former community fund committee member of United Way.
Today, Mastin resides in Lansing, New York with her husband Greg and their son.
The New York State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management, Best Companies Group and Rochester Business Journal have named UConnectCare Behavioral Health Services as one of the 2024 Best Companies to Work for in New York.
This is the sixth consecutive year that the local nonprofit agency, formerly known as Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, has been recognized by Best Companies to Work for in New York, a research-driven program that examines a company’s practices, programs and benefits and also surveys its employees for their perspectives.
UConnectCare was one of 27 businesses in the state receiving the honor in the medium companies (100-249 employees) category.
“As our agency continues to grow, I am especially proud of how our staff has pulled together to provide a wider spectrum of services, while also expressing their satisfaction on the survey in terms of their workplace experience,” UConnectCare Chief Executive Officer John Bennett said. “I am delighted by the level of professionalism and compassion displayed by our employees throughout the organization.”
To be considered, companies must have at least 15 full-time or part-time employees working in New York; be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity; be a publicly or privately held business; have a facility in the State of New York and be in business a minimum of one year.
There were two parts used to determine the rankings. The first consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices and demographics, worth approximately 25 percent of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience, which consisted of 75 percent of the total. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings.
For more information on the Best Companies to Work for in New York program, visit www.BestCompaniesNY.com.
ESL Federal Credit Union recently named Joe Monteleone and Pam Rudolph as business development representatives. They bring a combined 55 years of experience to the financial institution. In their new positions, Monteleone and Rudolph will aid with strengthening the expertise of ESL.
Monteleone’s experience spans 30 years, having previously worked at Five Star Bank and most recently Tompkins Trust Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Pam Rudolph Submitted photo.
Rudolph joins the ESL team with 25 years of experience. Her previous employment also includes Five Star Bank and Tompkins Trust Company. She holds an associate degree from Genesee Community College.
Rudolph is actively involved in her community, serving as an Attica Central School District School Board Member, Attica Booster Club Board Member, Trinity United Methodist Church Trustee, Attica Historical Society Board Member, and Attica Village Board Trustee.
Oxbo, a leader in specialty harvesting and controlled application equipment, is pleased to announce Tom Fagen has joined Oxbo as Sales Manager for the North American High Value Crop team. With decades of experience in sales leadership roles, Fagen’s proven track record aligns with Oxbo’s commitment to team development and customer satisfaction.
“I am thrilled to have Tom at Oxbo,” said Curt Schaben, Director of Marketing & Sales for Oxbo’s High Value Crop Division. “Tom brings extensive sales and management experience that will help Oxbo get closer with our customers.”
“I am honored to join Oxbo at such an exciting time in its journey. I look forward to working closely with this talented sales team to deepen customer relationships and drive sustainable growth across North America,” stated Fagen.
Oxbo’s High Value Crop Division serves seed corn, vegetable, and application customers; Oxbo’s direct-to-customer sales and service approach sets it apart from many in the industry. For more information on Oxbo, please visit www.oxbo.com.
Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM) (“GHM” or “the Company”), is a global leader in the design and manufacture of mission-critical fluid, power, heat transfer and vacuum technologies for the defense, space, energy, and process industries, announced today that it has filed a universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
If and when the shelf registration is declared effective, it will permit the Company to offer and sell, from time to time in one or more offerings, up to $150 million of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, purchase contracts, units, or any combination of these securities.
Christopher J. Thome, Chief Financial Officer, commented, “We believe a shelf registration is a demonstration of good corporate governance as it provides GHM with enhanced financial flexibility to meet our long-term strategic goals. It enables us to access the capital markets quickly and efficiently, if and when favorable conditions align for the Company and our shareholders."
Timothy Onello, left, the newly appointed president and CEO of Chapin International, based in Batavia, and Jim Campbell, who is retiring as president and CEO. Photo by Howard Owens.
As Chapin International prepares to celebrate its 140th year in business, it will do so with a new president and CEO in place, a Western New York native whose manufacturing career has taken him across the United States.
Chapin was founded in Oakfield and remains based in Batavia, with its headquarters on Ellicott Street. The company's growth has led to the opening or acquisition of plants in other states and parts of the world.
With all of that, and the challenging business climate in New York, Chapin remains committed to Batavia, said the new CEO, Tim Onello.
"I think that is where our priority is," Onello told The Batavian in an exclusive joint interview On Thursday with Jim Campbell, who is retiring as president and CEO. "I know the company is 100 percent committed to this area and to ensuring we're a good employer in the region. So, yes, our number one commitment is to stay here in Batavia."
Onello said he is looking forward to continuing the growth Chapin has enjoyed under Campbell's leadership. Campbell was Dave Ward's successor. After Ward, Campbell was the second non-family member to run Chapin. With 20 years in the CEO seat, Campell was the longest-serving person in that position.
Though Onello has been an executive with lawn and garden manufacturing companies throughout much of his business career, Chapin's line of sprayers and related products is a slightly new field to him.
"I think what attracted me to the company was, first, all of the product range," Onello said. "Even though it's a little bit outside of my background, my background is hand tools and power tools, a lot of them are sold in the same channels as Chapin."
That mix of products at Chapin and its track record of growth is an opportunity and challenge, Onello suggested.
"Where's that next growth coming from? So, I think part of where we'll dig in with the team is just to find out how can we grow the business and take it to the next level," Onello said. "Jim and team have done such a great job at growing this business over the past 20 years, and I think Jim took it four times where it used to be. It's my job, with all the marketing and product experience, to really look at adjacent areas for this company to manufacture new products and take it to that next level."
Onello was VP and general manager of ITW, a Fortune 200 company. While employed by ITW, he was based in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Prior to joining ITW, he spent nearly 12 years with JPW Industries in Nashville, rising to the position of VP and general manager.
He has MBAs from Thunderbird School of Global Management and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a bachelor of science in marketing and psychology from Northern Michigan University.
Chapin was founded in 1884 in the back of a hardware store in Oakfield, where R.E. Chapin made oil storage containers for oil lamps. In the early 1900s, the company moved to Batavia and started manufacturing garden sprayers.
Today, the company has six major product lines with more than 650 different items for sale to retail and business customers.
Campbell is proud of the company's accomplishments during his tenure.
"If you're not growing, you shrink," he said, which is why the company works through five-year strategic growth plans. The most recent plan expires as he exits.
"This will be the first year that we didn't quite meet the strat plan," Campbell said. "That's because in the strat plan was another acquisition for about $40 million. We didn't do another acquisition. That's the only part of the five-year plan we didn't meet. All the organic growth we did meet, and (the company) is still growing. We should be able to make another $50 million to $60 million in three or four years."
That's gross revenue.
Chapin isn't a publicly traded company, so it generally does not disclose revenue and profits, but publicly traded companies, such as another big manufacturer in Batavia, Graham Corp., are required to release financial reports, and so Campbell offered this comparison: "We do more dollars than Graham."
Campbell's role in helping the board of directors select a new CEO focused primarily on ensuring the board understood the complexities of the job. He put together a job description that filled a three-ring binder with 150 pages.
He said job candidates also agreed to a psychological profile, which is common in the business world these days, especially for executive positions.
Onello was attracted to the job not only because of the product line but also because it offered him a chance to move back home to raise his three teenage daughters close to family in Western New York.
"I grew up in Cheektowaga and went to schools in West Seneca," Onello said. "I have a ton of family in Buffalo and was bringing my family back here three times a year to visit the area, so when the opportunity came up to return to Western New York, to be able to jump into an adjacent industry, to be back with family and friends, it was just ideal."
Onello said he was impressed with Chapin's culture and praised Campbell's ability to maintain a loyal workforce.
"One of the biggest things, it's always about the people, right?" Onello said. "I think Jim's built an incredible culture here where you have long, tenured, loyal workers who really care about the brand and care about the company. There's a lot of pride in the company. Many employees have 30 years or 40 years of tenure, and that just doesn't happen in so many other areas. That loyalty to the brand, to the company, is really exciting."
Campbell's plans in retirement — he's rooted in Western New York with a residence just inside of Erie County from Pembroke — and a plot of land in Pembroke with an orchard and elderberries and a big barn, don’t include moving elsewhere.
He said he plans to spend more time with his wife Caite. They also have a cottage in Canada.
"We're a real outdoor, hunting and fishing kind of family," Campbell said.
He also enjoys blacksmithing, primarily making knives.
As for Onello, he doesn't have time for many hobbies. His daughters are 13 and 15.
"When I'm not working, I'm usually chasing them around, taking them to their events and sports," Onello said. "Of course, naturally, I look forward to being able to go to a few Bills and Sabres games now that I'm back in the region."
An expansion of its commercial lending services, Tompkins Community Bank (Tompkins) has welcomed Don Cortina as senior vice president and commercial banking regional manager. Before joining Tompkins, Cortina worked as a senior relationship manager, global and commercial banking, at Bank of America.
Bringing over 20 years of banking and financial experience to his new role, Cortina will oversee the commercial lending team across Monroe County, focused on developing and expanding new client relationships, while strategically working to enhance commercial services for Tompkins’ business clients.
“Don’s extensive industry knowledge and experience, particularly in terms of new business development, will be an asset to our organization, and our clients,” said Steven Beardsley, SVP and commercial lending division manager at Tompkins. “We look forward to seeing Don strengthen the capabilities of our commercial lending team and further expand Tompkins’ impact in Monroe County.”
A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Cortina is a seasoned veteran of the banking and financial industry, having previously held roles at KeyBank, Five Star Bank, M&T Bank, and JP Morgan Chase, in addition to his recent leadership role at Bank of America. Cortina sits on the Junior Achievement of Central New York’s Board of Directors and resides in Fairport, New York, with his wife, and two children.
The staff of Smith's Great Outdoors: Ray Smith, Bayden Smith, Matt Welch, Kevin Corser, Randy DeMars. Photo by Howard Owens.
A better spot with more room was a strong incentive to change locations, said Ray Smith, owner of Smith's Great Outdoors, which sells most things any dedicated hunter or fisherman might need.
For the past few years, Smith's has been located at Lewiston Road and Veterans Memorial Drive, near Applebees.
The store is now at 8282 Park Road, Batavia. There will be a grand opening from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
"We've always enjoyed the outdoors on hunting, and so why not do it (own a store)" Smith said. "The kids work here so it's great. Brayden is in college. He helps out from college, and my two daughters help out here and there with this and that, and my wife helps. Then we've got a good group of employees to make it all happen."
The location also offers more parking, and the lot is easier to get in and out of, Smith said.
"The main thing here is more room, so we can expand some more and put in a range," Smith said.
He said the range is still early in the planning stages, but it will be inside. He's looking at a 40-yard range, but he's not sure how many targets yet.
"We're just kind of in the beginning stages of that," Smith said.
Smith's has a large selection of guns, bows, crossbows, accessories, reloading supplies, and bait and tackle.
There's no gunsmith at the store, but Smith said the staff can clean guns and do minor repairs.
"We got a new full-time archery kid starting in May," Smith said. "He'll be here all week long, and he'll be able to do any bow, fix just about whatever problems people have."
He invited everybody to come out to the grand opening on Saturday.
"We'll have the Elba High School track team here," Smith said. "They will be selling hotdogs and hamburgers, and we'll have a whole bunch of different reps from different product lines here and a whole bunch of specials, and we've got a bunch of good giveaways and stuff going to go on."
Buffalo-Native Timothy Onello has been named president and CEO of Chapin International, taking over from Jim Campbell, who is retiring.
Onello is taking over a company that now has production facilities in the U.S. and overseas but was founded in Oakfield 140 years ago.
The firm is celebrating its 140th anniversary in June.
From 2020 until February of this year, Onello was VP and general manager of ITW, a Fortune 200 company. He was based in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Prior to joining ITW, he spent nearly 12 years with JPW Industries in Nashville, rising to the position of VP and general manager.
He has MBAs from Thunderbird School of Global Management and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a bachelor of science in marketing and psychology from Northern Michigan University.
He's also held positions at Hilti Tools, Positec Tools, and Irwin Industrial Tools.
