GRANDVIEW, Mo. – Peterson Manufacturing Co. has announced the promotion of Kristen Goodson from product manager to director of product management. A Peterson associate for the past 15 years, Goodson brings a wealth of product knowledge, experience and management skills to the new position, the company said.

Goodson joined Peterson as a customer service representative immediately following her 1995 graduation from the University of Kansas with a degree in business administration. She has since worked in or with every department within the company, steadily advancing through a series of sales and management roles.

“My new job is actually an expansion of my previous duties as product manager,” Goodson stated. “I report to Steve Meagher, vice president sales, and will be working closely with our design engineering and sales departments to prioritize and develop new products for all the markets Peterson serves. A major part of my job will be filtering information from those markets to support our engineers in designing the right products, and also coordinating the planning of inventory levels with our production control staff.”

Goodson’s product knowledge and management talents are well-known at Peterson.

“Kristen has been a great asset to our company,” said Mark Assenmacher, Peterson’s director of marketing. “Her contributions are even more important as we work through these tough economic times. And in addition to her company responsibilities, she also represents Peterson within several industry organizations –– one of which she’ll lead as president in 2012.”