ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Associated Equipment Corporation (AEC) has announced that Kim Cottle, formerly president and COO, has been named president and CEO of the company.
 
Cottle succeeds William C. Cottle, who retires as CEO of Associated Equipment but maintains his position as chairman of the board of directors. Cottle was hired by Associated in 2007 as vice president of operations after working at several Fortune 500 high-tech manufacturing companies in product development and international operations roles.
 
“Kim has been driving the day-to-day operations, product development and sales at Associated for the past several years,” said William Cottle, chairman. “Her success focusing on increasing our product mix based on our core strengths, high-quality products, especially U.S. made; as well as increasing our presence in the OEM, industrial and export markets, has been key to position ourselves for continued growth. Promoting Kim into this new role is part of our succession strategy as a family business to solidify Associated’s long-term commitment to growing our valued customer base.”
 
Associated Equipment Corp. designs and manufactures, in St. Louis, Mo., a full line of battery charging, testing and portable power solutions, as well as booster cables and clamps, for automotive, aircraft and recreational vehicle use for a worldwide customer base.