Tenneco Automotive Names Two New VPs
Tenneco Automotive has named James Perkins as vice president and controller and John Kunz as vice president and treasurer. Perkins joins Tenneco Automotive from GE Medical Systems Information Technology, where he most recently was director, commercial operations. Kunz joins Tenneco Automotive from Great Lakes Chemical Corp., where he most recently served as vice president and treasurer.
Former Dow Engineering Plastics Executive Joins Penda Corp.
International plastics executive Ulf Buergel has been appointed president and COO of Penda Corp., a leading manufacturer of light-truck bedliners. Buergel joins Penda following a 20-year career with The Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, Mich.
UTI Appoints Two New Directors
Universal Technical Institute (UTI) has appointed two new directors. Conrad Conrad and Kevin Knight will serve as members of UTI’s audit committee, with Conrad serving as chairman of the audit committee. These appointments bring the membership of UTI’s board of directors to seven.
Reynolds Shareholders Re-Elect Three Board Members, Approve Stock Incentive Programs
Shareholders of The Reynolds and Reynolds Co. have approved the re-election of three board members, each for a three-year term. Re-elected were Eustace Mita, chairman and CEO of Avista Properties Worldwide LLC, Philip Odeen, former chairman of TRW Inc., and Donald Peterson, chairman and CEO of Avaya Inc.
Lund International Announces Two Executive Appointments
Lund International has promoted Bob Schuetz to vice president of aftermarket sales. Schuetz joined Lund in October 2003 in the newly created position of vice president of new business development. Lund has also announced the appointment of John Whitten as director of sales engineering. Whitten brings with him 11 years of quality and product engineering, most recently working in automotive accessories on a contract basis for General Motors and DaimlerChrysler.
ArvinMeritor Launches Search for CEO Successor
ArvinMeritor’s board of directors has retained an international executive search firm to identify a successor to Larry Yost, chairman and CEO. Yost said he will remain in his current capacity until a successor is found.
Qualitee International Names Chris Kern Director of Marketing
Aftermarket industry veteran Chris Kern has joined Qualitee International as Director of Marketing. Kern replaces Jerry Brosilow, who died in May. An AIA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Kern has been involved in the automotive aftermarket for 29 years. He has held sales and marketing management positions with Beck/Arnley Worldparts and Autopart International.
Yost to Retire as ArvinMeritor CEO
Auto-parts supplierArvinMeritor Inc., which lost its bid to buy Dana Corp. last year, said Monday it is searching to replace chief executive Larry Yost, who plans to retire. The Troy-based company offered few details about the search, but company spokeswoman Lin Cummins said Yost has wanted to retire for some time. Yost led the company through several transitions including the 2000 merger of Arvin Inc. and Meritor Automotive Inc. He had been CEO of Meritor before he became chairman and CEO of ArvinMeritor.
Champion Appoints a New President
John Evans, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Champion Laboratories, has been named president of the Albion, Ill.-based automotive parts manufacturer. Evans, a native of Vincennes, Ind., has been with Champion Laboratories for 20 years. He replaces Tom Mowatt, who has taken retirement.
Jerry Mosingo Named COO of ASC Incorporated
ASC Inc., a full-service specialty-vehicle development partner for automotive manufacturers, has named Jerry Mosingo COO, effective immediately. He replaces Scott Koepke, who has been named COO of ASC-Yachiyo Manufacturing Ltd. (AYM), an ASC joint venture company in Columbus, Ohio. Both executives will report to ASC’s president and CEO, Paul Wilbur. Mosingo’s COO assignment is expected to last through 2004.
Bill Grote Names Eric Morris President and COO of Grote Industries, Grote to Assume Chairman/CEO Role
Eric Morris has been appointed to the newly created post of president and COO at Grote Industries. William (Bill) Grote III will assume duties of chairman and CEO at the 103-year-old family owned company. Grote Industries is a designer and manufacturer of vehicle safety systems. Headquartered in Madison, Ind., Grote manufactures LED and incandescent lamps, mirrors, obstacle detection systems, reflective accessories and wiring components. The company has other manufacturing plants in Toronto and Waterloo, Canada, as well as Monterrey, Mexico.
Akebono Announces Passing of Regional Sales Manager Carl Schaefer
Akebono announced yesterday that Eastern Regional Sales Manager Carl Schaefer unexpectedly passed away in January. Schaefer was a 25-year veteran of the automotive aftermarket business, with a focus on brake systems. He joined Akebono in 2002 and managed the company’s aftermarket sales in the eastern U.S. and Canada.