SYCAMORE, Ill. — IDEAL Industries, Inc. Chairman and CEO Jim James announced the appointment of Douglas Sanford as Group President and General Manager for IDEAL United States. In his new role, Sanford will provide strategic leadership and direction for the company’s capstone Wire Termination and Tools & Supplies business units, as well as assuming responsibility for the Aerospace business unit and corporate research and development. He will report to James, and assume his new duties effective immediately.
“Doug is a highly skilled, very successful General Manager who has spent his career igniting growth through sustainable profitability, accountability and cultural change,” said James. “He will be leading a team of world-class professionals at IDEAL, and I am delighted to have him join us as Group President and General Manager.”
Sanford most recently was President and CEO of HA International (HAI), a manufacturer and supplier to North American foundries of products such as resin systems for bonding sand and refractory coatings. Prior to HAI, he served in a variety of management positions over 15 years at Hendrickson, a Tier 1 supplier of suspensions, suspension springs, bumpers and axles to the commercial vehicle industry, including as Vice President and General Manager of several divisions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Bradley University.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES
In addition to the appointment of Sanford, IDEAL announced that Terry Stevens, Vice President of Electrical Distribution Sales, will be retiring effective June 30, 2017. Stevens, who has led the Electrical Distribution sales force since 2013, will be succeeded by Joe Saganowich, an IDEAL veteran who is returning to the company after working in the sports marketing industry. Prior to his departure, Saganowich spent seventeen years with IDEAL, most recently as General Manager of the SK Hand Tool, an IDEAL subsidiary, and as Vice President of Electrical Distribution.
“Terry has played a critical role in the Electrical Group for her entire career at IDEAL, both internally and externally, building strong partnerships with our distributors and expanding our reach to end-users,” said James. “Knowing how key this position is to IDEAL, selecting the right successor and ensuring a successful transition was critical. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce that Joe Saganowich has returned to the IDEAL family. His past success in this position makes him the right candidate to succeed Terry and to lead the sales force. “
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