Southwire Company recently announced a reorganization of its senior management structure with Jack Carlson now leading all of the company’s sales and marketing and product development efforts in North America.
In his new role as president of North American business, Carlson manages Southwire’s electrical, energy and OEM divisions, as well as its newly created industrial division and Canadian wire and cable business. The industrial division serves the power generation and transit, petrochemical, natural gas, automotive and other markets, as well as institutional campuses such as hospitals, universities, prisons and military bases. Carlson also will direct the company’s research and development efforts.
“Jack has been the driver behind the tremendous growth in our electrical business and the division’s recovery from the housing crash several years ago,” said Southwire President and CEO Stu Thorn. “As we continue to expand into new products, markets and geographies, we have a chance to bring our unique blend of technology and culture to new customers. Jack’s vision and knowledge of our markets are key to us making the most of that opportunity.”
A 30-year veteran of the electrical industry, Carlson joined Southwire in 2001 as president of the electrical division. He previously worked in senior management positions with Assa Abloy, Yale Security Group, Groupe Schneider and Square D Company.
“This exciting new opportunity allows me to build my knowledge about different segments of the wire and cable industry,” said Carlson, who will pass the role of electrical division president to Norman Adkins. “The focus will continue to be on providing the best-quality, lowest-cost products available, while applying our innovative spirit to differentiate those products by making them a more critical part of the end-users’ success.”
Adkins, who most recently served as senior vice president of electrical distribution and retail sales for Southwire’s electrical division, joined the company in 1998 as director of international sales in the energy division. He has held a number of management positions, including president of Southwire’s OEM division, which markets wire and cable to other manufactures who use it in their products.
Prior to joining Southwire, Adkins held a variety of leadership positions in sales, operations, international business and engineering at Corning Incorporated.
“Southwire continues to dream big as we seek to make our own dent in the universe,” Thorn said. “That will take having the right people in the right positions to enhance our capabilities and our focus. While we have an extremely skilled management team in place, we are adding talent and resources to make sure all of the bases are covered.”
Southwire also recently promoted Doug Ramsey to president of industrial sales and marketing in the company’s new industrial division.
“Under Doug’s leadership, we have gone from being just another company in the industrial sector to a major player,” Carlson said. “As we capitalize on that momentum and expand further into the industrial market, we feel a separate division provides much-needed focus. Doug’s relationships with many of the key industrial players make him the perfect fit to lead our sales and marketing efforts in that area.”
Ramsey began his career as an industrial engineer in the Midwestern coal mines. He entered wire and cable sales in 1986 as a district sales manager when he joined BICC Cablec’s St. Louis, Missouri office. In 1990, he was promoted to regional sales manager and transferred to Atlanta to open a regional sales office.
From 1996 to 2002, Ramsey served as national sales director for Shawflex, leading a sales and marketing team focused on power generation markets throughout the United States. Ramsey joined Southwire in 2002 as national director of power generation, helping focus Southwire on the industrial market. He has served numerous roles within the industrial group including vice president and, over the last year, senior vice president.
“The success we have achieved is the direct result of the hard work and dedication by the industrial Southwire’s outside and inside sales team,” Ramsey said. “Together, we have met our goals and will continue to achieve new heights.”
Last year, Southwire added Hans Meiring to its leadership as president of international and operational development. A 40-year veteran of the wire and cable industry, Meiring brings global best practices in manufacturing technology and is helping expand the company’s reach into international markets.
Formerly chief executive officer of Oman Cables in the Sultanate of Oman, Meiring worked for 27 years, 10 of those as chief executive officer, with Aberdare Cables, helping to establish the company’s first fiber optic cable plant in South Africa. Early in his career, he served as project engineer in a joint venture among ITT of America and BICC and STC of the United Kingdom to build the first telecommunication plant in South Africa.
Southwire Company is North America’s largest wire and cable producer. The company and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, metal-clad (MC) cable, cord products (including Tappan™ sound, security, and communication cables through Tappan Wire & Cable Inc.), utility cable products, industrial power cable, OEM wire products, SCR® copper and aluminum rod, and continuous casting technology. Southwire also supplies MAXIS® wire and cable installation tools to the commercial, industrial and utility construction markets.
Tagged with tED