CONTINENTAL GIRBAU WELCOMES NEW TEAM MEMBERS
OSHKOSH, Wis. — Continental Girbau Inc. reports it recently welcomed Peter (PJ) Grasee, of Ripon, Wis., as inside sales and customer care associate; Sarah Griffin, of Fond du Lac, Wis., and Courtney Krepline, of Brillion, Wis., as graphic/web designers; Mike Lynch, of Oshkosh, as Girbau Industrial senior technical support specialist; and Alessander Marinho, of Oshkosh, and Jay VonOhlen, of Hendersonville, Tenn., as senior Girbau Industrial technicians.
In his new role, Grasee interfaces with Continental staff, distributors and customers on a daily basis, manages Continental’s lead qualification process, and handles inside sales and customer relations duties, according to the company. He earned a bachelor’s degree in media studies from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2015.
Continental says Griffin and Krepline orchestrate a number of design and web development functions within the marketing department.
Krepline earned a bachelor’s degree in digital studio practice from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2016 and holds three years of augmented reality, design and production experience.
Griffin, who brings 16 years of design, marketing and web design experience to Continental, holds a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Viterbo University, La Crosse, Wis.
Lynch provides daily technical service, warranty processing and parts/equipment orders for Girbau Industrial, the company says. He holds 16 years of electromechanical experience, including nine years directly related to industrial laundry systems. Lynch, who most recently served as a field service technician for a major industrial laundry system manufacturer, also has experience as an avionics electrician and supervisor for the U.S. Marine Corps. He earned an associate’s degree in general studies from Columbia College in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Marinho and VonOhlen offer technical support for Girbau Industrial products from the field, according to the company.
Marinho is a certified electrotechnical and electromechanical field service technician with expertise in Girbau-specific laundry automation, hydraulics, programming, pneumatics and more. He comes to Continental from Girbau Brasil LTDA, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he served nine years and installed, maintained, repaired and tested Girbau laundry systems. While serving as technical manager there, he worked closely with customers and grew product sales, the company says.
VonOhlen brings 30 years of extensive experience in laundry plant management and engineering to Girbau Industrial. He holds a Class A Boiler Operator National License 1000HP, as well as an electrical technologies degree from Buffalo State in Buffalo, N.Y.
WHIRLPOOL TAPS INDUSTRY VETS FOR SALES, FIELD SERVICE
ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Whirlpool Corp. Commercial Laundry has hired Michelle Suhy and Chris Wright to drive customer experience, the company reports.
“To succeed in this market, our entire organization has to not only be ambitious, but possess the aptitude to drive results and strengthen key customer relationships. It’s imperative to surround our customers and deliver a holistic experience at every touch point,” says Trey Northrup, general manager of Whirlpool Corp. Commercial Laundry. “With Michelle Suhy and Chris Wright in place, delivering optimal customer experience will be a seamless process.”
The company says Suhy is a leader in complex business initiatives, making her the ideal person to fill its national sales manager role. Adding to her successful 19-year track record within sales and marketing, Suhy will be responsible for creating sales growth programs and driving cross-functional synergies throughout the company’s three commercial laundry brands.
As field service manager, Wright is accountable for service training across all brands and products within the Whirlpool Corp. Commercial Laundry portfolio, according to the company.
Wright is passionate about commercial laundry and providing customers with specialized product solutions, so it only makes sense he now serves as the hands, eyes and ears for quality assurance, and responding to service inquiries, Whirlpool says.
“We’re continuing to invest in people and support to ensure we can work together to design the most effective solutions for our customers,” adds Northrup.
BRAUN STRENGTHENS CUSTOMER SUPPORT
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — G.A. Braun Inc. has hired Zachary Lois as project manager for its inside sales and project management team, the company reports.
Braun says Lois has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Over the past several years, Lois has held a variety of roles in establishing and successfully executing operational processes, project management and detailed logistical planning responsibilities as a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
In his new role, Lois will be responsible for working with Braun’s commercial sales team to qualify equipment for positioning with clients, working with customers and third-party partners to coordinate equipment installation requirements, and managing the execution of projects.
“We are extremely excited to have Zach join Team Braun. I am confident that he will further strengthen capabilities, our ability to develop solutions for our dynamic customer base, and support our strategic growth initiatives,” says Cliff Quick, Braun’s director of inside sales and project management.
TINGUE APPOINTS MORFITT MIDWEST SALES REPRESENTATIVE
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — Laundry product supplier Tingue has named Jordan Morfitt sales representative serving laundries in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin and Manitoba, the company reports.
Morfitt offers a wide range of knowledge in laundry machine parts, premium-quality laundry textiles and supplies, and hands-on product installation services, to help laundry managers process linens fast, safely and efficiently, according to Tingue.
A former U.S. Army operations officer and project engineer with expertise in training and logistics, Morfitt understands the importance of delivering a high level of support on time, every time, according to Regional Sales Manager David Rovetto.
“I know that Jordan, as a native to this region, will implement his commitment to service and attention to detail, to serve our customers, his own neighbors, well,” says Rovetto.
In the months since joining Tingue, Morfitt has noted increasing interest in its line of belting products such as Mato Lacing, which protects linens from rust and snags, and Black Knight belting, which is becoming known for its longevity and affordability, the company says.
“I’m naturally inclined to help people, so offering a line of quality products that helps our customers solve costly problems gives me great satisfaction,” says Morfitt.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in nuclear engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He resides in Prior Lake, Minn.
SANMAR HIRES VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES TO SUPPORT EMPLOYEES
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — SanMar® Corp., a supplier of apparel, bags and caps, reports that Jennifer Larson has joined its team as vice president of human resources.
In this role, Larson will lead employee engagement and retention, including hiring, benefits, training and cultivating SanMar’s core values, according to the company.
“One of the things that struck me first about the culture were the SanMar Family Values and how important they are to everyone at this company,” says Larson. “I look forward to supporting the needs of our growing company and our 4,000-plus employees.”
SanMar says Larson brings a strong history of human resources and people management to the company, most recently serving as director of human resource operations and global support for the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle. She spent 15 years at the center, during which she helped with the organization’s expansion into infectious disease research in Africa and established the human resource practices and operations required overseas.
Larson also has more than 12 years of apparel industry experience from her days at Eddie Bauer, where she held various positions in the HR department.
“Jennifer has the experience we need to continue to evolve as a people-centric company,” says Jeremy Lott, president of SanMar. “We know our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are thrilled to have Jennifer on board as an ambassador for our SanMar Family Values and the culture we’ve developed over the past 45 years as a proud family-owned company.”
VOLTEA NAMES CAVITT CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
DALLAS — Voltea, which provides membrane-capacitive deionization (CapDI©), has added Timothy Cavitt as its new chief operations officer (COO), the company reports. Cavitt joins Voltea’s executive management team, reporting to CEO Bryan Brister.
In his new role, Cavitt will be responsible for execution of Voltea’s product development, engineering and operations strategy, which includes manufacturing facilities in Dallas and Sassenheim, The Netherlands, according to the company.
“Timothy brings great breadth and depth of international operations experience to Voltea,” says Brister. “I am fully confident he is the right leader for our operations team as we continue to grow commercially and need scalable operations processes and quality systems to ensure fulfilment capability. His history of success developing and implementing strategy, building and leading operations teams, and driving growth will be transformative for Voltea.”
Regarding his new role at Voltea, Cavitt says, “I am excited to join Voltea’s growing team and energetic culture. Clearly, Voltea’s commercial traction dictates the need for scalable operational processes and the implementation of a world-class quality system. I look forward to working with the team to drive the company forward.”
Voltea says Cavitt has more than 24 years of experience leading and managing complex operations organizations. He has developed, launched and led successful manufacturing turnarounds in multiple business sectors, from automotive to healthcare. In addition, Cavitt has extensive experience as a global operations leader working in Fortune 500 companies, as well as in private equity portfolio companies, as a global vice president of operations.
GURTLER HIRES FOR ST. LOUIS, SE FLA. MARKETS
SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. — Gurtler Industries Inc., a manufacturer of advanced detergents and specialty chemicals for the commercial laundry industry, has hired Jamie McClellan and Jhon Ocampo, the company reports.
McClellan is manager of market development in the St. Louis area, according to Gurtler. He joined Gurtler Industries in October. The company says he brings 12-plus years of experience in the laundry industry.
Ocampo also joined Gurtler Industries in October and will be manager of market development in the southeastern Florida area, the company says. Ocampo brings with him 10-plus years of experience in the laundry industry.
LEONARD AUTOMATICS ADDS BURTON FOR SERVICE SUPPORT
DENVER, N.C. — Leonard Automatics has hired Howard Burton III as service support technician/programmer, the company reports.
Burton collaborates with Leonard’s engineering team to design the electrical controls and the programmable logic controllers (PLC) that are present in many of Leonard’s machines, according to the company.
Leonard says Burton received his first formal electronics training in the Navy in the maintenance of communications systems working as an interior communications electrician. His responsibilities included maintenance and troubleshooting of controls for atmospheric indicators, ship control, phone systems, boiler systems and steam turbines.
Burton has more than 40 years of experience in electrical control systems, including work in the textile, plastics and composites industries, as a technician and a supervisor. His most recent role was working for an automotive parts supplier as an automation engineer.
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