SERGI OBIOLS JOINS CONTINENTAL AS SALES, PRODUCT ENGINEER
OSHKOSH, Wis.— Continental Girbau Inc. recently welcomed Sergi Obiols, of Vic, Spain, as sales and product engineer, the company reports.
In his new role, Obiols provides technical sales support for Girbau Industrial laundry equipment projects throughout North America. Most recently, Obiols was part of the industrial design team at Girbau Global Laundry Solutions, in Vic.
“Our goal of improving turnaround time in laundry design layout required filling an inside sales engineering position,” says Dave “Mac” McAllister, director of services and product management. “Fortunately, Sergi Obiols was available directly from Girbau. Sergi has global industrial laundry experience working on large projects, from concept through construction. He will be involved in all aspects of presale project support.”
As sales and product engineer, Obiols handles equipment sizing, estimated production rates, equipment layout and scale drawings, as well as monitoring target installation dates and project completion. With time, his position will support commercial laundry design projects for all Continental brands, according to McAllister.
Obiols holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Politechnic University of Catalonia, in Barcelona.
PELLERIN MILNOR NAMES NEW APPLICATION ENGINEERING MGR., ANNOUNCES SALES MGR. RETIREMENT
KENNER, La. — Pellerin Milnor Corp. recently named Ryan Kelley as its new application engineering department manager, according to the company. Kelley’s duties will now expand to directly supporting the members of the application engineering team so that they can properly size, design/layout and coordinate projects for customers.
Kelley first joined Milnor in 2012 as a project manager after graduating from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a bachelor of science in industrial technology engineering. Since then, he has completed both TRSA’s Production Management Institute and Executive Management Institute, where he was designated as a Certified Professional Laundry Manager.
In addition, the company reports that Regional Sales Manager Sam Kielman III has retired.
Kielman was first introduced to the laundry industry in 1972 after graduating from Texas A&M University with a BBA in marketing. In 1988, he came to Milnor as a veteran of the laundry industry, having previously served as the production manager for Chalmette Linen-New Orleans, assistant production manager for Ineeda Linen-Houston, West Coast regional sales manager for Artex International, sales associate for Systemation Inc., and senior project manager for Baring Industries.
Throughout his 29-year career with Milnor, the company says Kielman traveled throughout North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, managing several dealers throughout the two continents.
“Sam’s knowledge and experience has been invaluable in the area of sales and strong customer relationships,” says Rick Kelly, Pellerin Milnor vice president of sales and marketing. “We are grateful for his service to Milnor, and we wish Sam and his wife, Carol, all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
Upon retiring, Kielman says he is most looking forward to moving back home to Texas, where he plans to spend time with his family and cheer on the Texas A&M Aggies.
JENSEN USA WELCOMES PARTS/SERVICE MGR., REGIONAL SALES MGR.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – JENSEN USA Inc. has hired Alain Garnier as manager of parts and service and Craig Giancola as regional sales manager for the Northeast U.S., the company reports
Garnier comes to JENSEN USA with a strong background of high-level customer service where he has held several positions in similar functions with international companies, most recently as director of product and customer support with Volvo Penta, a Swedish manufacturer of internal combustion engines (ICEs) and complete power systems to the marine industry.
Prior to that, the company says he worked with other international companies, such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and Chrysler. Garnier holds a bachelor of science in marketing and international business from the University of Florida, and an MBA from Wayne State University.
JENSEN USA says Giancola will be responsible for supporting equipment sales in the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. He brings more than 25 years of laundry industry sales experience, most recently as Northeast regional manager for Venus Group textiles.
Prior to that, he owned and operated a laundry equipment distributorship and has built OPL laundries, laundromats and dry-cleaning plants throughout the Northeast. In addition, he has held sales positions for two laundry equipment manufacturers.
The company says Giancola is a well-respected industry veteran and is looking forward to applying his vast equipment knowledge in support of current and future JENSEN customers. He holds a bachelor of science in marketing and business administration from St. Joseph’s College in Indiana.
“Alain and Craig are tremendous additions to the JENSEN USA team,” says Simon Nield, president, JENSEN USA. “We are constantly striving to improve the customer experience—having a team of professionals is an integral part of that process.”
WHITE CONVEYORS PROMOTES DAVIS TO VP
KENILWORTH, N.J. — White Conveyors Inc. has promoted Bob Davis to vice president of sales, the company reports. Davis will lead White’s and Speed Check Conveyor’s North American sales efforts.
Davis is a 25-year veteran of the company who has worked his way up the corporate ladder from engineering design, project design and management, industrial sales, and most recently as sales director for the commercial laundry market, according to White Conveyors.
The company says Davis has represented both White and Speed Check at organization events and that he looks forward to participating in future gatherings and meeting more people in the industry.
“I am excited to work with our talented market directors and regional sales managers to grow the White Conveyors and Speed Check Conveyor market share,” says Davis. “We have a real opportunity to assist our partner customers and offer outstanding solutions to their needs.”
ELLIS CORP. ADDS SCHULTZ AS DIRECTOR OF WATER SOLUTIONS
ITASCA, Ill. — Ellis Corp., a provider of washing technology, reports that it has added John Schultz as its director of water solutions.
The company says Schultz had been with Ecolab since 2005 in textile care and water care, where he had moved through the ranks from director of integrated laundry solutions, corporate accounts and textile care, to training manager, and finally to the senior manager of water, energy, wastewater solutions, in the textile care division. There, he developed and grew the service teams’ abilities in water recycling expertise and treatment system optimization.
Prior to that, Ellis says Schultz spent 15 years at Dober Group, building its wastewater treatment chemical business.
The company says Schultz’s skills in the industry include developing chemical treatment programs, optimizing treatment systems to minimize production cost, consulting and customer training. His experience brings a holistic approach to the developing water solution business unit, according to Ellis.
Schultz received his bachelor of science and master of science degrees from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill.
“We are very excited to have John’s expertise on our team,” says Bob Fesmire Jr., president of Ellis Corp. “We know that his experience with wastewater chemistry and equipment in the industry will add tremendous value to our current and new customers as we grow our water solutions division.”
GRAHAM JOINS LEONARD AUTOMATICS FOR DESIGN, FUNCTIONALITY
DENVER, N.C. — Leonard Automatics recently welcomed Scott Graham to its engineering team, the company reports. As an automation engineer, the company says Graham’s duties will include designing equipment controls to help Leonard improve machine functionality as technology advances.
In addition, Leonard says Graham will use his skills and experience to assist the company’s technical support and IT department, as well as help Leonard’s engineering and fabrication division, Leonard Fabrication and Design (LFD).
“We are excited to welcome Scott to the Leonard team,” says Jacob Frushtick, VP of Leonard Automatics’ LFD division. “His automation background will help us continue to deliver cutting-edge technology in our products in this ever-evolving electronic world.”
Graham came from a major manufacturer of automated screw driving equipment, where he was the OEM support manager for all OEMs in the United States, including Ford, GM, Tesla, Mercedes Benz, Audi and BMW, according to Leonard. He wrote the software for the flow drilling equipment for Ford Motor Co.’s’ F150, F250, F350 and Navigator platforms.
His experience made him a technical expert for all flow-drilling and thermal-setting technology in the United States. Leonard says Graham’s projects also included support and process programming for the C7 Corvette; interface, recovery and software programming for Ford Motor Co.; support and process programming for Tesla Model S; material testing for BMW EPP fastening; and process programming and material testing for Alcoa. In addition, Graham managed the IT infrastructure for the company.
Scott’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Mercy College in New York.
“I look forward to helping Leonard Automatics and Leonard Fabrication Design expand and excel into the future, and I am excited to be part of the team,” Graham says.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].