People in News Leading NEMRA Lighting, FrommConnect, and Sonepar

Over the past few weeks there have been a few key hires in a number of companies so a “People in the News”

Jeff Bristol Joins NEMRA to Lead Lighting Division

Last week NEMRA announced the launch of its Lighting division and this week they announced its leader … Jeff Bristol.

When an association can recruit a highly visible, highly qualified individual who seemingly everyone respects and feels is qualified, you know the person is a leader and will make the new initiative a success.

Jeff has significant experience working with the NEMRA membership and has engaged with lighting agents throughout his career. The perfect mix to serve both audiences as the lighting industry joins NEMRA.

According to NEMRA’s press release, “The National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) is proud to announce the appointment of Jeff Bristol as Vice President of the newly formed NEMRA Lighting Division.

Jeff most recently served as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for MaxLite, where he was responsible for developing and executing sales and marketing strategies across multiple business units and managing a 40+ agent network. His career has also included leadership roles at Panasonic/Universal Lighting Technologies, Philips Lighting, Osram Sylvania, and Westinghouse Lighting. Throughout his career, Jeff has built strong partnerships across the agent landscape, including with NEMRA agents, Specification Lighting Agents, and Design & Build Lighting Agencies, fostering seamless networks to drive business growth.

“Jeff’s philosophy of viewing agent relationships as integral extensions of the manufacturers they represent aligns perfectly with NEMRA’s belief in the vital partnership between manufacturers and their representatives,” said Jim Johnson, President and CEO of NEMRA. ‘With over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and executive leadership within the lighting and controls industry, Jeff was the clear choice to lead this transformative initiative”.

As Vice President of the NEMRA Lighting Division, Jeff will focus on supporting NEMRA members, advancing industry standards, and fostering collaboration between manufacturers and representatives. His leadership will strengthen the division’s mission and provide representatives with the tools and resources needed to thrive in an evolving lighting industry.

“I could not be more excited to be joining NEMRA and the outstanding team here”, Bristol stated. ‘Building and managing the NEMRA Lighting Division will be a culmination of all my experience and relationships to create a meaningful and impactful association to support the manufacturer’s most important partners, their representatives.”.

“Johnson emphasized that Jeff has been a strong supporter of NEMRA, serving on the NMG Executive Committee since 2021 and providing invaluable guidance to NEMRA and its Board. ‘Jeff’s deep understanding of the lighting industry, entrepreneurial mindset, and proven leadership will position the NEMRA Lighting Division as an essential resource for manufacturers and representatives alike.’”

Jeff’s appointment marks an exciting chapter for NEMRA. Additional updates will be shared in the coming weeks, showcasing how NEMRA continues to drive innovation and deliver value to its members and the industries they serve.

Kline Returns to Fromm

There is always an opportunity for quality people to return to a company as Fromm proved with their announcement that Chris Kline is returning to lead FrommConnect, Fromm’s subsidiary focused on labor saving solutions for its customers.

According to Fromm’s press release, “Fromm, a leading independent electrical distributor in the Mid-Atlantic region since 1923, announced the appointment of Chris Kline as General Manager of FrommConnect LLC, a subsidiary specializing in design, fabrication and labor-saving solutions and services for manufacturers and electrical contractors.

Kline brings over 25 years of experience in process engineering, automation system design, workplace safety, and cybersecurity. He previously served as Fromm’s Industrial Automation Group Manager from 2003-2013 and most recently as Sales and Engineering Manager for Grantek Corporation in Allentown, PA. Kline will oversee FrommConnect’s sales and operations at the company’s state of the art facility in Reading, PA.

“We are excited to welcome Chris Kline back to Fromm,” said John Hanna, President and Chief Operating Officer. “His technical expertise and business leadership skills will help advance our mission to provide innovative solutions that improve our customers’ bottom lines.”

Sonepar Adds to Senior Team

Sonepar seemingly did some restructuring at the corporate level. For a company that was very decentralized not too long ago with OpCo’s leading initiatives, now that the company is over $15 billion in the US, the company is adding senior sales, marketing and customer experience leadership, naming Heather Naida, formerly Vice President and General Manager at Fluke Corporation and before that at Johnson Controls as their VP / GM Connected Technologies, as its SVP Sales, Marketing and Customer Experience. She is responsible for driving the organization’s national sales strategy to accelerate organic growth and customer service initiatives. (and it’s interesting to note that the focus is to drive organic growth after the company recently shared insights about its 2024 $2 billion in acquisition successes. It makes one wonder about the company’s organic growth … some Opco’s have probably been very successful, others could be “challenged.”)

Rob Taylor, Sonepar Americas President, in the press release, commented that “Heather brings a wealth of expertise and proven track record. Working with our expert teams to continue to grow the business on a national level, Heather will enable Sonepar to continue to provide the best customer experience in the industry.”

In this newly created position, Naida will serve an important multi-faceted and strategic role, promoting adoption of the many services and solutions and digital tools Sonepar offers, as well as enabling Sonepar teams to continue to grow the business in areas such as national accounts, industrial, lighting and solar/EV. (It is also interesting to note that Mick Upchurch, who was Sonepar’s SVP National Accounts, left the company shortly after the announcement. It is unknown why he left.)

“We are excited to welcome Heather to Sonepar and look forward to accelerating our organic growth while providing a superior experience and service to our customers,” said Taylor. “Heather’s expertise and focus on customer service and insights, combined with the talented teams already in place, will enable Sonepar to continue to provide the best customer experience in the industry.”

Congratulations, and good luck, to all.