After more than 30 years of leadership in manufacturing and nearly a decade with the company, Kathleen Edge, Southwire’s executive vice president of operations, has retired. She joined Southwire in 2013 and led the company’s wire and cable operations, including Southwire’s single largest strategic initiative, modernization. As part of the transition, Rebecca Cranford, senior vice president, construction systems & solutions, will assume leadership for all wire and cable manufacturing. Aaron Asher will now be responsible for wire and cable distribution and materials management, reporting to Norman Adkins. Based in Carrollton, Georgia, Southwire is a leading manufacturer of wire and cable used in the transmission and distribution of electricity.

Patty Brooks has been promoted to plant manager of Liberty Engineered Wire Products in Warren, Ohio, where she had been the assistant plant manager. She previously worked for eight years for sister company Liberty Bar Products, where she started out as an inside sales representative, then served as office and customer relations manager and then as assistant plant manager. Previous employers included Avatar Corporation, Keystone Bar Products and Bonnell Aluminum. Based in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and with production facilities in Warren and Las Cruces, New Mexico, Liberty Engineered Wire Products manufactures welded wire reinforcement.

Jaxon Lang has joined AFL as COO, responsible for overseeing the company’s operational performance as well as managing its supply chain, commercial sales, marketing and customer service divisions across AFL’s five core markets. He has more than 25 years of experience in the telecom industry, and has a solid record of leading and managing businesses through transformations, including mergers and acquisitions. He will assist AFL and Fujikura in the future growth of the business. He most recently was president and CEO of FiberRise, and prior to that held key positions over two decades at CommScope, TE Connectivity and ADC. A subsidiary of Fujikura, AFL manufactures a wide range of fiber optic cable.

Thomas W. Walker has been named senior vice president of marketing and business development of Wire and Cable Consulting, LLC. In 1984, he joined Crellin, Inc. (which later became Sonoco/Crellin) as an account manager, selling plastic and wire reels, tapes, bobbins and solder spools. He later joined Pittsfield Plastics Engineering, serving as its president until he retired in 2022. A WAI Life Member, he is a recipient of the Charles Scott Distinguished Award and has served on the board of the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Association. Wire and Cable Consulting, LLC, provides sales representation, marketing and new product development services.

Jonathan Reeves has joined the technical support department of AESA Cortalloid. He previously worked at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), where he participated in the development of energy extraction devices used in quench protection systems for superconducting magnets in the CERN particle accelerator complex. He holds a master’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Nottingham (UK). Based in Sweden, AESA Cortalloid supplies measuring systems and services to the wire and cable industry.

TE Connectivity has promoted Rebecca Graham from distribution account manager to industrial sales manager for Australia. Based in the Greater Brisbane area, she previously worked for NKT Australia for more than seven years. Prior to that she worked a year for AUSSA Power Products. A global business, TE Connectivity’s products include a range of wire and cable.

Encore Wire Corporation announced that Bret J. Eckert, the company’s CFO, has taken on the additional position of executive vice president. He joined the company in 2019 and formally assumed the CFO role in 2020. Prior to joining Encore, he served for a year as an executive managing director for Riveron Consulting LLC, and prior to that was senior vice president and CFO of Atmos Energy Corporation for five years. Before that, he spent 22 years with Ernst & Young LLP, where he was a partner for 10 years. Based in McKinney, Texas, Encore Wire is a leading manufacturer of a broad range of copper and aluminum electrical wire and cable

Obituary
John Schleicher, director of technical services & wire products manager for IWM International LLC, died Nov. 28, 2022, at age 62. Prior to joining IWM in 2016. He worked for about two years as director of technical services for Mount Joy Wire and 19 years for New York Wire, where he served in positions from senior engineer to wire operations manager. A WAI member, he was a life member of the SME and was greatly valued for his wire industry relationships. He held a BSIE degree in industrial and manufacturing engineering from Penn State University. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; daughters Anna and Molly; a son, Samuel; a brother, Thomas; and grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family. 

The Association has added four members to its Board of Directors (BoD) that will each serve a three-year term. Three are new, while the fourth is returning. The BoD now has a total of 21 members. That includes nine suppliers, and 12 manufacturers: seven from the electrical sector and five from the ferrous sector. Completing their terms on the BoD were Marco Gerardo, Frigeco USA; and Thomas Heberling, Southwire.

  Eric Bieberich is the president of Fort Wayne Wire Die (FWWD). Over his more than 20 years with FWWD, he has held various positions in engineering, production management, sales, and general management, before becoming president in 2013. Prior to joining FWWD, he worked as a metallurgical engineer in the automotive industry. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in materials science and metallurgical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He has previously served two terms on the BoD and was also the chairman of the WAI’s Education Committee. He has been a WAI member since 2001.

 Andrés Cartagena Ruiz is the head of MFL X and customer care at MFL Group. MFL X is an innovative program focused on digital projects that leverages exponential technologies, which facilitate data-driven after-sales support and product development. He also serves on the Board of Directors of 40Factory, a high-tech scale-up that operates in the fields of Industrial IoT and Artificial Intelligence. He volunteers as a mentor of Forward Factory, an Italy-based technology start-up accelerator dedicated to digital innovations in the manufacturing domain. He is also on the Advisory Committee of MindSphere World Italy and the Scientific Committee of Messe Frankfurt Italia. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from IE Business School.

 Rebecca Cranford is the senior vice president of manufacturing, responsible for operations within the utility and industrial divisions at Southwire Company. Since joining the company in 2012 as senior vice president of sustainability, safety and environment, she has held progressively responsible positions including her prior role as senior vice president of manufacturing for construction systems and solutions division which primarily services the building wire market. She began her manufacturing career with Alcoa as a safety engineer. She spent 15 years in a variety of roles within several global divisions, including AFL (Alcoa Fujikura Ltd.), Howmet Castings and Alcoa Forging and Extrusions. She previously worked in the insurance industry as a risk manager. She holds a B.S. degree in safety and environmental management from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.

 Chris Tucker is the director of nonferrous metals at Encore Wire. He joined Encore in 2012 as a process engineer and has held progressively responsible positions in rod operations before being named to his current position in 2018. He has been a member of the Association since 2012 and currently serves on the Member Relations and Paper Awards Committees. Additionally, he was on the planning committee for the 2019 Global Continuous Casting Forum. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Tyler.

As of Dec. 28, 17 companies have signed up to be sponsors for Interwire 2023, which will be held May 9-11 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

“Getting back to schedule has been a huge relief for WAI members and participating companies on all levels, exhibitors, staff and all of our tradeshow partners,” said WAI Sales Director Shannon Timme. “Coupled with the successful production last June of Wire Expo & Operations Summit in Dallas, Texas, and the anticipation of Interwire’s return, exhibitors are excited and eager to continue planning and promoting their participation again, as are we.”

The sponsorships for Interwire come in Elite, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze levels. Below is a list to date of companies that have committed their support.

 Elite sponsors include: Encore Wire, Prysmian, James Monroe Wire & Cable, Southwire, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS, Rainbow Rubber and Plastics, and Lloyd & Bouvier, Inc. Platinum sponsors include Gem Gravure, Co., Inc., Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp., and Carris Reels, Inc. Silver sponsors include RichardsApex Inc., the MGS Group, Sikora AG and Niehoff Endex North America. Bronze sponsors include Precision Reel/Payoffs, Fort Wayne Wire Die and Baum’s Castorine Co., Inc.

Timme said that Interwire sponsorship opportunities are still available. The event itself, she noted, continues to gain momentum. Following a modest floor plan extension last November, some 250 companies are now represented on the show floor.

Midwest Chapter

The chapter welcomes a new Board member: Cooper Runzel, vice president of insulating manufacturing at Lake Cable.

The Chapter has confirmed that it will be holding a 2023 golf tournament at a date to TBD.

The Chapter approved their 2023 scholarship program, which will be three scholarships at $1,500 each. The online application will be available towards the end of January and Chapter members will be notified of its launch via email.

Ohio Valley Chapter

Dave Rascati officially retired from the Ohio Valley Chapter Board of Directors at the end of 2022 after many dedicated, successful years running the Chapter’s Golf Tournament. He was also known for his unique first-person write-ups.

The Chapter will hold its Golf Tournament on Aug. 24, 2023, at Kennsington Golf Club in Canfield, Ohio. The event will also include an education program.

The Chapter is working to establish a scholarship program, which will be supported by funds raised from their Annual Golf Tournament.

The WAI’s New England Chapter is known for holding memorable annual meetings, and its upcoming one this month at the Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, promises to follow that tradition.

The event will again be held this year inside the Cabaret Theatre, starting with the reception at 5:30 pm, followed by the meeting at 6:35 pm. The keynote speaker will be Michelle Dray, the creator of the “Getting Unstuck & Leading Fearlessly Program.” She has worked for more than 10 years as a coach and creator of her 11-week women’s leadership program that identifies five signs or symptoms of “career stuck-ness” to look out for. She notes that her talk is not limited to women.

“I think the fact that the majority of the audience has historically been men, and the expectation is the same for the upcoming event, will add an interesting dynamic as I believe these signs and symptoms to be true for both women and men,” Dray said. She will discuss employee learning objectives that apply to both industry newcomers (0-5 years) as well as veterans.

The meeting will also see the introduction of the 2023 officers, the raffle and the invaluable experience of networking and catching up with friends and colleagues. The event is also a key fundraiser for the WAI New England Chapter Scholarship Fund. Registration is now open through WAI’s event registration system. The cost is $140, and WAI Chapter members in good standing receive discounted rates. The 2022 meeting, held Feb. 24, saw total attendance of 97, and attendance is expected to easily top a hundred this year.

The memories do not have to be fleeting as an award-winning photographer, Ashley Abel, will be at a photo booth where attendees can get a free professional headshot (perfect for your LinkedIn profile, company website, etc.) or take a fun group photo with industry colleagues. The booth is sponsored by Lloyd & Bouvier.

The grand raffle prize, also sponsored by Lloyd & Bouvier, is for two tickets to a Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game. The second top raffle prize, provided by the Mohegan Sun, is two tickets to an Air Supply concert.