AD forms electrical and industrial business unit
AD announced plans to combine its Electrical and Industrial Business Units, to be headed by Jack Templin.
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| Ed Crawford (left) president of AD's Electrical Business Unit will retire April 24. Jack Templin, currently president of AD's Industrial & Safety Business Unit, will become president of the newly merged Electrical & Industrial Business Unit. |
The move comes following the announcement that Ed Crawford, president of AD’s Electrical Business Unit and chief marketing officer, plans to retire effective April 24, 2020, following the Electrical business unit's spring network meeting.
Crawford came out of retirement in 2014 after 27 years as an executive at Philips Lighting to lead the business unit on which AD was founded.
“During Ed’s tenure with us, he helped build and develop a great team in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, increased member and supplier engagement, revitalized member recruitment and brought on some long sought-after strategic suppliers,” said Bill Weisberg, AD chairman and CEO. “As CMO, Ed was also responsible for leading our rebranding efforts to include introduction of AD’s tagline, 'Together, We Win,' and leading our start-up in Mexico, which has grown to represent over 25 percent local market share."
Crawford is thankful for his time with the AD team working on behalf of members.
“I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done together – members, suppliers and the entire AD Electrical and marketing team – to enable our independent electric distributors to win in the marketplace,” Crawford said.
The E&I Business Unit is composed of the Electrical-U.S., Canada and Mexico, Industrial and Safety–U.S. and Canada, and Bearings and Power Transmission divisions.
Templin, currently the Industrial and Safety Business Unit president, is being promoted as E&I’s president. In addition to his expanded role, Templin will continue as chief programs officer.
“During Jack’s eight-plus years with AD, he has built a phenomenal team, successfully led us through two mergers, drove the creation of and manages AD e-Commerce solutions, and delivered a remarkable 21 percent compounded annual average growth rate,” said Weisberg, noting Templin’s long-time career experience in both industrial and electrical channels.
“I thank Bill and the board of directors for entrusting me with the responsibility of what’s already an incredibly strong business unit at AD," Templin said. "I’d also like to thank the spectacular ISD team and all associates for their ongoing contributions to our shared mission. I look forward to adding value for our members and working with the new team.”
Consistent with most other business units in which there are dedicated senior leaders for each country and division, AD will be hiring a president for the Electrical-U.S. Division.
Given the growing strategic importance of AD’s corporate marketing function, which is an enabler in growing member participation in multi-divisional programs, services and meetings, and recruiting new members, Ted Simpson, SVP of marketing, will report directly to Weisberg.
“We continuously evaluate our organizational structure to ensure that we are well-positioned to support our corporate strategy on behalf of our members,” Weisberg added. “On behalf of the AD team, I wish Ed and his family the very best in this next chapter and offer Jack my continued support as he evolves our newly established business unit.”
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