After more than four decades of leadership in the electrical industry and a decade as president and CEO of Southwire, Rich Stinson has announced that he will retire in December. Since joining the company in 2015, he has built a remarkable career focused on long-term strategy and continuous improvement, leading Southwire through periods of strong organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Stinson has been passionate about the electrification of America, playing a key role in the formation of the Alliance to Electrify America, which includes representatives from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), and the National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA). His leadership has earned Southwire multiple industry honors, including six consecutive years (2020–2025) as a U.S. Best Managed Company—a distinguished recognition sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. Stinson has also been a frequent speaker at major industry events, delivering a keynote on electrification at Interwire 2023, where he received the inaugural WAI Champion Award. Following his retirement, Stinson will continue to serve as executive advisor to incoming president and CEO Ganesh Ramaswamy through the first part of 2026. Ramaswamy brings a proven track record of driving growth and value creation across diverse industries. He currently serves as executive vice president of Industrial & Energy Technology at Baker Hughes, leading a $12 billion business with more than 20,000 employees worldwide. His prior leadership experience includes roles at Johnson Controls, Danaher Corporation, Hoya Corporation, and General Electric. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Kerala, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from Auburn University, a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. The company has also announced that Norman Adkins, chief operating officer, plans to retire in April 2026 after nearly four decades of industry leadership. Joining Southwire in 1998, Adkins has focused on building strong, success-driven relationships across the industry and fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth within his teams. He will continue to serve as president of the International Cablemakers Federation (ICF). Based in Carrollton, Georgia, USA, Southwire is one of North America’s largest wire and cable manufacturers.
Advanced Digital Cable, LLC (ADC) reported two key personnel announcements. ADC has named Kurt Breischaft as its new chief executive officer following the company’s acquisition by Kinderhook Industries. See p. 10. He has more than three decades of leadership in the wire and cable industry, most recently serving as president of SDI La Farga COPPERWORKS, which has a copper rod and wire mill in Indiana. He has previously held senior positions at Belden, Superior Essex and Cerro Wire. He also served as the 2023 president of the Wire Association International, and was the 2006 Wire Link Scholar. He holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. ADC also announced that Peter Sheehan has joined its board of directors as an operating partner representing Kinderhook Industries. He previously served as CEO of Cobra Wire and Cable and president of the Americas Division at Belden Inc. Most recently, he worked as president of Genuine Cable Group. Based in Hayesville, North Carolina, Advanced Digital Cable, LLC, manufactures a wide range of copper and aluminum wire and cable.
David Devoe was named vice president of Lesjöfors Group North America. He most recently was president/CEO of John Evans and Sons, which is part of the Lesjöfors Group. He had previously worked for more than 30 years for Plymouth Spring, including serving as president there since 1994. His industry experience includes serving as the president of the New England Spring & Metalstamping Association (NESMA). Part of Sweden’s Lesjöfors AB, Lesjöfors Group North America, based in Pittston, Pennsylvania, manufactures an extensive range of springs and metal components.
Kinrei of America has promoted Dirghayu Joshi to general manager of sales and technical solutions. He joined the company seven years ago and has more than a decade of experience in capital equipment and technical project management. He previously was a project manager at Johnson Controls and Donnelly Energy and a project engineer at Extrusion Technik USA Inc. He holds both B.S. and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Part of Japan’s Kinrei Machinery Co., Inc., and based in Morris Plains, New Jersey, Kinrei of America supplies wire and cable manufacturing equipment.
Omni Cable LLC has named Wade Buick as senior vice president – distribution and operations. He has more than 20 years of executive leadership experience. Most recently, he served as vice president of operations and strategy at Eastern Engineered Wood Products, Inc. He has also held senior roles at Royal Truck and Equipment, Inc., and DuPont - Titanium Technologies (Chemours). A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he holds an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. His seven years in the U.S. Navy include serving as an operations officer in Eastern Afghanistan. Based in Westchester, Pennsylvania, Omni Cable LLC is a redistributor of wire, cable, fiber, electrical and communications products.
American Industrial Machinery, Inc. (AIM) has named Alfredo J. Moleiro as its new international sales manager. He has more than 18 years of global sales and business development experience across the industrial and airfield markets at 3M, SIEDMENS-ADB and Honeywell. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering, an MBA in marketing. Based in Tampa, Florida, AIM supplies CNC wire bending technology.
Priority Wire & Cable has named Jeff Smith as the company’s new regional sales manager - utility. He has 15 years of experience in business and sales management, of which 12 were at General Cable from 2014 to 2021. He holds a B.S. degree in sales management from Georgetown College. Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, Priority Wire & Cable is a supplier of electrical, electronic and utility wire and cable products with distribution centers located throughout the U.S. and in Toronto, Canada.
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