Former Masco Executive Brings Broad Experience in Channel Management,
Marketing, and Product Development to Pentair's Tools Businesses
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --Pentair (NYSE: PNR)
today announced that it named Charles M. Brown, 44, to the position of
president and chief operating officer of its Tools Group effective August 14,
2003. Brown was also named an executive officer of the corporation. H. Eugene
Swacker, who has served as acting president of the Tools Group since November
2002, has been named president of Global Sales and Service for the Tools
Group.
"Charley is an accomplished general manager, with deep experience in the
power tool business and significant knowledge of the home center, hardware
chain, mass merchandising, and professional channels," said Randall J. Hogan,
Pentair chairman and chief executive officer. "His proven leadership skills,
combined with a broad background in marketing and product development, are
ideally suited to the needs of our Tools businesses. Equally important, his
personal values and ethics are closely aligned with those of Pentair."
Brown formerly served as president of Aqua Glass Corporation, a unit of
Masco Corporation, a position he held since 1996. During his tenure, Aqua
Glass successfully entered the home center channel, capturing a leading market
share in the tub and shower product category. From 1993 to 1996, Brown served
as vice president of Marketing for Delta Faucet, another Masco business, where
he was responsible for worldwide marketing and strategic planning for the
division which included two of the top four brands in the faucet category:
Delta and Peerless.
Brown held a series of progressively responsible positions with Black &
Decker Corporation between 1988 and 1993, the most recent of which was
director of Cordless Tools New Product and Market Development. In this
capacity, Brown led product development efforts for professional and consumer-
grade cordless tools.
Prior to serving with Black & Decker, Brown was a product director with
the McNeil Consumer Products Division of Johnson & Johnson. He holds a
Bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from Cornell University
in Ithaca, NY, and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
As leader of Pentair's Tools Group, Brown will be responsible for an
operating group that manufactures and markets tools and accessories for
professionals and upscale hobbyists. Based in Jackson, Tennessee, Pentair's
tools businesses include Porter-Cable/Delta, DeVilbiss Air Power Company, and
its Tools Accessories platform, Oldham Saw.
Porter-Cable/Delta is a leading manufacturer of portable electric and
cordless power tools, air nailers/compressors, woodworking equipment, and
related accessories for the professional woodworking, commercial/residential
construction, plumbing, and electrical markets. Porter-Cable/Delta operates
manufacturing facilities in Jackson, Tennessee and Steinheim, Germany, where
its products are produced and sold throughout Europe under the FLEX brand
name. The Group also operates in Taiwan and China via a joint venture.
DeVilbiss Air Power Company is a leading manufacturer of air compressors,
cold-water pressure washers, and generators with operations in Jackson,
Tennessee, and Decatur, Arkansas. Its products are sold under the Ex-Cell, Air
America, and Charge Air Pro brands. In addition, the company manufactures
products under private label arrangements with several of the nation's leading
retailers.
Oldham Saw designs and manufactures router bits, circular saw blades, and
related accessories for the do-it-yourself and professional power tool
markets. Sold under the Oldham(R), Viper(R), United States Saw(R), and
Hickory(TM) brand names, the company's products go to market via the home
center, lumberyard, and hardware channels. Oldham Saw's private label products
are sold to leading power tool manufacturers, including Pentair's Porter-Cable
and Delta units. The business is based in West Jefferson, North Carolina.
"We owe considerable thanks to Gene Swacker for his leadership of the
Tools business as acting president," Hogan added. "Gene's solid work on the
Group's core strategic initiatives has established a strong base upon which
Charley can build. I am very pleased that Gene will continue to contribute to
the Tools Group as president of Global Sales and Service."
Pentair ( http://www.pentair.com ) is a Minnesota-based manufacturer whose
core businesses compete in tools, water technologies, and enclosures markets.
The company employs 12,000 people in more than 50 locations around the world.
Any statements made about the company's anticipated financial results are
forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties such as
continued economic growth; foreign currency effects; retail and industrial
demand; product introductions; and pricing and other competitive pressures.
Forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date hereof and
the company undertakes no obligation to update publicly such statements to
reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Actual results could differ
materially from anticipated results.
CONTACT: Mark Cain of Pentair, +1-763-656-5278
SOURCE Pentair
-0- 08/06/2003
/CONTACT: Mark Cain of Pentair, +1-763-656-5278/
/Web site: http://www.pentair.com /
(PNR)
CO: Pentair
ST: Minnesota
IN: MAC PAP
SU: PER
JR-AB
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2922 08/06/2003 13:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com