SOURCE: Newell Rubbermaid Inc.
Newell Rubbermaid Announces New Organization Structure to Manage American Tool
FREEPORT, Ill., May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following last week's closing of its acquisition of American Tool Companies, Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE: NWL - news) today announced a new organizational structure to manage the business. American Tool is a global leader in hand tools and power tool accessories with 2001 revenue of $444 million.
The company said it is creating two new operating divisions -- North American hand tools and North American power tool accessories -- to focus on American Tool's two business segments in the U.S. and Canada, and creating a focused sales division to support both groups. Jon D. Chamberlain was named president of the hand tools division and David G. Walsh was appointed president of power tool accessories. Todd M. Pope was named president of the American Tool sales division serving North America.
Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Walsh and Mr. Pope will report directly to James J. Roberts, group president of the company's Levolor/Hardware Group, into which the American Tool business will be merged. The Levolor/Hardware Group accounted for $1.4 billion in sales in 2001.
Mr. Chamberlain, age 40, joins the company from Danaher Corporation, a leading manufacturer of tools, where he rose through a series of increasingly senior posts in Danaher's hand tool group and most recently served as a vice president of marketing. Prior to joining Danaher in 1996, Mr. Chamberlain held a series of increasingly senior marketing and sales positions at Black & Decker and Kimberly-Clark and is highly regarded for his product development skills.
Newell Rubbermaid's BernzOmatic business will also be integrated into American Tool's hand tools division, managed by Mr. Chamberlain.
Mr. Walsh, age 36, joined Newell Rubbermaid in April 2001 and most recently served as president of the company's BernzOmatic division. Earlier, he was vice president of corporate purchasing, a position in which he led the company's global sourcing strategy. He previously served as vice president and general manager for The Stanley Works, where he was responsible for new businesses, and earlier held management positions in Black & Decker's power tool accessories business.
Mr. Pope, age 36, joined Newell Rubbermaid in February 2001 and most recently served as vice president of sales for the company's Levolor Kirsch window fashions division. Earlier, he held management posts at Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific Corporation. He assumes responsibility for American Tool's sales efforts in the industrial, construction, automotive, hardware and mass retail channels in the U.S. and Canada. He will also work closely with Newell Rubbermaid's existing corporate sales divisions for The Home Depot, Lowe's and Wal-Mart, which are important channels for the American Tool product line.
Newell Rubbermaid also said it has appointed Karl F. Kahofer as president of American Tool and Home Decor for Europe and Asia, with day-to-day management responsibility for American Tool's business across the division's key European and Asian markets in addition to Newell Window Fashions and Hardware, Europe. American Tool has European manufacturing and distribution facilities in the U.K., Denmark, Portugal and the Netherlands, and Far East operations in Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.
Mr. Kahofer, age 40, joined Newell Rubbermaid in September 2001 and most recently served as president of the company's European window fashions business, for which he established a regional operating structure and a key account sales strategy targeting the continent's major retailers. Earlier, Mr. Kahofer was executive vice president of worldwide retail and construction for Tyrolit/Swarovski Abrasives, a global manufacturer of bonded abrasives, and also held management positions with Black & Decker and CPC/Best Foods.
Newell Rubbermaid also said that Getulio Carlotto would continue in his role as American Tool's managing director for Latin America, where the division has manufacturing and distribution facilities in Mexico and Brazil, and will report directly to Mr. Roberts.
"The organizational structure and the management team we've put in place represent a very solid foundation for American Tool as we pursue global leadership in the hand tool and power tool accessories businesses," said Mr. Roberts, who gained extensive experience in these categories during a 19-year tenure at Black & Decker and more recently at The Stanley Works. "We see significant growth opportunity in these businesses and we're fortunate to have assembled a management team with such deep experience in these product categories."
Separately, Newell Rubbermaid said that Allen Petersen, the former majority owner and chief executive of American Tool, would serve the corporation over the next year as a strategic consultant. In this role, he will work closely with and report directly to Joseph Galli, Jr., Newell Rubbermaid's chief executive officer.
American Tool's product portfolio includes branded hand tools such as Vise-Grip® pliers, Quick-Grip® hand clamps, Record® vises, Straight- Line(TM) marking tools and Prosnip® snips, in addition to power tool accessories such as Irwin® and Speedbor® wood boring bits, Hanson® drill bits, Marathon(TM) saw blades, Joran® masonry drill bits and Unibit(TM) step drills.
Newell Rubbermaid Inc. is a global marketer of consumer products with 2001 sales of nearly $7 billion and a powerful brand family including Sharpie®, Paper Mate®, Parker®, Waterman®, Rubbermaid®, Blue Ice®, Calphalon®, Little Tikes®, Graco®/Century®, Levolor®, Kirsch®, Shur-Line®, and Eldon®. The company is headquartered in Freeport, Illinois and employs 49,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.newellco.com .
SOURCE: Newell Rubbermaid Inc.
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