People in the News

Uponor North America (Uponor) was recently named a 2022 Minnesota Manufacturer of the Year honoree in the Large Company category by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal (MSPBJ). The honor marks the first time Uponor has been named a top manufacturer by the MSPBJ, with a previous honor in their Manufacturing Sustainability category in 2020. This is the fifth year the publication has recognized organizations that are driving Minnesota’s economy, while also growing their companies.

The MSPBJ also selected Jennifer Hauschildt, chief human resources officer, Uponor Group, as an Emerging Leader honoree in the Twin Cities. Her contributions in developing the company’s People First strategic initiative, including the Flexible First working model, was a key driver in this recognition.

As part of the Manufacturer of the Year – Large Company honor, the MSPBJ recognized Jon Sillerud, vice president, Operations, Uponor North America, for his leadership during the pandemic and ability to pivot production capabilities during global supply chain challenges. Sillerud has overseen double-digit growth at Uponor, doubled production staff in the past six years, and was responsible for overseeing the company’s 12^th and 13^th expansions in North America since 1990. In 2021 alone, Uponor broke ground on more than 83,000 square feet of expanded production space at its Hutchinson and Lakeville, Minn., facilities.

“To have our leaders and company recognized as a Minnesota Manufacturer of the Year is a humbling honor. The manufacturing landscape across Minnesota yields so much incredible global innovation, and to know we are recognized as one of the top companies in the state is a direct reflection of the contribution of our employees here at Uponor,” noted John Reutter, interim president and vice president, Finance, Uponor North America.

The MSPBJ will be featuring Uponor, along with all of its honorees, in a July article. For details about all the honorees, refer to this MSPBJ announcement.

Danfoss VP Sales America Rick Sporrer to assume the role on July 1 following transition period 

John Galyen, president of Danfoss North America since 2011, has announced his retirement from Danfoss later this summer. Rick Sporrer, VP Sales America for Danfoss Power Solutions, has been appointed to succeed Galyen. Over the next several months, Galyen and Sporrer will work together to ensure a successful transition, with Sporrer fully assuming the role on July 1.

Galyen joined Danfoss in 2001 and held various management-level positions prior to his appointment to his current role. During his 21+ year career with Danfoss, he has been very instrumental in leading the company’s continued regional growth in North America – from $100 million in annual sales to $3 billion – and made significant contributions to the success of the business.

With more than 40 years of overall industry experience, Galyen has been active in leadership capacities of various industry associations. In 2020, he was chairman of the Board of Directors of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and he holds a seat on the Board of Governors at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). In addition, he has been an active thought leader and speaker on various influential panels addressing efficiency and sustainability topics.

“The past 21 years at Danfoss have been the most rewarding of my career,” said Galyen. “I’m proud of the strides we have made in growing our business and footprint in North America, which is now Danfoss’ largest region, and I’m especially proud of the industry leadership position we’ve taken – together with our customers – to meet the changing market requirements. Rick is well-positioned to help Danfoss North America continue its growth journey and innovation in sustainable solutions.”

Sporrer brings more than 30 years of customer and regional expertise and leadership to his new role. Prior to his current role, he was director Global Sales – Motors Business Unit. His strong leadership of the sales workstream activities proved invaluable in preparing for Danfoss’ successful merger with Eaton Hydraulics last year.

“John has provided exceptional leadership to Danfoss North America for the past 15 years,” said Sporrer. “I’m looking forward to working with our business units to continue our commitment to innovation and customer service as we engineer solutions for a more sustainable world.”

Bradford White’s Gregory Holladay will examine how energy industry pros can use product education and mid-stream rebates to successfully position electric heat pump water heaters

Gregory Holladay, business development manager – specialty markets at Bradford White Water Heaters, is presenting a course on effectively understanding, positioning, and promoting Energy Star-rated electric heat pump water heaters at AESP’s 2022 Spring Training Event on May 16 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Holladay will lead the “Get Heat Pumped Up” session from 8:30 a.m.-noon on the event’s first day to help AESP members become effective champions of electric heat pump water heaters as the industry continues to move toward a more sustainable future. AESP’s 2022 Spring Training Event is a learning event, and attendees will have the opportunity to earn CEU credits for “Get Heat Pumped Up.”

“Electric heat pump water heaters combine tried-and-true water storage and heating technologies to provide users with a reliable, efficient unit,” Holladay said. “With an increasing priority on decarbonization, it’s critical that the good stewards of the energy industry have a deep understanding of the solutions available to contractors and homeowners. Bradford White’s portfolio of Energy Star-rated electric heat pump water heaters delivers extraordinary energy efficiency along with high-quality performance and reliability.”

Holladay will be joined by Howard Merson, Senior Fellow, Trade Ally Strategy & Management at Energy Solutions and Paul Campbell, Director Energy & Sustainability Marketing at ICF. Together, these industry experts will teach attendees to:

• Understand and demonstrate how a heat pump water heater works, saves money, and can ultimately pay for itself through rebates and gained efficiencies.
• Create and measure instant, mid-stream high-dollar rebates.
• Utilize a partnership with Energy Star to promote, educate and evaluate program success through sharing best practices.
• Create relationships with manufacturers to foster direct access to product distributors and contractors.

Partnering with AESP to share strategies for successfully positioning Energy Star electric heat pump water heaters highlights Bradford White’s commitment to not only developing and manufacturing cutting-edge solutions but offering the training and education necessary to continue the advancement of industry professionals across the nation.

Registration for “Get Heat Pumped Up” is open for AESP members and other industry professionals through May 15. Visit https://www.aesp.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1244774&group=.

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) has been named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2022. This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list can currently be viewed on Newsweek’s website.

“We are honored to receive recognition for the work we do to implement sustainable business practices not only on a global scale but at home in Fort Wayne, Indiana,” said Gregg Sengstack, Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. “Across all the communities we operate in, we are committed to expanding the availability of clean water, creating products that help with resource conservation, and addressing growing environmental safety concerns around fueling.”

Franklin Electric has made significant investments in research and development to improve the efficiency of its products and continues to deliver products such as the MagForce™ High Efficiency Motor System. Additionally, the company’s Global Product Supply team has placed a heavy focus on sustainability initiatives within Franklin Electric’s production and manufacturing facilities across select global facilities. For 2020 this included LED lighting upgrades, air quality control systems, waste stream audits, solar panel installations and UV mitigation efforts. Franklin Electric is also committed to reducing water consumption, for example, by eliminating the washing process for circuit boards in its Guadalupe, Mexico manufacturing facility, which is expected to save 5.9 million gallons of water per year.

The company is also recognized worldwide for their commitment to helping some of the most underserved communities access safe, clean drinking water. The Franklin Wells for the World Foundation (FWWF) provides safe, reliable and cost-effective water supplies to developing regions, focusing on Africa where the need is greatest. To date, the FWWF has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in over 10 countries by bringing clean water to the surface.

America’s Most Responsible Companies were selected based on publicly available key performance indicators (KPIs) derived from CSR Reports, Sustainability Reports, and Corporate Citizenship Reports as well as an independent survey. The KPIs focused on company performance in the environmental, social, and corporate governance areas, while the independent survey asked U.S. citizens about their perception of company activities related to corporate social responsibility.