Industrial distributor Kimball Midwest, Columbus, Ohio, has promoted veteran marketing leader Todd Karas to chief marketing officer.

Karas joined Kimball Midwest in 2019 after more than a decade in sales and marketing at Cardinal Health, where he finished as director of marketing for an industry-leading product portfolio with more than $300 million in annual revenue.

He spent his first year with Kimball Midwest learning about the company’s customers and markets while building relationships with the sales management team. This included time selling to customers to gain firsthand knowledge about the company’s programs as well as rotating through many departments to build connections and in-depth understanding.

“Learning the Kimball Midwest culture, our two-customer philosophy and gaining an understanding of our strategic vision have all been important factors for me to understand as we move towards building a world-class sales and marketing organization, so I am grateful for the onboarding I have received,” Karas said. “I have always been inspired by Kimball Midwest’s growth over the years. The future is bright for this company, and it’s an honor to be part of it!”

Karas is a 2003 graduate of the University of Dayton with a double major in entrepreneurship and finance. He will report to Vice President of Sales Patrick McCurdy and manage marketing services, digital marketing and customer development.

“We look forward to the value Todd and the marketing team will continue to add to our strategic goals and corporate vision to remain family owned and operated and double sales every five years,” said President and CEO Pat McCurdy.