The recently-elected 2024 Board of Directors and Manufacturer Council of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) begin their leadership terms.

Brian Nowak, President & CEO of Kurz Industrial Solutions (Neenah, WI) assumes the leadership of the association as President. He began volunteering for PTDA in 2015, serving on the Education & Training Committee. Since then, he has joined various committees and task forces and has been a member of the Board since 2020. 

“I look forward to leading PTDA in continuing conversations addressing the changing needs of our membership,” Nowak in a Jan. 10 news release. “Following the launch of several pivotal programs in 2023, we have a great foundation on which to continue to develop and deliver essential resources to help those in our industry achieve success.”

Joining Nowak on the 2024 PTDA Board of Directors are:

• Immediate Past President Mike McLain, VP of Allied Bearing & Supply, Inc. (Harahan, LA) 
• First Vice President Bill Shepard, VP of BDI (Cleveland, OH)
• Second Vice President Jim Jeffiers, VP of Central States Area & U.S. Energy Subsidiaries, Applied Industrial Technologies (Cleveland, OH)
• Treasurer JP Bouchard, VP at General Bearing Service, Inc. (Ottawa, Ontario)
• Manufacturer Council Chair Andrew A.O. Brown, VP of Whittet-Higgins Company (Central Falls, RI)
• Manufacturer Council Vice Chair Sara Zimmerman, VP of Business Development at Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America (Chesapeake, VA)
• PTDA Foundation President Matt Pavlinsky, Director PT Products at Applied Industrial Technologies (Cleveland, OH)
• EPTDA President Luca Martelli, CEO, TRM (Bologna, Italy)

Directors:

• Jeff Cloud, President & CEO of IBT Industrial Solutions (Shawnee Mission, KS) 
• Chester Collier, SVP of Walter Surface Technologies (Pointe Claire, Quebec)
• Tom Holtry, Senior Director of Strategic Sales Support at Motion (Birmingham, AL)
• Sarah Musser, President of Barlett Bearing Co., Inc. (Philadelphia, PA)
• Craig Pirie, President of Daemar, Inc. (Oakville, Ontario, Canada)
• Joe Savage, President of Bearing Service, Inc. (Livonia, MI)

Brown became active in PTDA committees in 2009 when he joined the Electronic Transmissions Standardization Task Force. For the past 15 years, he has served on various task forces and committees. He joined the Manufacturer Council in 2017 and served as vice chair in 2023. 

“We have a tremendous group of volunteers who bring not only a wealth of knowledge and experience, but a deep desire to better our work and industry,” Brown said. “The landscape of the PT/MC industry is dynamic, and I’m excited to be around the table with forward-thinking people who are eager to bring about change when and where needed.”

Joining Brown on the Manufacturer Council is:

• Immediate Past Chair Tammy Balogh, Chief People Officer of Flexco (Downers Grove, IL)
• Manufacturer Council Vice Chair Sara Zimmerman, VP of Business Development at Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America (Chesapeake, VA)

Council Members:

• George Basel, Director of Marketing & Product Management, U.S. at Tsubaki Power Transmission LLC (Wheeling, IL)
• Kristian Campbell, Industrial Sales Manager NA at Dayco Products (Roseville, MI) 
• Maxine Gomez, Sales Manager at Belden Universal (Hillside, IL)
• Chris Gumas, Director of Marketing at Ruland Manufacturing Co. (Marlborough, MA)
• Chris Keyser, VP of Channel & Segment Sales at ABB Motors and Mechanical Inc. (Fort Smith, AR)
• Michael Moonan, SVP of Sales at Solve Industrial Motion Group (Charlotte, NC)
• Paul Phillips, President of Maxi-Lift, Inc. (Addison, TX)

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) is a global association for the industrial power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distribution channel. Headquartered in Chicago, PTDA represents power transmission/motion control distribution firms that generate more than $19 billion in sales and span over 2,500 locations. PTDA members also include manufacturers that supply the PT/MC industry.