Hose, fittings and rigging products distributor ARG Industrial — recently rebranded from Alaska Rubber Group — promoted Mike Powers to Chief Digital and Technology Officer.

Powers joins Anchorage, AK-based ARG Industrial’s executive team as its fifth member in as many years, marking a milestone in the company’s growth, company officials said in an April 29 news release.

“Mike’s addition to our executive team puts digital transformation at the core of our company and underscores our commitment to bring new technology enabled solutions to our customers,” said ARG CEO Mike Mortensen.

Powers joined ARG Industrial in March 2020 as the Director of eCommerce and Digital. In this role, he developed and implemented a fully integrated B2B eCommerce platform and led the development of digital tools for assembly-focused distributors.

“Over the last four years, I have had the opportunity to see first-hand how emerging technologies such as B2B eCommerce, artificial intelligence and data analytics, have taken hold in our organization and the overall industry, with no signs of slowing down. I am confident we are well-positioned to not only to meet the challenges of today with our existing technology stack but also anticipate and capitalize on emerging technologies and the trends of tomorrow,” Powers said.

His arrival at ARG followed a tenure at New York-based JanSan and food service distributor Hill & Markes, where he played a role in piloting its eCommerce ventures and crafting digital marketing campaigns in collaboration with suppliers.