The L.S. Starrett Co. named four new executives to its global organization. Roger N. Amrol, Jr. is the president and CEO. He most recently worked 12 years for the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation North America, where he was President and CEO for about five years. Prior to that, he was president for the SKIL North America brand for four years and in procurement for five years for Techtronics Industries. He holds an MBA from Averett University.  Barry D. Laughlin was named COO. He was most recently COO with Group DEKKO for nine years, and had worked prior to that with Navistar for 26 years, including as director of global manufacturing and custom products. He holds degrees in manufacturing from Kettering University and business administration from Ohio University. Allen E. Look was named Chief Information Officer (CIO). He has more than 25 years of related experience, including global CIO roles for six years at privately and publicly held companies. He holds a B.S. degree in computer information systems from Thomas College. Jon-Michael Raymond is Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). He has held sales and finance roles for over 17 years, most recently as global sales and marketing senior vice president at FyterTech Nonwovens. Other employers include Mahr, Starrett, PFERD Inc. and Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives. He holds an MBA from Assumption College. Based in Athol, Massachusetts, L.S. Starrett Co. is a global manufacturer of precision measuring tools and gauges, metrology systems.

Todd Hudson was named sales manager for North and South America for Windak Inc. He has more than 20 years of experience in the wire and cable industry, most recently with Sikora. Other former employers include Reel Power and Graham Engineering Corp. Windak Inc, is the U.S. business of Sweden’s Windak AB, which manufactures a wide range of packaging and spooling equipment.

 
Obituary

Garson R. Fields, Jr., a former president and co-owner of Berkshire Electric Cable Co., died Dec. 7, 2024, at age 75, at his residence at Lakewood, Colorado. The Springfield, Massachusetts, native graduated in 1973 from Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, and joined the company his father had founded in Leeds, Massachusetts, in 1949. From 1986-2010, Fields served as president and co-owner of Berkshire Electric Cable Co. He led the company to specialize in custom wire and cable manufacturing. He was best known for his innovative approach to cable production and his ability to adapt the company to meet evolving industry demands as well as for having a very impressive military vehicle collection.
Fields was described as a “unique and forward-thinking person, someone who was always willing to help, assist and provide guidance.” He was a 2001 recipient of the Distinguished Career Award from the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA). He sold the business to Champlain Cable in 2010 and retired. Survivors include a sister, Robin H. Fields; sons Garson R. Fields III and Converse Fields; and a granddaughter.

September and October are wending their way closer to the front of the calendar, so the goal is to be ready for that time. That means clearing your calendar as two chapter golf dates have been set.

The New England Chapter will return to the Tunxis Country Club on Sept. 8, 2025, and the Southeast Chapter will return to the Rockbarn Country Club on Oct. 16, 2025. The winning Gem Gravure Co. Inc. team of company President Paul Gemelli and National Sales Manager Derek Olson and Schleuniger USA’s Micah Durham shot 10 under par.

The WAI Southeast Chapter will hold its golf tournament on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Rock Barn Country Club and Spa in Conover, North Carolina. In 2024, the winning team of Harrison Cummings and Mark Finch, IWG-HPC; Darin Nicol, Wayne Wire Die Company; and Kelly Grigg, I.T. Consultant (SRHS), shot an unworldly 16-under-par to claim top honors in a very competitive field.

The events serve as an excellent platform to build new connections, exchange knowledge and strengthen existing relationships within the industry, as well as support the individual chapter’s college scholarship programs.

Registration for both events will be open online in June. For more information on playing or being a sponsor, contact WAI Member Services Manager Corey Flynn at 203-458-1891 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

While the exact date was not finalized by press time, FENN has offered to host the WAI’s New England Chapter for its educational meeting at the company’s site in East Berlin, Connecticut, and the chapter is looking forward to it.

The annual event will include a tour of the plant as well as a networking dinner that will include food and drink trucks coming for the celebration. Registration for the event can be done at the chapter page online at
www.wirenet.org. “This looks to be another good chapter event,” said chapter President Annaliese Sviolka, Gem Gravure. “FENN has a long history in the industry, and being able to be there is really special.”

Fenn Torin this year celebrates its 125 anniversary. FENN is a global supplier of customized metal forming machinery that includes rolling mills, wire flattening and shaping lines, Turks heads, drawbenches, swagers and spring coilers used across a wide variety of industries. Its history traces back to Jan. 15, 1900, when Wison Lee Fenn received his first purchase order. Using rented space in Hartford, Connecticut, he began to manufacture plug and ring gages, built marine engines, printing presses, special milling and drilling machines.

Led by three generations of Fenn men and over a dozen presidents throughout the years, Fenn has adapted to significant historical events and altered operations to contribute to the advancement of manufacturing. Their influence is widespread, found in your office, kitchen, car, printing, and aircraft as well as for military applications such as machine gun parts and other war materials.

Interwire, indeed, can be a rewarding experience ... that goes especially for the four attendees whose names will be pulled in this first-ever addition to Interwire.

WAI is introducing a raffle with four cash prizes totaling $10,000. This initiative emphasizes the strong exhibition and engaging educational programming taking place in the WAI Theater on the show floor. Attendees who are on-site during the drawing times will have a chance to win one of four $2,500 cash prizes.

The first drawing is set for Wednesday at 4 pm, followed by the second drawing on Thursday at noon. Winners will be drawn by WAI President Eric Bieberich and announced through the event’s mobile app/show floor speakers. To participate, attendees must have submitted their ticket from their registration packet and be on-site at the time of the drawing. This could be your most memorable Interwire ever.

The WAI’s Advanced Extrusion Workshop that will be held Wednesday, May 14, at Southwire’s campus in Carrollton, Georgia, is nearing full capacity.

There are only 50 available slots, and as of press time it appeared that it likely would close, reflecting the strong demand that exists for specialized training in wire and cable extrusion processes.

This hands-on, in-depth session builds on the basic principles from the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing extrusion session and expands into advanced techniques and optimization strategies. Co-led by Rick Chamberlin of Hawkins Consulting, LLC and David Skinner of Joe Tools, the workshop is designed to enhance operational efficiency and technical proficiency among extrusion professionals.

The course will cover topics such as material handling options, crossheads and tooling, extruder screw optimization and material balance and usage optimization.  For more details on the workshop and registration, visit interwire25.com.