The Wire Association International is seeking presentations for its return to the Georgia World Congress Center in 2025 for both Interwire as well as what will be the fourth staging of the Global Continuous Casting Forum (GCCF) to be held May 12-15, 2025.

Interwire is held every other year whereas the GCCF was on a four-year schedule (2011, 2015 and 2019) prior to Covid. Presenters are needed for both events.

Chris Tucker, Encore Wire, will head the GCCF organizing committee. He will be joined by Richard Baker, Cableforce Consulting; Kurt Breischaft, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS; John Hugens, Hugens Metallurgy & Combustion; Martin Lecours, Rio Tinto; Giuseppe Marcantoni, Properzi International; Juan Sanchez, Freeport McMoran; Janusz Sekunda, Prysmian; Patrick Slaughter, Southwire; Robert White, Hazelett; and Florin Teglas, Nexans.

Suggested topics for the 2025 event include: casting technologies, electrical energy, global copper and aluminum markets, cost-saving opportunities, filtration concepts, molten metal, combustion systems, furnaces, degassing, metal flow, refractories, aluminum and copper alloys and sustainability. The submission date is Oct. 2, and questions can be sent to WAI’s John Markowski at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Presentations for Interwire are also being sought. The organizing team is being led by Conference Co-Chairmen WAI President Daniel Blais and Eric Biebrerich. Preferred topics for Interwire will include topics that address key industry needs. Future articles will address the specific topics. At this point, companies are welcome to suggest presentations for the committee to consider. Those also can be sent to WAI’s John Markowski at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Wire Association International will once again partner with two other industry associations—IWMA and ACIMAF—to hold Wire & Cable Krakow. The one day event will be held on Oct. 14, 2025, at the Holiday Inn Krakow City Centre.

In addition to the three industry associations, Wire & Cable Krakow has the support of the University of Science and Technology (AGH) and Czestochowa Technical University (CTU).

The Conference Committee includes Don Neville, RichardsApex Europe, Ltd., IWMA; Ferrucio Bellina, TKT Group, ACIMAF; Eric Bieberich, Fort Wayne Wire Die; Jessica Bennett, IWMA; Dr. Beata Smyrak, Prof. Tadeusz Knych; both of AGH University, Poland Chapter; and Steve Fetteroll, WAI.

While planning for the event continues, the format will be similar to that for Wire & Cable Milan in 2023, which got very good reviews. Wire & Cable Krakow will have an electrical and a nonferrous track, each with up to 12 slots that will last 20 minutes. Look for more information to follow in future issues.

Encore Wire reported four key positions. Kyle Carter was named a regional vice president of sales. He started as an intern in the sales department in 2009 and was promoted to director of sales in 2019. He holds a B.S. degree in business management and marketing from Oklahoma State University. Dustin Logston was named a regional vice president of sales. He joined Encore Wire in 2009 as an account manager and has served as director of sales since 2016. He holds a B.S. degree in business administration and economics from Austin College. Chris Tucker has been promoted to vice president of non-ferrous metals. He started with the company as a process engineer in 2012 and served as assistant rod mill manager, rod facility manager and, before his promotion, as director of non-ferrous metals. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Tyler. Mike Kammerdiener has been promoted to vice president of engineering. He spent time in three different industries—chemicals, aerospace and demolition—before joining the company in 2012 as an engineering director. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Based in McKinney, Texas, Encore Wire is one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of copper and aluminum electrical building wire for residential, commercial and industrial use.

 David Skinner was named vice president of operations for Joe Tools. He has 39 years of experience in wire and cable manufacturing, including 34 years with Southwire Company and five years with Honeywell Genesis Cable, starting out as a machine operator and rising to strategic positions such as operations manager, site leader and his most recent post, vice president of industrial manufacturing for Southwire Company. Based in metropolitan Atlanta, Joe Tools is a complete design and manufacturing resource for premium quality extrusion products that include innovative and industry standard crossheads, tips, dies, breaker plates and all accessories.

 Paula Butkevich has joined Hueson Wire & Cable as director of sales and business development. She most recently worked for Proterial Cable America (formerly Hitachi Cable America), where she was senior vice president of sales and business development. While there, she held P&L responsibility for a $50 million + revenue global business unit, restructured the Sales organization, and drove the overall sales strategy for Proterial’s medical vertical. She holds a B.S. degree in human resources management and services from Western Connecticut State University. Based in South Grafton, Massachusetts, Hueson Wire & Cable manufactures custom wire and cable for sectors that include agricultural, industrial automation, lighting and robotics. 

Sjogren Industries reported three recent personnel changes, one of which was the naming of Udo Plocher as the company’s CEO. He has more than 30 years of experience, gathered in various countries and industries. His areas of expertise include industrial engineering, business development, employee development, as well as lean organization and quality management in regulated environments. David Roberge is the new business development manager. He has more than a decade of experience in marketing and growth leadership in B2B manufacturing, driving personal and professional development for teams and revenues in varying industries. Michael Elwell is a sales applications specialist at Sjogren Industries. He has more than 19 years of experience in the wire and cable industry, with past employers including Hueson Wire, EIS Wire and Cable and Quabbin Wire & Cable. Based in Worcester, Massachusetts, Sjogren Industries designs and manufactures customized solutions for the wire industry tooling trade.

Eric Peeters has joined Bekaert as Division CEO Construction Decarbonization and as a member of the Bekaert Group Executive. He has 32 years of experience in the field of advanced materials, working at Dow Corning and Dow, serving in a range of general management and executive leadership roles. He most recently had been vice president for sustainability, coatings & performance materials at Dow. He holds an M.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Leuven. Based in Zwevegem, Belgium, N.V. Bekaert S.A. is a global company whose primary business is steel wire transformation and coatings.

Northern Cables Inc. named Mike Christiansen as the company’s new Western Canada Territory manager. He has more than 30 years of industry experience, including service as vice-president of sales at Lapp Canada, national sales and product manager for wire and cable at Graybar Canada as well as a 5-year stint at Anixter. Based in Brockville, Ontario, Canada, Northern Cables Inc., specializes in manufacturing armored cable for industrial and commercial markets.

Obituary
Gianpietro Benedetti, a developer of Danieli plant-making and steelmaking business who was known for more than 60 years for his “endless” passion for work and innovation, died April 28 at the age of 81.
Benedetti’s ideas led to more than many 80 patents, the most notable of which is perhaps the endless casting and rolling process. that revolutionized long and flat steel production worldwide, in the most effective, competitive, green way. His career started under the Danieli flag in 1961 as a designer in the technical office for long product rolling mills, continued as a project engineer, and then a plant start-up engineer. He became manager of the rolling mill process and roll pass design offices in 1968 and director of R&D in 1976. He became sales director in 1982 and was appointed Danieli Group managing director in 1986. Four years later he ascended to Group president and CEO. From October 2003 he drove the company as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Danieli Group and, from 2017, also as chairman of the Executive Board. Benedetti also was a member of the Board of Directors of Acciaierie Bertoli Safau SpA, a mining and metals company owned by Danieli, since 1994.
Backed by an extraordinary vision, Benedetti impressed his ideas upon the Group and the industry, which led to an ongoing transformation process, establishing a path for continuous growth. Benedetti received honorary degrees from three different universities in mechanical engineering, in management engineering, and international business between 2010 and 2018. Benedetti’s passion for art and sense of social responsibility led to several significant restoration projects across the Danieli homeland. With strong beliefs towards the regional education system, he launched and developed several scholarship and international university programs, including Danieli’s educational projects. In June 2006, the National Order of Chivalry made Gianpietro Benedetti a knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In 2018, in recognition of his leadership in steelmaking technology and plant building, he received the Tadeusz Sendzimir Memorial Medal from the AIST Association, USA.

Ray Bibisi, COO of RF Industries (RFI), has been given the additional title of company president. He will lead RFI’s sales, product management, and engineering teams across all business units. The strategic move was made to further integrate those functions to creating a more cohesive and efficient organizational structure to pursue significant market opportunities. Prior to joining RF Industries, he served for more than 30 years at Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), holding concurrent roles of vice president of sales and general manager of North America. He was also a member of the Global Governing Executive Committee. Based in San Diego, California, RF Industries, Ltd., is a national manufacturer and marketer of interconnect products and systems, with additional operations in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey.

 OmniCable recently reported multiple personnel changes. Christopher Breslin will become CEO of Omni Cable LLC, effective May 13, 2024, succeeding interim CEO Jeff Siegfried, the company’s co-founder, who will remain as vice chairman. He has more than 28 years of global distribution experience in both the electronics and electrical industries. Most recently, he was president of Farnell Electronics, and prior to that he spent five years as COO of Crescent Electric Supply Company. Georgia Sipsis has been promoted from territory sales manager to national sales manager. She joined the company in 2022 and has over 20 years of experience in the Canadian electrical industry, including more than 16 years at Prysmian. Jim Walsh has been promoted from Toronto account manager to Toronto sales manager. He has more than 40 years of experience in the electrical industry. Named senior director of strategic accounts – broadband were Ray Hunt, who has more than 23 years of experience, and Kimberly Cruz who has more than 27 years of experience. Named outside sales managers were Josh East, who has nearly 10 years of experience, and Ed Chavez, who has more than 26 years of experience. Part of Dot Family Holdings (DFH), which acquired the business in 2019, OmniCable is a redistributor that sells wire, cable, fiber and other communications and electrical products exclusively to distributors.

 Daniel Fletcher has joined Winchester Interconnect as CEO. He has more than 20 years of executive experience developing, growing and manufacturing products for the automotive, industrial and commercial transportation, and aerospace and defense markets. He most recently served for more than two years as president - specialty materials, for Allegheny Technologies Incorporated, and prior to that worked for more than 17 years for TE Connectivity, where he held a range of manager/director positions. The last two were vice president & general manager aerospace & defense business unit-interconnective and senior director & general manager aerospace & defense business unit - integrated systems. Based in Norwalk, Connecticut, Winchester Interconnect is a U.S.-based manufacturer of high-precision connectors, cable assemblies and cable.

 Fluoropolymer Resources LLC has named Josh Rosenboom as the company’s new sales manager in the Americas. He joins the fluoropolymer industry after spending the past five years as an area sales manager at Avient Corporation, a multinational plastics compounder. Prior to his role at Avient, he held a variety of sales and leadership positions within the plastics industry, and his focus will include promoting solutions for a circular economy. A division of Prime Materials Recovery, Inc., that is based in North Windham, Connecticut, Fluoropolymer Resources supplies fluoropolymers for applications that include wire and cable.

Southwire has promoted Winn Wise to executive vice president and chief commercial officer, tasked with leading commercial activities for the company and driving continuous improvement of customer experience. Upon graduating from Auburn University in 1986, he joined Southwire as an industrial engineer in the company’s utility products plant and later moved into account management, where he gained experience within sales and marketing. Since that time, he has served in leadership roles within Southwire’s OEM, industrial, commercial and residential businesses. He most recently served as senior vice president of Southwire’s infrastructure business. Southwire’s Electrical Distribution, National Accounts and Strategic Channels, Specialty Distribution, Retail and Canadian teams will continue to report to Wise. As part of the transition, Aaron Asher will assume the title of senior vice president, customer experience, and will report to Wise. Asher joined Southwire in 2006 as a distribution center manager and held a series of positions that most recently included senior vice president, distribution, transportation & manufacturing. Also, Juan Hernandez has been named senior vice president of infrastructure. In this role, he will focus on the residential and commercial solutions sold through electrical distribution, retail and specialty channels throughout North America. He joined the company in 2000 as a plant manager in Mexico and held a series of positions with the company prior to this latest assignment. Based in Carrollton, Georgia, Southwire Company is one of the world’s largest wire and cable manufacturers. 

The Ohio Valley Chapter (OVC) will hold its annual golf outing on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at Kensington Golf Club in Canfield, Ohio.

The OVC will once again couple the golf outing with an educational seminar, where guest speakers speak on current topics and trends in the manufacturing industry. The combination has proved to be quite popular, as golfers have their day, but the educational program offers another dimension.

The scheduled speakers are Dave Brambert of Fifth Wire Manufacturing, and Tim Moury and Marco Degasperi of Vericheck.

Dave Brambert has B2B communications experience dating back to the early 1980s, with deep roots in technology in the markets of networking, web infrastructure, software, machine vision, and machine tools. His experience in the machine tool market dates to 2003. For five years he owned and operated the technology integration company Gilbert Information Systems, doing network integration, web development and hosting, and network equipment testing. During his three-decade B2B media career, he launched and acquired brands and repositioned titles to better fit their home markets. With Fifth Wave Manufacturing, he brings to bear all of his technology and manufacturing background, combined with B2B product development and management.

Verichek Technical Services, Inc., is dedicated to serving the analytical needs of the metals industry by supplying metal analyzing spectrometers and servicing the equipment throughout the United States and Canada.

Be on the lookout for more information soon, for what is sure to be an equally fun and educational day for the Ohio Valley Chapter.

3 other chapter golf tourneys will soon follow, so plan accordingly

The New England Chapter has a firm date for its annual golf tournament (Sept. 9), but you can expect to see other dates posted soon for the Midwest and Southeast chapters.

The collective chapter golf tournaments bring together professionals from the wire and cable industry for a day of camaraderie and sportsmanship. Beyond the obvious attraction of golfing, the events serve as an excellent platform to build new connections, exchange knowledge, and strengthen existing relationships within the industry. Register online for tournament, sponsorship, and dinner-only participation: wai.configio.com.

In related chapter news, the New England Chapter has a firm date for its annual golf tournament (Sept. 9), but you can expect to see other dates posted soon for the Midwest and Southeast chapters.

The collective chapter golf tournaments bring together professionals from the wire and cable industry for a day of camaraderie and sportsmanship. Beyond the obvious attraction of golfing, the events serve as an excellent platform to build new connections, exchange knowledge, and strengthen existing relationships within the industry. Register online for tournament, sponsorship, and dinner-only participation: wai.configio.com.

For more details, contact WAI Member Services Manager Corey Flynn at tel. 203-453-2777, ext. 128, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..