Craig Wire Products LLC has named Hank Pennington as CEO. He previously was an operating partner at Salt Creek Capital, where he worked with lower-middle-market businesses, and an executive partner at Frontenac’s CEO1ST investment platform. Based in Douglasville, Georgia, Craig Wire Products is a manufacturer of copper and aluminum shaped magnet wire.
Marlin Steel Wire Products LLC, based in Baltimore, named Virginia Chilcoat senior quality manager. She has years of quality management experience in the manufacturing sector with extensive expertise in ISO 9001 quality systems, inspection, statistics, and continuous improvement. The company also announced the hiring of 10 employees at the Franklin Display Group (FDG) in Belvidere, Illinois, which it recently acquired. Its two plants in Belvidere make point-of-purchase retail displays and fixtures. Marlin Steel manufactures custom-engineered steel-wire and sheet-metal products, including material-handling baskets, wire forms, racks and enclosures.
Brian Lamar has been appointed executive vice president of sales and marketing for Remee Wire & Cable. A wire and cable industry professional for nearly 30 years and a U.S. Navy veteran, he began his career at Belden before holding executive positions, including director of sales, at General Cable. Lamar later spent more than 12 years with Anixter/Wesco, where he held several vice president positions supporting the broadcast and audiovisual market. Based in Florida, New York, Remee manufactures electronic and electrical wire and cable products.
Todd Budisak has joined Beta Steel LLC in new business development. He most recently was a sales representative for Kreher Steel Co. LLC, where he spent more than 10 years. Earlier, he held outside-sales positions at Republic Steel and worked in sales roles for Kreher Steel and Industrial Steel & Wire Co. Based in Detroit, Michigan, Beta Steel distributes and processes carbon- and alloy-grade CHQ and IQ wire and rod products.
Peter Zut has been named president of iNOEX LLC, succeeding Adam M. Grier, who had led the company’s U.S. operation for the past eight years. Zut most recently served as vice president of extrusion sales and service at KraussMaffei Corp. Grier has been named president of sister company iDOO USA LLC, CiTEX Holding GmbH’s Industrial Intelligence business, and will also join iNOEX’s board of directors. Based in Melle, Germany, iNOEX develops measurement and process-control systems for plastic extrusion applications in the pipe, profile, cable and film markets.
Pentre Group has appointed Duncan Grosvenor and Kevin Diskin to jointly lead the business, succeeding Richard Johnstone, managing director, and Julie Meal, accounts director, who are retiring. Grosvenor, the commercial and finance director, has held similar roles at engineering and manufacturing businesses including AEV and Byotrol. Diskin joins as operations director from Röchling Industrial, where he was UK operations director. Jeremy Carr has been appointed chairman. Based in Greater Manchester, UK, Pentre manufactures drums, reels and spools for the wire, cable, fiber-optic, rope and offshore industries.
Obituary
James Marr: WAI president’s legacy spanned decades
James L. Marr, who died August 2026 at age 88, played a key role in the Association’s development, including—but extending well beyond—his 1990–91 term as president of the Association. He brought a strong, forward-thinking business approach to the organization and helped guide efforts to make it a truly international entity.
A January 1991 Wire Journal International interview with Marr by Assistant Editor Joseph Offredi provides a sense of the man, why he joined the Association in 1971, why he served on so many committees—Finance, Suppliers Management, the Interwire Negotiating Committee and Membership—and why he was held in such high regard. He also won the 1993 Donnellan Memorial Award for his WAI support.
Marr, then president of the Chemical Specialties Division of Atochem Corp.—where he worked for more than 30 years before retiring as general manager of the Wire Mill Products Department—explained that a firm business approach was essential. WAI needed to further develop Interwire, launched in 1981, because it was crucial to financial stability, but its technical mission also had to remain a priority.
Marr observed in the interview that potential event sponsors had to believe that there was value in doing so. \“I don’t know anybody who wants to give money into a black hole.\” The exhibits mattered as they brought the industry together, but they could not be the total focus. He spoke of the need to provide continuing education at Interwire as well as at seminars and workshops. \“There are people in the U.S. who will never get to a seminar … who would benefit from continuing education videos. I feel that we should produce this product … because it is necessary and needed.\” That concept remains relevant to WAI today.
Marr also was a statesman for WAI’s international development, a calming presence as it sought to be known abroad for more than just Interwire. One of Marr’s longtime close friends was Ferruccio Bellina, president of ACIMAF, the Italian Wire Machinery Manufacturers Association. WAI and ACIMAF have long collaborated, including on biennial international technical conferences that continue to be held.
“Jim was always so passionate about his work, ” Bellina said. “Even in retirement, he followed every new technological development and innovation closely, and he loved sharing and discussing them with me so generously. One of my many precious memories of him is how strongly he supported the WAI, serving as a great president and how essential he was in creating the close bond and partnership between WAI and ACIMAF. Jim was a genuinely honest and loyal person, and we shared a true friendship for over 30 years. Losing him leaves a big void in my heart.”
WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll first met Marr through another longtime WAI volunteer, Sandy May. Fetteroll recalled Marr as a committed Association leader whose support, enthusiasm and steady counsel benefited WAI over many years, including during his service on the Board of Directors and as Association president.
“On behalf of the entire WAI team, I extend my deepest condolences to Jim’s wife, Judy; his daughter, Susan Leandri; his son, Dr. Brian Marr; and the entire Marr family,” Fetteroll said. During a visit last year to Dog & Ram Spirits, the Marr family’s boutique farm distillery, founded and owned by Brian and supported by Susan, he had the opportunity to spend time with Jim and Judy. “It was clear how proud they were of their family. Jim’s dedication to WAI and the many friendships he formed through the Association will long be remembered.”
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