HAWTHORNE, CA – Fulham Co., Inc. announced that Chris Veira has been promoted from Southwest Distribution Manager to Director of Sales, North American Distribution. Harold Thompson, who has been serving as Northeast OEM Manager, also has been promoted to Director of Sales, North American OEM.
The changes come following the retirement of Richard White, Vice President, U.S. Distribution Channel, and the departure of Mike Bauer, VP of Global Sales, who left for a job outside of the lighting industry. Thanks largely to a commitment to continued innovation in LED lighting, Fulham has just completed 2018 with record company revenue despite market pressures such as increased tariffs and other costs.
During his 13 year career at Fulham, White was responsible for developing business relationships with the top 10 North American electrical and industrial distributors. He also was instrumental in driving Fulham’s e-commerce initiative, including overseeing the company’s Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA) initiatives. During White’s tenure both the annual sales volume through distribution and the number of distributors associated with Fulham grew significantly.
Bauer, who was with the company for nearly five years, contributed to Fulham’s growth in the LED and emergency lighting markets, as well as structuring the global sales organization to maximize these types of product sales opportunities. Bauer, who is based in North Carolina, departed in early January for a role closer to his home.
“During my tenure at Fulham, developing bench strength in all of our departments has been a top priority for me,” said Bob Howard-Anderson, CEO of Fulham. “While Mike and Richard will be missed, we are confident that Harold and Chris will continue to drive our business. It’s never easy to see good people depart, but they left on the high note of record revenue.”
Veira has been with Fulham since 2015, helping build and support the southwestern distribution channel. In his new role he will assume responsibility for overseeing all U.S. sales distribution, including providing sales support and bringing on new distributors.
Thompson has been with Fulham since 2006, helping to expand and service the company’s OEM customers throughout the Northeast. In his new role he will assume responsibility for overseeing all North American OEM sales, including major accounts.
Howard-Anderson is acting as the interim head of Global Sales while a new leader is being recruited. Fulham was founded in 1994 so 2019 marks its 25th year in business. The company now employs more than 500 people worldwide in North America, China, India and Europe.
For more information, visit: www.fulham.com.
