Industry roundup: partnerships, mergers, etc. – 2008-07-24

News from WaterFurnace Renewable Energy, Hubbell Lighting, Emerson Climate Technologies, Johnson Controls, Lenox, TAC, and ABB Ltd.

By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff July 24, 2008

WFI Industries changed its name to WaterFurnace Renewable Energy Inc . The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based company will retain the Toronto Stock Exchange Symbol WFI. The company’s CUSIP number has been changed to 9415EQ 10 8. In addition, Cleantech Group LLC selected the company to join the Cleantech Index of public companies, effective June 30. The index is the first and only equity index to offer investors and index licensees an easy, liquid, and cost-effective way to invest in the broad cleantech category. There are now 76 companies in the Cleantech Index. Richard P. Abernethy has been named vice president, Life Safety Brand Management at Hubbell Lighting Inc ., Greenville, S.C. Abernethy comes to the company from Dialight Corp. and brings more than 27 years of experience in the lighting industry. Emerson Climate Technologies , St. Louis, a business of Emerson, appointed Don Newlon to vice president, air conditioning marketing for Emerson Climate Technologies Asia. Newlon most recently served as Emerson’s program leader for the company’s global transportation business. The company also named Dave Boezi vice president of business development for Emerson Climate Technologies. Johnson Controls Inc ., Milwaukee, and DeKalb Technical College in Clarkston, Ga., have teamed to attract and groom future generations of service technicians through the CareerConnect program. Johnson Controls will donate resources and tools to select partnering schools to simulate the work environment. The company’s contributions to DeKalb Technical College include learning materials, instructions from industry experts, faculty development opportunities, and community relations outreach. Students enrolled at DeKalb’s Air Conditioning, Commercial Refrigeration diploma program and Associate of Applied Science degree program also are eligible for the Johnson Controls Future Hires program. In addition, Johnson Controls will supply 18 York-branded YK-K7 water-cooled centrifugal chillers to the Bahrain Bay project in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Lenox , East Longmeadow, Mass., named David Pirkle president of industrial products and services. Pirkle most recently served as president of the company’s Amerock business. TAC relocated its offices in the Raleigh, N.C., area to the Perimeter Park business area in Morrisville. As a regional branch for TAC, the office employs 160 people and serves a variety of office, industrial, biotech, healthcare, and educational customers in central North Carolina. The new office is located at 2600 Perimeter Park Dr., Suite 150, Morrisville, N.C.

ABB Ltd., Zurich, Switzerland, appointed Joseph M. Hogan chief executive officer of the ABB Group. Hogan comes to the company as CEO of GE Healthcare. He is scheduled to join ABB Sept. 1.