Walt Rodgers Joins RelaDyne Leadership Team as Vice President of Human Resources

CINCINNATI, Jan. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Walt Rodgers has been named Vice President of Human Resources at RelaDyne, Inc., the equipment reliability management company formed last fall to deliver broad-based lubrication products and services throughout the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions.  

Located at the company's headquarters here, he will be responsible for all human resources activities, most notably leading the company's efforts to instill a common culture throughout the organization, launched when four of the leading equipment lubrication and service companies in the United States joined together in November 2010.  Rodgers also will be in charge of recruiting and hiring, employee benefit programs, payroll, training and other related functions for the company that employs approximately 285 people.

Rodgers said he is especially excited about the opportunity to manage the entire human resources function at a new company with so much potential.  "Two of the greatest strengths of RelaDyne are its talented leadership team and the dedicated, knowledgeable employees already on the job, committed to customer service and the company's success," Rodgers said.  "The sky's the limit in terms of what we can accomplish together in the key markets we serve today and through future growth."

Rodgers is working as part of the management team to efficiently serve RelaDyne's three core markets: industrial, commercial and automotives.

"We're very pleased to have Walt on-board, with his deep experience in operations and managing the human side of a successful business," said RelaDyne CEO Larry Stoddard.  "He will play a key role in the integration of the four organizations during the coming months and lead the efforts to cultivate our workforce and provide our current and future employees with the best training possible to differentiate ourselves in the industry."

Prior to joining RelaDyne, Rodgers spent nearly 27 years with Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., Newport News, Va., one of the nation's leading plumbing; pipes, valves and fittings; and building supplies wholesale distributors .  During this time, he rose through the ranks of the organization, assuming a variety of management positions with ever-increasing responsibilities.  Most recently, he was Manager of Talent Development, a position he held since 2007.  In this role, Rodgers was responsible for aligning, creating and implementing key training strategies and curriculum to optimize the effectiveness of all field and management personnel, as well as grow associate retention.  Prior to that position, he was Director of Ferguson's HVAC Business Group from 2002-2007, where he directed all activities of the $1 billion division of the company.

Other positions Rodgers held at Ferguson included Manager of Branch Operations, Southern Region, from 1998-2002; Branch General Manager, in Boston from 1995-98; Manager, Plumb Source Division, in Columbus, Ohio from 1991-95; Operations Manager, in Orlando from 1989-91; and Sales Executive, from 1987-89.  He began his career at Ferguson as an Executive Trainee in Orlando, during 1984.  Rodgers received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from Wake Forest University, as well as completed separate condensed M.B.A. and M.B.A./Executive Education programs at the University of North Carolina and University of Virginia, respectively.

Rodgers is a native of South Carolina.

About RelaDyne

RelaDyne, Inc., headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, provides integrated equipment reliability management products and services for industrial, commercial, transportation and automotive businesses in the United States. Four industry leaders – Mid-Town Petroleum, Inc. (Bridgeview, Ill.), Oil Distributing Company (Cincinnati, Ohio), The Hurt Company, Inc. (Houston, Texas) and Pumpelly Oil Company LLC (Sulphur, La.) – joined to form RelaDyne on Nov. 9, 2010. Its innovative Field Reliability Management (FRM) platform of services is designed to enhance the operations of companies involved in process manufacturing, utilities, food and beverage processing, mining equipment and commercial fleets. The company also benefits from an exclusive relationship with Mansfield Oil as well as the support of its business-building partner, Kidd & Company, and AEA Investors LP, which manages funds worth approximately $5 billion of invested and committed capital. For more information, visit www.RelaDyne.com.

SOURCE RelaDyne, Inc.