New GM for Lewmar US

by Media Services on 12 Jun 2009 John Harsh has been named General Manager of Lewmar Inc., the US subsidiary of the international marine equipment supplier. John will take responsibility for the management and operations of the US sales office and Navtec, Lewmar's rigging division.

An experienced manufacturing operations executive, John joins Lewmar from United Abrasives/SAIT (Willimantic CT), where he held the position of Vice President (VP) of North American Manufacturing and Distribution.

Prior to this post he was with screwdriver hand tool manufacturer Pratt-Read Corporation, based in Bridgeport, CT. from 1992 until 2008; where he worked in a variety of roles from VP sales and marketing through to VP operations and finally Chief Operating Officer.

Based in Lewmar's Guilford, Connecticut office, John will be responsible for managing Lewmar Inc. and Navtec in manufacturing and product development. He will replace Greg Smith who has left the company.

John holds an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. He also has APICS certification in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).

John resides on a small farm in coastal Stonington, CT with his wife Vera and teenage son Peter.

Lewmar, the world's premier leisure marine equipment supplier, designs, manufactures and distributes products including: anchors, winch, windlass, hatch, hardware, rigging, steering, and thrusters. The company is the most recognized name in recreational boating deck equipment.

In 2006, its OneTouch winch handle won the top DAME award, the most globally competitive prize for marine equipment, at the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam. Manufacturing is located in the U.K. and the U.S. Sales and assembly offices are located in the U.K., and the U.S. Lewmar sells through a worldwide network of agents and distributors.

More at www.lewmar.com