People and Positions March 2016

has announced that Rick Romney has joined the firm as regional sales manager based out of Sacramento CA and responsible for 13 Western states. He comes to Curry with 25 years of sales-related experience in the construction, mining, forestry, and truck equipment industries.

COMPONENT MANUFACTURERS

Fontaine Connection Group, the parent company of Fontaine Fifth Wheel, Fontaine Parts Connection, Fontaine Coupling Solutions, and Fontaine Fifth Wheel Europe, has named Manikkam “Madhu” Madheswaran director of advanced product development. With more than 25 years of experience in the heavy commercial vehicle industry, he previously was Navistar’s heavy truck platform chief engineer.

Rob Myers has joined Phillips Industries as director of sales. He has spent the past 15 years in vice-presidential roles at non-profit organizations, including his last position as executive vice-president of development for City of Hope National Medical Center.

Yokohama Corporation of North America (YCNA) announced several corporate management changes, effective March 30. Hideto Katsuragawa, a member of parent company The Yokohama Rubber Co’s (YRC) board and senior managing corporate officer, has been appointed chief executive officer of YCNA and CEO of Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. Based in Yokohama’s US headquarters in Southern California, he will succeed Takaharu Fushimi, who will return to YRC as managing corporate officer and head of tire overseas sales & marketing division. Shinichi Takimoto, a corporate officer at YRC, has been named CEO of YTC and CEO of Yokohama Tire Mexico S de RL de CV (YTMX). Takayuki Hamaya, who has been YTC’s chief operating officer since 2012, has been named president of Yokohama Russia LLC, the Russian sales subsidiary of YRC. Tetsuya Kuze, a member of the YRC board and managing corporate officer, will become a managing corporate officer with YRC and has been named vice-president of YCNA and CEO of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi LLC (YTMM). Based in Mississippi, he will succeed Tadaharu Yamamoto, who will return to YRC as newly appointed corporate officer and acting head of tire business planning division and head of tire business planning department. Satoshi Miyata will return from YRC to the United States to become executive vice-president and chief financial officer for YCNA. Naoki Takeda, who has been YTC’s EVP and CFO since 2013, will return to YRC for a leadership position to be announced later. ♦