WASHINGTON — Members of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), during the association’s Executive Summit in Washington, DC this week, elected Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply (Phoenix, AZ) president and CEO Douglas York as Chairman of the NAW Board of Directors.
York succeeds George Pattee, Chairman of the Board of Parksite Inc., headquartered in Batavia, IL. Pattee will remain active on the NAW Board as Immediate Past Chairman.
Says York of his new post, “I am honored to serve as the 2020 Chairman of NAW. After receiving the benefits of NAW membership for more than 45 years, it’s my time to give back to the organization that has helped Ewing, the largest family-owned supplier of landscape and irrigation products in the country, to grow and achieve its goals. Our team has benefited greatly from the networking and benchmarking opportunities, educational events, best practice thought leadership, and business services that NAW offers. I’ve also developed wonderful business connections with other distributors through NAW. I am eager to work with this association and our members in 2020 and contributing to NAW’s ongoing important work for our industry.”
Douglas York, President and CEO of Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply (right), receives the chairman’s gavel from NAW 2019 Board Chairman George Pattee, Chairman of the Board of Parksite Inc., to become NAW 2020 Chairman of the Board.NAW
Ewing is also a member of the Irrigation Association, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, National Association of Landscape Professionals and other state and local landscape associations.
The following wholesale distribution industry leaders also were elected as NAW Officers for 2020:
Chairman-Elect:
- Michael Medart - President and CEO of Medart Engine & Marine (St. Louis, MO). Medart Engine & Marine is also a member of the National Marine Distributors Association and the Outdoor Power Equipment & Engine Service Association Inc.
First Vice Chairman:
- Jeff McLendon - President and CEO of U.S. Lumber (Duluth, GA). U.S. Lumber is also a member of the North American Wholesale Lumber Association Inc. and the World Millwork Alliance.
Second Vice Chairman:
- Michael DeCata - President and CEO Lawson Products, Inc. (Chicago, IL). Lawson Products, Inc. is also a member of the Industrial Supply Association and the International Sanitary Supply Association and was No. 31 on Industrial Distribution's 2019 Big 50 List.
Secretary:
- Larry Stoddard - President and CEO of Reladyne LLC (Cincinnati, OH).
- Dirk Van Dongen - President and CEO of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (Washington, DC)
Completing the NAW 2020 Board of Directors are:
- Treasurer and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Budget and Finance, Joseph Nettemeyer, who is President and CEO of Valin Corporation (No. 45 on ID's Big 50 List), headquartered in San Jose, CA;
- Chairman of the NAW Association Executives Council (AEC), Rick Long of the Petroleum Equipment Institute;
- Chairman-Elect of the AEC, Kenyon Gleason of the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers; and
- Past Chairman of the AEC, Ralph Suppa of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating
NAW comprises individual wholesale distribution firms and a federation of national, regional, state, and local associations and their members, which collectively total more than 30,000 companies. NAW represents the nearly $6.0-trillion merchant wholesale distribution industry, which moves to market virtually every kind of product in the U.S. economy and employs 5.9 million people.
