People – January 2008

• Biesse America appoints Alessandra Torri as North American market and sales analyst/database administrator. A native of Italy, Torri has been active in the marketing arena for more than 10 years; as part of the sales and marketing team of Biesse S.p.a. in Pesaro, Italy, she was responsible for managing and distributing information to the company’s global sales.
The Charlotte, N.C., company also appoints Fabio Cardarelli as North American service and parts manager. Cardarelli previously served as Biesse’s parts manager.
• Douglas S. Goldsmith, president/COO of Rock of Ages Corp.’s quarry division, left the Concord, N.H. quarrier/fabricator to become CFO of NRG Systems, a privately held manufacturer of wind assessment and turbine control wind-power-equipment company in Hinesburg, Vt. Donald Labonte, president/COO of Rock of Ages’ manufacturing division, will assume responsibility for both divisions.
• Bonsal American Inc. adds Art Henson as marketing coordinator, handling graphic design for all brands, including Sakrete, ProSpec and Amguard. He holds more than 14 years of marketing and advertising experience; prior to joining Charlotte, N.C.-based Bonsal, he ran his own design firm, Henson Advertising.
• Delta Diamond Tools appoints James P. Whalen as its first national sales manager, with sales/marketing responsibility for all of the tools and consumables sold by the Southfield, Mich.-based company. Whalen’s 15 years of sales experience includes the last several in the stone industry.
• Dr. Neil McMurdie joins MAPEI as director of research and development efforts for MAPEI Americas. A graduate of Yale University, with a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry, McMurdie worked at PPG Industries for 14 years before coming to Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based MAPEI Americas.
• Creative Materials Corp. names John Sesonske as supply chain manager. He’ll oversee all customer service, importation, inventory management and product sampling for more than 30 national accounts; he brings more than 15 years of experience in supply-chain-component management to the Albany, N.Y.-based nationwide distributor of architectural tile, brick, and stone.