Content about president and chief operating officer

Paint manufacturer Valspar Corp. has appointed John Ballbach, its former president and chief operating officer, to the company’s board of directors. The 52-year-old executive will serve on the board’s nominating and governance and audit committees. 

Milwaukee-based A. O. Smith Corp. has named Ajita Rajendra president and chief operating officer, effective Sept 1.

Rajendra will be responsible for A. O. Smith’s water heater operations in North America, China, Europe and India, as well as the company’s water purification business in China. The $1.5 billion business has 17 manufacturing plants around the world and employs approximately 10,000 people.

If you follow Lowe’s as an investor, a supplier or a competitor, you’re familiar with Larry Stone and his role at the nation’s second largest home center chain. He’s the man who runs the stores, and it’s his North Carolinian accent that — for the past 10 years, at least — has grown almost inseparable from the company’s image.


Orchard Supply Hardware has named retail veteran Mark Baker as its new president and CEO. Baker will replace Robert Lynch, who left last December to take a job as president and chief operating officer at Lumber Liquidators.

Hardwood flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators has announced the appointment of Robert Lynch as president and chief operating officer. He will oversee the company's merchandising, supply chain and store operations, including the respective senior VPs of these areas. Lynch, who starts his new position on Jan. 17, 2011, will report directly to CEO Jeffrey Griffiths.