Turtle appoints co-CEOs
As part of ambitious plans for transformational growth in its second century of innovation, the board of directors of Turtle, a large independent electrical and industrial distributor, announced November 1 that Executive Chairman of the Board Jayne Millard and fourth-generation family leader, Luis Valls, president of Turtle’s electrical division, will head the company as co-CEOs.
With a core mission of accelerating the transition to clean, sustainable energy — Rethinking Energy and Advancing Tomorrow — together they bring a unique perspective and diversity of thought combining Millard’s strategic vision and Valls’ industry-leading engineering expertise.
In keeping with a multi-year succession management plan, Kathleen Shanahan, who served as CEO, will assume a senior advisory role continuing her legacy of remarkable leadership, the company said in a press release.Turtle sustains its decades-long certification as a WBE.
“This succession plan involved the board of directors, Kathleen and Luis,” Millard said. “I want to pay tribute to Kathleen whose extraordinary guidance has left an indelible mark on Turtle and prepared us for this exciting next stage in Turtle’s trajectory. I also congratulate Luis, who has been a beacon of leadership as the President of the Electrical Division since 2018, consistently fulfilling our customers’ mission-critical needs with innovation and enhanced sustainability.
“Luis and I will jointly drive our company brand value of ‘Radical Collaboration’ and invite members of our community of customers, suppliers, partners and others who share our passion for uncovering actionable energy solutions to join us in transforming the electrical and power ecosystem," she continued. "Toward this most profound challenge of our time, I am eager to take an active leadership role as co-CEO while maintaining strategic leadership as executive chair of the Turtle board.”
As a 30-year industry veteran with over 20 years at Turtle, Valls brings to the co-CEO role his respected experience in engineering customer solutions that achieve energy efficiencies and enhance the lives of the people and communities they touch. His resume includes high profile projects such as the World Trade Center Reconstruction, NYU Langone Medical Center, and Hudson Yards.
“There has never been a more exciting time for our industry to enable public and private sector leaders to design and accelerate their electrification strategies,” Valls said.
As a senior advisor, Shanahan will focus her strategic business and government policy experience on Turtle’s Government Relations & Public Affairs, touching the company’s significant national, state and municipal projects.
“We are grateful to have Kathleen’s exceptional expertise in her new role, which leverages her many accomplishments that include successfully leading the company during the pandemic, driving top line business development, and expanding our market presence with ESG and our broader sustainability goals among many powerful customer-focused initiatives,” said Millard.
“It is my honor to work with this exemplary family company whose core values and respect for our generations of employees continue to fuel innovation and growth,” Shanahan said.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The March/April issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Joyce Lansdale and Vallen. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and David Kahle, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
