Jim Jeffiers and Chris Gumas to Lead PTDA in 2026

The 2026 Board of Directors and Manufacturer Council of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) have officially begun their leadership terms. Jim Jeffiers, Vice President, Applied Industrial Technologies, steps into the role of president of the association. Jeffiers has been an active PTDA volunteer for many years, including six years of service on the PTDA Board. His leadership experience and deep understanding of the power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) channel position him well to guide the association through 2026. “PTDA sits at the intersection of strategy, relationships and execution for our industry,” says Jeffiers. “Guided by our new strategic plan, we’ll concentrate our efforts on strengthening the connections between distributors and manufacturers while ensuring PTDA continues to deliver insight, education and experiences that help our members lead with confidence.” Jeffiers will be joined on the 2026 PTDA Board of Directors by: Immediate Past President Bill Shepard, vice president, BDI (Cleveland, Ohio) First Vice President Tom Holtry, division vice president, conveyance solutions, Motion (Birmingham, Ala.) Second Vice President Craig Pirie, president, Daemar, Inc. (Oakville, Ontario) Treasurer Brian Nowak, president & CEO, Kurz Industrial Solutions (Neenah, Wis.) Manufacturer Council Chair, Chris Gumas, director customer experience, Ruland Manufacturing (Marlborough, Mass.) Manufacturer Council Vice Chair, Maxine Gomez, sales manager, Belden Universal (Hillside, Ill.) PTDA Foundation President, Mike McLain, vice president, Allied Bearing & Supply Inc. (New Orleans, La.) EPTDA President Henrik Walter, CEO, Nomo Group (Taby, Sweden) Directors: Craig Bobbie, president, PTM Industries Inc. (Calgary, Alberta) Nate Kinsey, account manager, Apex Industrial Automation (Romeoville, Ill.) Mike Pulley, vice president sales & operations, Bartlett Bearing Co., Inc. (Philadelphia, Penn.) Joe Savage, president, Bearing Service, Inc. (Livonia, Mich.) Anthony Smith, president, TBC, Inc. Texas Bearing Company (Amarillo, Texas) Jos Sueters, director of strategic partnerships industrial aftermarket, NTN Bearing Corp. of Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ontario) Chris Gumas, director of customer experience, Ruland Manufacturing, will serve as chair of the 2026 Manufacturer Council. Gumas has been an active PTDA volunteer and previously served as Manufacturer Council vice chair.

“The Manufacturer Council exists to make sure the manufacturer's perspective is clearly understood and meaningfully integrated into the work of the association,” says Gumas. “Our industry is at a real inflection point, with technology accelerating change across how we operate and collaborate. PTDA has always been grounded in strong relationships, and I look forward to working closely with Jim, fellow volunteers and PTDA staff to strengthen those connections and help position our members for long-term success.” Serving alongside Gumas on the Manufacturer Council are: Immediate Past Chair Sara Zimmerman, vice president, customer experience and product, Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America (Chesapeake, Va.) Vice Chair Maxine Gomez, sales manager, Belden Universal (Hillside, Ill.) Council Members: Kristian Campbell, industrial marketing product manager NA, Dayco Incorporated (Birmingham, Mich.) Ellie Girard, regional manager, LUBRIPLATE® Lubricants Company (Newark, NJ) Joe Kahn, director strategic accounts, SKF North America (Waukegan, Ill.) Chris Keyser, vice president global channel sales, ABB Motors and Mechanical Inc. (Fort Smith, Ark.) Michael Moonan, senior vice president sales, Solve Industrial Motion Group (Charlotte, NC) David Zoesch, director national accounts, Schaeffler (Fort Mill, S.C.)