Jim Holbrook joined Schaumburg, Ill.-based ACS Group as president. Holbrook previously worked at Emerson Electric Co., with the last 11 years in division president roles for the controls and motor businesses of Emerson. ACS Group manufactures and distributes temperature control systems and products under the brand names AEC, Sterling Products Inc., Cumberland Engineering, Colortronic North America, ACS Group Walton/Stout, Wabash, Carver and Economizer.

Peter Armbrusterwas appointed national sales manager for Conair, Cranberry Township, Pa., with responsibility for all sales regions and local independent sales agents in the United States and Canada. Stephen Petrakis, vice president of sales, will continue to work with the sales team and representatives on a strategic level.

The Eclipse foundation has made a donation to the Frank Lloyd Wright Laurent House Foundation. The donation will be used to help preserve the unique treasure for Rockford, Ill., where the combustion company is headquartered. The property will become a museum, allowing the public to experience the one-of-a-kind architecture.

The Laurent House Foundation will preserve the Laurent House and tell the story of the house, its original owners Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent, and their unique relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright. The world-famous American architect designed the home, and it is the only building ever designed by Wright for a person with a disability. The Laurents lived in the home from 1952 until early 2012.

The home will open as a museum in 2013.

Gefran Inc., Winchester, Mass., a manufacturer of power controls and temperature control products for the process industries, added several new members to its team. John Rylands was named business development manager, power control products, for North America, and will be responsible for strategic planning, marketing and sales. Matt Overhulse was named the Great Lakes regional sales manager for industrial sensor and automation products. His territory includes Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and western New York. Also, Mick White was named Southeast regional sales manager for industrial sensor and automation products. His territory includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.

Xylem’s Paul Ruzicka, chief mechanical engineer, and James Roberts, chief product engineer, were honored by the Hydraulic Institute, Parsippany, N.J., for their technical leadership and contributions in the creation of new ANSI/HI standards for pumps. Ruzicka, an active HI committee chair, has been an active member of the institute for 21 years and was recognized for his work on two standards. Roberts was also honored by the HI for his contributions to three standards committees. He has participated in more than a dozen HI committees in his 18 years of membership.

Xylem Inc., Morton Grove, Ill., a global water technology provider, recognizes the value of ANSI/HI standards and encourages staff to participate on HI committees.

North Brunswick N.J.-based Heraeus Sensor Technology USA — the U.S. sales, technical support and distribution operation for the platinum RTD temperature sensor line manufactured by Heraeus Sensor Technology GmbH, Hanau, Germany — appointed Douglas Joy general manager. He succeeds Dave Molnar, who will retire at the end of the year.

Toronto-based Winters Instruments will mark 60 years of business in 2013. The Canadian company has been manufacturing temperature and pressure instrumentation since 1953. The past 60 years has seen Winters expand operations, and the company currently has sales and service facilities in Toronto, Calgary, Buffalo, Houston, Buenos Aires and Shanghai.

Gulf Coast Environmental Systems LLC, Willis, Texas, appointed Jay Swoboda vice president of operations. Gulf Coast specializes in air pollution control equipment, industrial ovens and engineering services.

Centerline (Windsor) Ltd., Windsor, Ontario, added Greg Van Dyke to its sales team as an account manager specializing in resistance welding consumables and automation component products.

Hydraulic Institute, Parsippany, N.J., recognized and honored David McKinstry, senior vice president of engineering and special projects at Colfax Fluid Handling as its Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The award was presented to McKinstry during HI’s annual meeting in Fort Myers, Fla. According to HI, McKinstry has spent more than 25 years working with the institute, striving to develop standards, establish effective processes and educate the pump community.

 Phoseon Technology, Hillsboro, Ore., introduced water-cooled lamps with 4 W/cm² peak irradiance at 365 nm wavelength for adhesives and coatings. The new products expand the water-cooled FireLine and StarFire Max product families.