Tom Votel, President & CEO of Ergodyne, Named Board Chair
Tom Votel, president & CEO of Ergodyne, was elected Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), at the group’s annual meeting in Arlington, VA, November 15, 2021. Nate Kogler, vice president, products and engineering, Bradley Corporation, was elected vice chair.
Kelly Kolb, senior business development manager, Kimberly-Clark, was elected ISEA board treasurer. Additional new board members elected include Wells Bullard, president of Bullard, and Elke Hirschman, general manager, Kishigo.
Ergodyne is a longtime active member of ISEA, and Votel joined ISEA as a Board Trustee in 2011. Since then, he has chaired the ISEA marketing committee and served as board Vice Chair for the past two years. Most recently, he led the effort to overhaul ISEA’s strategic planning process, helping to establish a four-year strategic vision to grow the association.
“I am honored to assume the role as Chair of the ISEA Board of Trustees. We’re really in a strong position, closing 2021 with a great plan, superb staff, an engaged board and growing membership,” said Votel. “In 2022, we will endeavor to continually improve and enhance our value to members and drive the noble goal of advancing standards that ensure worker safety and health.”
Tom added, “With safety in the workplace more important than ever as people get back to work following the greatest global pandemic in history, the safety equipment industry has a larger audience and heightened profile. ISEA will lead the way to ensure protecting workers remains a top priority in business, education, and government.”
Continuing members of the ISEA board are past chairman Craig Wallentine, global business development manager, DuPont Safety & Construction (Retired) (DuPont); Steve Blanco, president, MSA Americas; Ned Hickock, president, OccuNomix; Rick Sustello, vice president, Delta Plus; and Rodney Taylor, director of sales US, Watson Gloves.
About ISEA
The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) is the trade association for personal protective equipment and technologies. Its member companies, united in the goal of protecting the health and safety of workers worldwide, are global leaders in the design, manufacture, testing, and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE), which protects more than 111 million workers across the U.S. Since 1933, ISEA has been a recognized leader in the development of ANSI-accredited safety equipment standards, in the United States and around the world. ISEA works with Congress and government agencies to consult with policymakers whose decisions affect the industry.
Nationwide, the safety equipment industry supports 345,001 total jobs and generates more than $71.6 billion in economic activity. In 2020, the safety equipment industry paid $5 billion in federal taxes and nearly $4 billion in state taxes, for a total tax generation of $9 billion. For more information visit safetyequipment.org.
