MILWAUKEE, March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) has named James F. Stern as executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary, effective June 1.
Stern replaces W. David Romoser who announced his intention to retire after more than 15 years with the Milwaukee-based manufacturer of water heating equipment and electric motors.
“Dave Romoser has served our senior leadership team and the A. O. Smith Board of Directors well during his 15 years with the company,” Paul W. Jones, chairman and chief executive officer, said in making the announcement. “A. O. Smith has undergone a significant transformation in terms of its size and scope of business since Dave joined the company, and we have valued his sound judgment and counsel during this period of rapid expansion.”
“In addition, I am pleased that Dave has agreed to make himself available after retirement to handle special assignments as needed,” Jones said.
In his new position, Stern will be responsible for overseeing the corporation’s legal function and will participate as a member of the company’s senior leadership team.
“Jim Stern brings extensive legal and business background to A. O. Smith,” Jones pointed out. “His experience in counseling companies of all sizes in many different industries will be of tremendous value to our company.”
Stern joins the company after 15 years with Foley & Lardner LLP of Milwaukee where he was a partner, providing legal services and advice for a wide range of public and private companies. His practice focused on acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and other business combinations; in addition, he provided outside counsel on general legal matters.
As a member of Foley & Lardner, he was named to the Best Lawyers in America 2007 (R) list in the field of mergers and acquisitions law.
Prior to joining Foley & Lardner, Stern was an associate with Latham & Watkins LLP of Chicago, Ill., from 1989 until 1992. He also served as a law clerk under Pasco M. Bowman, II, senior judge for the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Kansas City, Mo.
Stern received his bachelor’s degree in 1985 from the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind., and earned his law degree in 1988 from the Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago.
He serves on the board of the Fleck Foundation, a Milwaukee-based charitable organization that focuses on inner city schools and transitional housing, and the Jesuit Partnership Council, a fund-raising organization for the Wisconsin Province of the Jesuits.
A. O. Smith Corporation, with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis., is a diversified manufacturer serving customers worldwide. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of residential and commercial water heating equipment, offering a comprehensive line featuring the best-known brands in the industry. It is also one of North America’s largest manufacturers of electric motors, with an extensive line of hermetic, fractional horsepower, and integral horsepower motors for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. A. O. Smith employs approximately 18,000 people at facilities in the United States, Mexico, China, Canada, and Europe.
