Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> April 14, 2002
KENNETH W. SMITH joined CIRCOR International, Inc. as Vice
President, CFO and Treasurer in April 2000. He came to CIRCOR
with over 20 years of extensive international finance and
operations experience. His most recent position, prior to
joining CIRCOR, was Vice President of Finance at North Safety
Products, a division of Invensys. North Safety Products is a
multi-national manufacturer and distributor of industrial safety
products. During his three years, he was instrumental in
facilitating the sale of North Safety to Norcross Safety
Products. From 1986 to 1996, he held a number of senior financial
positions for Digital Equipment Corporation. His roles included
serving Digital's Personal Computer Business, including managing
director of its Japan unit. In addition, Mr. Smith was finance
chief to several major manufacturing and sales and service
business units. Mr. Smith had also been a Certified Public
Accountant with Ernst & Young from 1976 to 1986. Profile
DAVID A. BLOSS, SR., assumed his present position as Chairman, President
and Chief Executive Officer of CIRCOR International, Inc. in August
1999. He joined Watts Industries as Executive Vice President in June
1993 and served as President and Chief Operating Officer from April 1997
until CIRCOR was spun off from Watts in October 1999. In his more than
five years with Watts, he managed the various valve companies acquired
by Watts Industries, played a key role in the acquisitions themselves,
and developed Watts' business expansion strategy in Asia. Prior to
joining Watts, Mr. Bloss was associated for five years with the Norton
Company, a manufacturer of abrasives and cutting tools. There, he was
President of the Superabrasives Division, with responsibility for 11
manufacturing plants, 1,500 employees, and sales in Japan, North America
and Europe. Prior to Norton, he was with Cooper Industries in Houston as
Director, Corporate Planning and Development, overseeing $2 billion-plus
of acquisitions. Profile
CIRCOR International?
Mr. Bloss: CIRCOR is actually a relatively new company. It was spun out
from Watts Industries in
