Company: Leadership

Ed Weisiger, Jr.

Robert Russell

Robert Russell joined Carolina Tractor Carolina Tractor as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in July 2008.  Prior to joining Carolina Tractor, Robert was the CFO/Finance Director for Barloworld, a multinational dealer with U.S. operations focused on material handling and the Caterpillar dealer for South Africa, one of the largest in the world.

Robert’s 26+ years of experience started in public accounting as a Senior Auditor with Deloitte Haskins & Sells.  One of Robert’s clients at Deloitte was Wrenn Handling, a subsidiary of Barloworld, where Robert moved to as Division Controller.  Robert took on several roles with Wrenn and was serving as Vice President of Corporate Services (CFO) when Barloworld asked Robert to serve a duel role as CFO and Chief Information Officer, of its Industrial Distribution Division.

From there, Robert moved to focusing exclusively on the Finance side of the business as CFO of the Industrial Distribution Division, a global distributor of lift trucks (e.g. Hyster), and Over-the-Road Trucks (e.g. Freightliner), and Construction Machinery (e.g., Ditch Witch) and related parts/service.  The business unit Robert was responsible for had 3500 employees and $1 billion annual revenue with operations in the USA and Europe.  In his role as CFO, Robert also gained significant experience in mergers and acquisitions.

Robert has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from University North Carolina Charlotte and he is a licensed CPA.

Mike Brown

Mike Brown has worked with Caterpillar and associated Caterpillar dealers for 26 years. He joined Carolina CAT in 1994, began serving as Vice President in 2000, and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2007. In addition to his duties as a member of senior staff, he is the General Manager of the Power Systems Division. Those responsibilities include overseeing the daily operations of Personnel, Operations, Development, Strategic Planning and Financial Management for both the Commercial and Truck departments. 

Mike has had extensive experience with sales operations, sales management, rental operations, project management, service department management, parts operations and accounting. He graduated in 1978 with a B.S. in Business, and completed management programs from the Bell Institute for Leadership, Olan Hendrix School of Management, and the Sloan School of Management at MIT. Mike also holds a Dale Carnegie Certificate in Sales Management. Additionally, he completed courses in accounting and project management from the association of San Diego and Santa Clara Community College; studies also included courses in construction law and construction law for sub-contractors.

Bill Ryan

Bill Ryan came to Carolina Tractor in March of 2005 as the VP and General Manager of LiftOne. He is a New Englander whose extensive experience in the material handling industry spans over 27 years. He received his BA from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire and then immediately moved to Philadelphia, PA, beginning his career in this industry. To learn the basics of Customer Service and fundamentals of the business, he worked in many different capacities. This diverse experience in all facets of the industry served him well as he moved into management positions, finally becoming the General Manager of several retail factory-owned dealerships. Bill was promoted into various corporate positions for that same manufacturer in both domestic and international capacities - including global Product Manager, Area Manager and Dealer Development.

Reed Owsley

Reed Owsley joined Carolina Tractor as Vice President, General Manager of Pinnacle Cranes in 2001.  Reed is responsible for managing all areas of the Pinnacle Crane division of Carolina Tractor.  During his 37 years of experience with crane distribution, he acquired a wealth of knowledge of all aspects of the industry. Reed is an alumni of North Carolina State University with a BA in History. He has participated as a member of the Association of Equipment Distributors and the Specialized Carriers and Riggers Association. 

Tom Bell

Tom Bell joined Carolina Tractor as Vice President, Human Resources Director in May 2006. In his role, Tom is responsible for managing all areas of the Human Resources function for over 900 employees. He and his team are in the process of implementing several human resource systems to support the development and needs of the employees.

Kristin Parker

Kristin Parker joined Carolina Tractor in 1994 and has contributed to the company's success in several divisions including Truck Engine, CAT Rental Store, Parts and Six Sigma. Kristin was named Vice President - Product Support in January 2007, with responsibilities that include Corporate Parts (CAT, LiftOne, Pinnacle and Allied), Construction Service and Customer Support Sales. Kristin is an alumni of Western Carolina University, where she graduated with honors: a BSBA in Computer Information Systems (Cum Laude) and a Masters in Business Administration (Magna Cum Laude). Her interests include running and working with several volunteer organizations including Junior Achievement, Relay for Life and Tour for Tots.

Ed Emery

Ed Emery started with Carolina Tractor in 1996. He has held various positions in the company including Accounting Manager, Hydraulic Operations Manager, Construction Equipment Division Controller and Marketing Manager. He was named Vice President - Marketing & Machine Inventory Management in 2007. His current responsibilities include overseeing the company’s marketing activities as well as the Construction Equipment Divisions Rental Operations and Machine Inventory. He holds a BS and a Masters Degree from Utah State University. Ed is a mentor and Junior Achievement Teacher at Blythe Elementary School.