Fred Daniels has been appointed the new CEO of Virginia Abrasives Corp. An Economics and Business graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Daniels began his career at what was then known as Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. During his 23 years at HERC, he held a wide range of roles in sales, management and IT before becoming Eastern Region vice president. In 2012, he joined Ames Taping Tools as president and CEO. Daniels and his team at Ames significantly expanded the business and successfully completed the sale of the company in 2017. He is a Six Sigma Greenbelt and has extensive training in LEAN operations and in integrating acquisitions.
"Virginia Abrasives has a wonderful reputation in the industry and we have a strong team of experienced professionals in place,” he said. “I am extremely excited to join the team as the CEO. Leading teams to achieve great results is my passion in business. I see a tremendous opportunity for growth, and I cannot wait to get started."
Daniels will be based at Virginia Abrasives’ world headquarters in Petersburg, Va.
One of only five companies that makes sandpaper in the United States, Virginia Abrasives carries a vast assortment of cutting, finishing, surface preparation and floor care products and solutions. This includes diamond abrasives for concrete and asphalt cutting and surface preparation, bonded abrasives, concrete power trowel blades, floor grinder tooling and polishing pads. Private-label abrasives are a growing part of the company’s product offerings as well, letting companies market their brands on the consumable products sold in their business.
Virginia Abrasives Corp. manufactures and distributes abrasives products for the wood flooring and concrete preparation business. The company’s product offerings include sandpaper, diamond and bonded abrasives and non-woven abrasives. The company sells its manufactured products under both the VAC brand and under private label for its larger customers. www.virginiaabrasives.com.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.