SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Effective March 1, the Alliance is making strategic organizational and functional changes in its San Antonio, Texas, and Little Rock, Ark., facilities.

Dan Rader is being promoted to vice president, category management. In this new position, he will report directly to John Washbish, Alliance president and CEO.
 
“Dan joined the Alliance three years ago. He hit the ground running and has performed outstandingly as our senior product director,” said Washbish. “We saw an opportunity to better match our organization to current and next-generation marketplace dynamics. Category management is big and getting bigger in the aftermarket. Combining the Alliance Technology Suite with his experience and abilities, Dan is taking a very scientific approach to it.”
 
Wayne Butts, with a new title of vice president, product management & vendor channel partner relations, will retain his present duties in channel partner relations and all headquarters-managed product lines. In addition, he will assume responsibility for product management at Alliance Parts Warehouse in Little Rock, Ark.
 
"APW now stocks more than 70 lines. That’s a lot of parts, a lot of vendor channel partners and a lot of work,” said Washbish. “We feel that consolidating all product management and trading partner relations under Wayne will be a good thing for our vendor channel partners and for us. Up to now, the product management role at APW has been handled by Dean Toole, APW vice president/general manager.  Over the past seven years, Dean has put together a great team at APW and the business is extremely successful by any measure.”
 
“This new structure,” said Toole, "will give me more time to continue development of APW’s organization and operations as well as what I like best: sales and new business development.”
 
Sources at the Alliance say these changes will enhance efficiencies with channel partners both up and down the supply chain. According to Rader, it will further align resources between headquarters and shareholders for more focus on customers.  
 
Butts agreed, “With the APW business where it is now and heading north quickly, it makes great sense to fold those product activities into ours here at headquarters, particularly since I’m dealing with most of our APW vendor channel partners already.”