The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), the authority on the residential kitchen and bath marketplace and owners of the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS), has announced the 2022 NKBA Board of Directors. The newly elected NKBA Board Chair is Basil E. Larkin, Vice President of Sales at Hestan Commercial Corp. He succeeds Michael Mahan, Senior Vice President of Home and Distribution, North America, Schneider Electric.
"I am so honored to be named Chair of the Board of Directors of the NKBA for 2022. The relationships I have formed and insight I have gained since I have joined the board have been invaluable to me,” said Larkin. “This is an incredibly exciting time for the design community, and the enthusiasm is infectious. Research indicates more homeowners are turning to professionals for their projects, after the challenges in 2020. The NKBA and its members persevered through incredibly difficult times and continue to lead the industry. I look forward to serving our members and community, alongside my valued fellow board members."
Randy Warner, Vice President of Sales, Signature Kitchen Suite and LG Builder, has been elected Vice Chair. Returning board member, Kristen Elder, Vice President of Residential Builder & Showrooms, Ferguson Enterprises, will assume the position of NKBA Board Secretary/Treasurer.
Mahan and Allison Lowrie, Chief Marketing Officer, Vacasa, and a former NKBA Board Chair, have completed their four-year terms and will depart the board at the close of 2021.
New 2022 board members and filling the two vacancies left by Mahan and Lowrie, are Ken Roberts, President of Delta Faucet Company, and Ken Williams, President of Caesarstone North America. Both have been elected to serve four-year terms.
“We are very grateful to our board members, who volunteer their energy, effort and time — especially as they adapt to their own market challenges and changing conditions,” said Bill Darcy, NKBA CEO. “Their dedication to the association, commitment to the industry and perspective they bring from different sectors of the business is invaluable. As we continue to refine the strategic path for our Association's growth and evolution, this board will bring critical insights and experience forward.”
Below is the complete list of the 2022 NKBA Board Members, who will officially take their positions January 1, 2022.
2022 NKBA BOARD OFFICERS
Basil E. Larkin, Chair
Vice President of Sales, Hestan Commercial Corp., Anaheim, CA
As Vice President of Sales, Larkin is responsible for all sales at Hestan, a manufacturer of premium commercial restaurant equipment and residential indoor/outdoor appliances. Larkin, who has been in the appliance business for most of his career, has held key roles in sales leadership, marketing and product development. Before joining Hestan, he was General Manager at BSH Home Appliances, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Lynx Professional Grills and Vice President of Sales at Viking Range Corporation. Larkin holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts and is a member of the Society of Fellows at the Culinary Institute of America.
Randy Warner, Vice Chair
Vice President of Sales, Signature Kitchen Suite and LG Builder, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Warner leads the sales teams for both Signature Kitchen Suite, LG’s luxury kitchen appliance division, and LG Builder. Previously, he was Vice President of Sales for the Luxury Division of Samsung where he successfully integrated the Dacor brand into the parent company. An Ohio native with three decades of experience in appliances, Warner began his career at Maytag where he worked for 15 years in sales and sales management roles in the U.S. He then joined Electrolux where he launched and oversaw the West Coast Builder Division as well as managed the National Buying Groups. Afterwards, he was named President of Distribution of the West and Southwest for Sub-Zero, overseeing sales, marketing, operations and customer service. Warner holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of South Florida.
Kristen Elder, Secretary/Treasurer
Vice President of Residential Builder & Showrooms at Ferguson Enterprises, Newport News, VA
In her role at Ferguson, Elder is responsible for showroom and builder strategy and execution. An accomplished consumer product sales and marketing leader, she joined Ferguson in 2019 as Senior Director of Appliance Business Development. Elder has worked closely with the business groups, sourcing, category management, marketing and the branch network to boost sales and profitability of Ferguson’s appliance business. Before joining Ferguson, she spent 20 years in the retail industry at well-known brands such as Sony Electronics, Circuit City and Monark Premium Appliance Company.
2022 NKBA BOARD MEMBERS
Jan Neiges, CMKBD
Principal of Jan Neiges, Highlands Ranch, CO
Neiges is an award-winning kitchen designer and past President of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the NKBA. With 40 years of sales and 20 years of design experience, she is a frequent guest lecturer at colleges, home shows and at NKBA’s Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS). Neiges also advises kitchen and bath designers on their marketing and selling skills, helping to shorten the lead-to-sale cycle, improve the closing ratio and earn design fees before they design.
Jan Heck
President & CEO, Miele USA, Princeton, NJ
Named President and CEO of Miele USA in 2016, Heck oversees all operations of the company’s consumer and professional use appliance and floor care products, including the ten U.S. Miele Experience Centers. Heck started his career at Bizerba, a weighing and food processing equipment manufacturer. He joined Miele in Ontario where he became President of the Miele Ltd. Canadian subsidiary in 1999. Heck, who has been active in numerous professional organizations, was a board member of St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto where he orchestrated a $100 million fundraising campaign. Heck holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from IHK in Reutlingen, Germany.
Mikael Åkerberg
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, nobilia North America, Miami, FL
Åkerberg, who has been CEO of nobilia North America since 2017, has over 20 years of experience as an international executive supplying products and services to the construction and remodeling market. At nobilia, he has focused on building sales and expanding logistics to fulfill the demands of the retail and wholesale markets as well as the construction industry in multiple countries. Prior to joining nobilia, Europe’s leading Kitchen manufacturer based in Gutersloh, Germany, Åkerberg held executive positions at Saint-Gobain S.A. and Jeld-Wen Inc. Åkerberg earned his MBA at IHM Business School in Sweden.
Louis M. Rohl
Chair and Founder, The House of ROHL, Irvine, CA
In his current position, Rohl serves as The House of ROHL’s strategic thought leader in the U.S. and is responsible for relationships with key vendors and customers. Rohl started his career nearly four decades ago, working at St. Charles Kitchens in St. Charles, IL., and at KWC Faucets in Switzerland before becoming a founding member of ROHL. He is an industry partner at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), an Interior Design Continuing Education Credited (IDCEC) Instructor, and a member of the executive coaching organization, Vistage International. Rohl is a graduate of Western Illinois University and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business executive leadership training program.
Ken Roberts
President, Delta Faucet Company, Indianapolis, IN
Promoted to President in 2018, Roberts has been with Delta Faucet Company for 22 years. Prior to his current position, he had been President of Masco Canada. Known for his ability to build teams and manage complexity, Roberts has held a variety of leadership positions at Delta Faucet Company in sales, international business development, manufacturing, engineering, forecasting, purchasing and logistics. He also spent three years overseas developing Delta Faucet Company’s China operations. Roberts holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Engineering Management from Northwestern University.
Ken Williams
President, Caesarstone North America, Charlotte, NC
Williams, who joined Caesarstone in 2016, specializes in building strong teams with core values of high performance, people, innovation, customer focus and credibility. Previously, he held various senior executive level positions, including Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing in a number of Masco Corporation divisions and general management roles at Fortune Brands, Redhill Company Ltd. and Thorn Stevenson Kellogg Management Consultants. Williams holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Trent University in Ontario, Canada.
