Kirker Automotive Finishes announced that Gerald “Jerry” Elsing has joined the company as national sales manager.
In this newly created role, Jerry will be responsible for the company’s sales functions. He will continue to grow existing sales channels and develop new distribution to enable refinish shops, custom painters and other qualified users to access Kirker’s automotive refinish products more easily. Elsing will oversee technical training and serve on the company’s cross-functional product development team, while also contributing to its industry marketing and technical support efforts.
“This appointment comes at an exciting time for Kirker. With record sales, we continue to prove there is a market for affordable quality. Now, with Jerry leading the charge to take our products to the street, we expect even bigger things for our brand,” said Bruce Sklak, president of Kirker Automotive Finishes and its parent company Coventry Coatings Corporation.
Elsing comes to Kirker Automotive Finishes with nearly 30 years of industry experience. After starting his career in a body shop, he moved on to paint sales, and then owned his own auto paint and supplies business. He spent the next 13 years in various roles with Spies Hecker, including seven as National Technical Manager. In that role, Elsing was instrumental in introducing the brand and developing distribution throughout North America. Most recently, he spent four years leading Technical Services for one of the nation’s leading jobbers, with a chain of more than 30 store locations.
“Jerry brings a unique combination of sales savvy and technical acumen that makes him doubly effective and the perfect fit for this new role, said Matt Panuska, vice president of sales and marketing. “He understands the shop’s needs, the jobber’s challenges and the warehouse’s concerns. At the same time, he knows exactly what it takes as a manufacturer to answer those needs, overcome those challenges and satisfy those concerns to ensure buy-in at every level, from production to the point of use.”
Based at the company’s headquarters in Newburgh, New York, Elsing will report to Panuska.
Elsing resides in Montville, New Jersey, with his wife and two children.
More information:
• Kirker Automotive Finishes
