Wards Marine Electric Announces Senior Leadership Change

[By: Ward Marine]

2021 marks the 70plus years of the founding of Ward’s Marine Electric (WME). The headquarters is based in Fort Lauderdale where WME has been a cornerstone of the South Florida marine industry for generations.

To continue to grow that vision, WME today announced changes to its senior leadership team. Aligned with the company’s succession plan and overall future growth strategy, these changes include:

• Kristina Hebert, the current company Chief Operating Officer, who has devoted over 25 years of tenure at the company, will now become the new President and Chief Executive Officer of WME.
• Ward Eshleman II, the current President and CEO of the company will become Chairman of the Board, continuing his 49-year leadership.
• Ward Eshleman III, the current company Chief Sales Officer, with over 28 years as well, will become WME’s new Vice President and Chief Operations Officer.
• Trudy Eshleman, the current Vice President and CFO with over 30 years, will continue her role as CFO.

Ward Eshleman Sr., the founder, was an avid pilot, and he brought the first air-dispatched technicians to the region. He was also instrumental in founding the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) as an outgrowth of his lobbying efforts with the City of Fort Lauderdale to bring electricity to city-owned docks.

Ward Eshleman II, the current President and CEO of the company, grew the company to over 50 employees and continually expanded its operating facilities. He also served on the MIASF Board of Directors in the 1980s and has been instrumental in the development of the electrical safety standards published by the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC). He is the immediate past Chair of ABYC and the current Chair of the Electrical Committee. “Learning from my father gave me the wherewithal to not only proudly follow in his footsteps but create my own vision and focus to grow our business to where it is today.” Said Ward II.

“With my husband Ward II and myself remaining officers of WME, we’ll stay the course for faster growth and ensure we can respond to the fast-changing needs of our customers and associates from around the world.” Said Trudy.

“Today’s organizational announcement is another building block in our company’s 70 plus year journey,” Kristina Hebert said.

“Our family and family of employees have been the foundation of our success.” Ward III added.

Founded in 1950, Ward’s Marine Electric is a family-owned business entering the third generation of its 70+-year history. An industry-leading marine electrical company based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the company provides dockside and shipyard service for power distribution systems on yachts of all sizes, marine electrical engineering services, panelboard and switchgear design and fabrication, and is a leading supplier of marine electrical equipment.