AWS Appoints Two New Vice Presidents

Bill Fudale leads a global expansion strategy by overseeing sales operations, including show sales, advertising sales and international business development. Dennis Harwig oversees the technical and education services departments.

The American Welding Society (AWS; Miami, FL), the world’s largest organization dedicated to advancing the science, technology and application of welding, has announced the appointments of William “Bill” Fudale as vice president of sales and marketing and Dennis D. Harwig as vice president of technology and business development.

In his role, Fudale will lead AWS’s global expansion strategy by overseeing sales operations, including show sales, advertising sales and international business development. In addition, Fudale also oversees operations of AWS marketing and communications.

Fudale comes to AWS from Magswitch, a leading manufacturer of magnetic switching technology used in welding and fabrication, lifting and automation, where he served as president and global sales and marketing director. He holds a B.A. in business administration from Ohio State University.

Dennis Harwig joins the AWS team as vice president of technology and business development where he oversees AWS’s technical and education services departments. Before coming to AWS, Harwig worked for the Edison Welding Institute for more than five years most currently serving as director for center development and the Navy Joining Center, a US Navy ManTech Center of Excellence.

Harwig also has direct welding industry experience. He started his welding career at R.G. Drage Career Technical Center in Massillon, Ohio as a high school vocational student and worked several years as a welder to pay his way through college.

Harwig gained experience as a welding engineer at General Electric, Babcock & Wilcox and EWI. He also served as vice president of global product engineering for Thermadyne Industries (now Victor Technologies) before returning to EWI. He holds a B.S. and M.S. degree in welding engineering from The Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in welding engineering technology from Cranfield University.

AWS was founded in 1919 as a multifaceted, nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes including brazing, soldering, and thermal spraying. Headquartered in Miami and led by a volunteer organization of officers and directors, AWS serves nearly 70,000 members worldwide and is composed of 22 Districts with 250 Sections and student chapters. www.aws.org