Former mining CEO gets sunny board post

SARASOTA — David Grzelak, former CEO of Komatsu America Corp., the U.S. unit of the $2 billion global construction equipment and mining giant, has been named to the board of directors at valve manufacturer Sun Hydraulics.

Sarasota-based Sun designs and makes high performance screw-in hydraulic cartridge valves and manifolds for industrial markets worldwide. The company had $227.67 million in sales in 2014.

“We are delighted to have David Grzelak join Sun's board of directors,” Sun Chairman Philippe Lemaitre says in a statement. “He has a demonstrated record of accomplishments with two major international manufacturing and distribution companies. His experience is well-aligned with our hydraulics and system control business, and he will contribute to Sun's future growth.”

Grzelak, who joined Komatsu in 1991 as a vice president of sales, was named chairman and CEO of Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Komatsu America in 2002. He retired from that post June 30, 2013 and has since been an executive mining advisor for Komatsu's Ltd.'s global mining division in Tokyo, according to the statement. Grzelak also previously worked for GE, in manufacturing, management and sales roles.

Grzelak has been on the board of agricultural equipment firm Alamo Group since 2006.