Craig Ruppert, founder and chief executive of Ruppert Companies, was recently among the 2021 Laureate class inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame by Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.

This year’s class of distinguished honorees was celebrated for their professional and philanthropic contributions to the quality of life in Greater Washington through the private sector economy. Ruppert was inducted alongside three additional 2021 Hall of Fame Laureates:

• Virginia Ali – Owner, Ben’s Chili Bowl
• Russ Ramsey – Chairman and CEO, Ramsey Asset Management
• Deborah Ratner-Salzberg – Principal, Uplands Real Estate Partners

The 2021 Hall of Fame was a hybrid experience dedicated to connecting the best in business to inspire the next in business through a full day of programming. The virtual experience included a town hall moderated by Leon Harris of NBC4, a series of master class presentations led by business and community leaders, and a virtual Laureate Induction Ceremony. Attendees gathered to personally congratulate the 2021 Laureates at a Laureate Celebration Reception at La Vie located at the District Wharf. Over $1.25 million was raised to support Junior Achievement’s work to prepare young people to be future-ready.

“I am very honored to be sharing this recognition with Virginia, Debby and Russ — who each in their own way have helped shape their respective industries — and am grateful to be following in the footsteps of past laureates who have made their own indelible mark on this region’s business community,” Ruppert said. “Most of all, I want to commend Junior Achievement and their volunteers for all they’re doing to inspire students and prepare them with the tools and experiences they need for a fulfilling and productive future.”

HOLMDEL, N.J. — WorkWave, a provider of SaaS software solutions, expands its Board of Directors with the appointment of three industry leaders: Sheryl Hoskins, Sejal Pietrzak and Eric Palmer.

Expanding the existing WorkWave Board of Directors from four members to seven not only reflects the company’s continued growth during a period of increased investment and acquisition, but also speaks to WorkWave’s ongoing commitment to fostering a diverse culture and mix of experience, backgrounds and geographies. 

“We now have a diverse range of extraordinary talent across both the WorkWave employee base and Board of Directors. Diversity of ideas and perspectives is key to enabling us to robustly build the company’s future in a way that promotes new innovation, fresh perspectives and an inclusive company culture,” said David F. Giannetto, CEO of WorkWave. “2021 has been a transformative year for this company, and we’re committed to continuing our growth journey and reinforcing our position as the market leader for the verticals we serve.”

Sheryl Hoskins has nearly two decades of experience leading and growing SaaS businesses in various industries including healthcare, government, event registration and hospitality. She has managed teams all over the world, spending the first half of her career in Fortune 15 companies and most recently was the CEO of Upserve, LLC, which was acquired by Lightspeed Commerce in 2020. Hoskins holds a degree in electrical engineering, an MBA in marketing and is a U.S. Army veteran.

Sejal Pietrzak has held executive leadership positions for fast-paced, global enterprise software companies across all stages of growth and value creation for the past two decades.  Most recently, she was the CEO of DealerSocket, a SaaS provider to the automotive industry, which was acquired by Solera in 2021. Pietrzak has an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from The College of William & Mary in Virginia.

Eric Palmer is a serial C-level executive and company growth strategy advisor with extensive experience in operations and finance, software, service and SaaS businesses. He has orchestrated multiple private equity financings, venture capital investments, IPOs, private and public debt financings, acquisitions, roll-ups and other strategic initiatives.

Hoskins, Pietrzak, and Palmer join the existing members of the WorkWave Board of Directors: Darren Roos, chairperson of the WorkWave board, CEO of IFS; Johannes Reichel, partner at EQT; Naveen Wadhera, co-head of TA Associate’s European Technology Group; and Stewart Lynn, Partner at Serent Capital.

“WorkWave has demonstrated an incredible capacity for growth, scalability and financial performance during this phase of investment and development,” Roos said. “These carefully selected board members will support WorkWave in its mission to continue to deliver innovative industry-leading solutions that help its customers to grow their business, service their customers and maximize their money.”

For more information about WorkWave, click here.

As a result of customer feedback, Coxreels has launched a new shipping program called the Coxreels Ship Ready.

With more than 80 SKU’s included, Coxreels Ship Ready Program ship all confirmed orders the next business day after an order is placed with same day shipping also a possibility. The maximum that can be ordered on a Purchase Order is 10 per SKU per order. 

For more information on the new program, visit the Coxreels website.

Glen Instone has been appointed president of the Husqvarna Division within Husqvarna Group. He will continue to serve as the Group CFO until his successor is appointed.

"I am very pleased to see Glen become the president of the Husqvarna Division, a role he has been successfully leading since July, combined with his CFO role. His broad experience and knowledge about our company combined with his leadership skills will be of great value to further strengthen and grow the Husqvarna Division” says Henric Andersson, president & CEO Husqvarna Group.

Since joining Husqvarna in 2002, Instone has held various positions including Vice President Global Sales & Services, Husqvarna Division 2016–2018, VP & CFO Husqvarna Division 2014–2017 and VP & CFO EMEA, 2013– 2014. He has served as Group CFO since 2018, and as Acting President of the Husqvarna Division since July 1 2021.

“I look forward to continue to lead the great team within the Husqvarna Division in a truly exciting time in our history. We have re-invented ourselves for more than 330 years and continue to lead the transformation of our industry through electrification, automation, digitalization and sustainability. With our customers at the center of what we do, we are driving sustainable growth within both the residential and professional business areas” Instone said.

Instone will take up the permanent position within the Husqvarna Division on Jan. 1, 2022. He will continue to serve as the Group CFO until his successor is appointed. The Group CFO recruitment process has been initiated.