Release Details

DALLAS, July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Announcing they are refining the alignment of their management team with their business segment structure, Lennox International Inc. (NYSE: LII) appointed Bob Schjerven to the newly-created position of chief operating officer (COO). John Norris, Jr. will continue as chief executive officer.

"Lennox International's accelerated growth over the past several years has resulted in a much more complex and diverse company, with growing status both domestically and internationally," said John Norris. "It is my intention in the future to focus more on developing Lennox' external relationships with our shareholders and other key audiences, while working closely with Bob Schjerven and our board of directors to ensure operations in our five business segments are on course to meet our strategic objectives."

Bob Schjerven joined Heatcraft, Inc., a leader in worldwide refrigeration and heat transfer and a subsidiary of Lennox International, in 1986 after seven years at McQuay-Perfex and one at Snyder General. He served as vice president of marketing and engineering for Heatcraft's heat transfer division until 1988, when he was promoted to vice president and general manager of the division. In 1991, he became president and COO of Armstrong Air Conditioning Inc., and in 1995 became president and COO of Lennox Industries Inc. Heatcraft, Armstrong, and Lennox Industries are all Lennox International subsidiaries. Schjerven has served as president and COO of Lennox Industries until his recent appointment to COO, Lennox International.

In addition to ensuring the accomplishment of the company's strategic objectives, Schjerven will oversee day-to-day operations. Lennox International's unit presidents and administrative officers will report to Schjerven.

"Bob is uniquely and supremely qualified to lead Lennox International's operations," John Norris said. "As the president of Lennox Industries -- our largest subsidiary -- he was one of the primary architects of our key retail business strategy. He is deeply knowledgeable about divisions that account for a significant part of our corporate revenues.

"Throughout his career, Bob has been key to the success in the businesses he has led. These are skills that will benefit all of Lennox and its shareholders as we continue the journey to leadership in our five business segments: North American Residential Products, North American Retail, Worldwide Refrigeration, Worldwide Heat Transfer, and Worldwide Commercial Air Conditioning."

Lennox also announced other new appointments for their executive management team:

LII Administrative Appointments

Harry Ashenhurst has been named chief administration officer. He previously served as executive vice president, human resources and administration.

Clyde Wyant will continue as chief financial officer until his retirement late this year, as Lennox announced in May.

Carl Edwards will serve as chief legal officer. He previously served as executive vice president and general counsel.

Ed French has been appointed to the newly created position of chief technology officer. "We are known and respected around the world for our manufacturing and product technologies, which are crucial to our leadership position in innovation," Schjerven said. "A key part of Ed's responsibilities will be to direct resourcing and coordination of all of our technological assets. Information Technologies is the neural system enabling integration of new technologies into our business and communication processes, and will report to Ed French as part of his new role." French previously served as president and COO of Heatcraft, Inc.

LII Business Unit Appointments

North American Residential Products: To fill the position vacated by Bob Schjerven's new appointment, Scott Boxer has been named president of Lennox Industries. Boxer joined Lennox in 1998 as executive vice-president, Lennox Global Ltd. and president of European operations. Prior to that he spent 25 years with York International, including serving as president of York's worldwide unitary products group.

Mike Schwartz has been named president, North American Distributed Products, including Armstrong Air Conditioning, Excel Comfort Products, Allied Air Enterprises, and the Advanced Distributor Products group. Schwartz previously served as president and COO of Armstrong.

North American Retail: Jim Mishler will continue as president of Lennox Retail Inc. He was named president of Lennox Retail Inc. in 1999.

Worldwide Commercial Refrigeration: Bob McDonough has been named president, Worldwide Commercial Refrigeration and has also been named president, European and Latin American operations. He had previously served as vice president and general manager for Heatcraft's refrigeration products division since 1995.

Worldwide Heat Transfer: Lane Pennington has been named president, Worldwide Heat Transfer and will also continue as president, Asia-Pacific Operations, a position he has held since 1998. He also previously served as executive vice-president, Lennox Global Ltd.

Worldwide Commercial Air Conditioning: The three major components of this segment -- European operations, Asia-Pacific operations, and North American commercial HVAC -- will be managed by Bob McDonough, Lane Pennington, and Scott Boxer respectively, in addition to their responsibilities outlined above.

"Like all vital businesses, we have continuously and constantly reinvented ourselves over the past 105 years to address the needs of an ever-changing global marketplace," Bob Schjerven said. "We're confident that through our realigned structure, we can more effectively combine our significant talents, further discover and explore our synergies, and collectively work toward our common goal of increasing shareholder value."

Selling heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) equipment in over 70 countries worldwide, Lennox International Inc. is a world leader in climate control solutions. It is the parent company of Lennox Industries Inc., Armstrong Air Conditioning Inc., Heatcraft, Inc.; and Lennox Global Ltd. Lennox International stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "LII". Additional information about Lennox International is available at www.lennoxinternational.com or by contacting Karen O'Shea, vice president, communications and public relations, at 972-497-5258.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. For information concerning these risks and uncertainties, see Lennox' publicly available filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lennox disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Lennox International Inc.
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CONTACT: Karen O'Shea, vice president, communications and public relations of Lennox International Inc., 972-497-5258