A look at the people behind the numbers in area business:
Brent Noonan Uponor North America
Title: Vice president of sales
Age: 39
Brent Noonan, the new vice president of sales for Uponor North America, is working to align its U.S. and Canadian sales and marketing resources as the manufacturer of plumbing and other products seeks to expand its commercial business.
Uponor North America, based in Apple Valley, produces cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) tubing for use in residential and commercial plumbing, fire safety and radiant heating and cooling systems. Uponor's commercial push includes a number of new products for that market, Noonan said.
"It's an exciting time for us," Noonan said. "We're continuing to do very well on the residential side of our business, but there's a huge opportunity for us on the commercial side."
The company's new commercial products include supports for suspended piping and tubing up to three inches in diameter that will "help us be the leader in that commercial piping space as a PEX manufacturer," Noonan said.
Noonan, who joined Uponor in 2010, has been vice president of U.S. sales and south region sales director. A 15-year veteran of the building products industry, Noonan has a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado Boulder.
In his new role, Noonan said, his goals are to drive profitable growth and focus sales teams on finding the best opportunities in each market.
Uponor North America, a 2013 Star Tribune Top 100 Workplace, employs more than 500 people in Apple Valley. It traces its roots to a company founded in 1620 in Sweden. Today it's part of Uponor Corp., which is based in Finland.
Q: How does Uponor's commercial expansion fit into its overall strategy?
A: We're focused on keeping a strong presence in residential for plumbing and heating but really growing our commercial piping opportunity. When housing is cyclical, and certainly will have ups and downs, we'll be more diversified in that commercial space, which will help us continue to grow.
Q: How is the recovery affecting business?
A: With the recovery, we've seen a significant pickup. A lot of that has been the market coming back on the residential side. But we've also gained significant market share in residential and commercial.
Q: What brought you to Uponor North America?
A: The challenge of getting into a new market and growing the business as regional sales director for the south region is what attracted me. I was familiar with Uponor and had always admired them from afar.
Todd Nelson
