Sterling Rope Company Inc., which has been ramping up to relaunch its brand this fall, has hired four new employees and reassigned four others.

The Biddeford, ME company said the new hires include:

  • Catherine Shaps will be joining Sterling in mid-September as the new Planner and Inventory Control Manager. Catherine is a new resident of Maine, having spent almost 20 years working as a purchaser and inventory specialist at Plow & Hearth, the garden supply retailer.
  • Steven Rodriguez has joined Sterling as a new Customer Service Representative. He brings valuable experience to the sales team as an avid climber and associate of Eastern Mountain Sports. Steven will be providing support to our dealers and reps, handling inbound calls and managing sales orders.
  • Chuck Weber comes to Sterling as a Process Engineer.  Chuck has extensive experience in rope design, production management and manufacturing through work at PMI and New England Ropes. He will be working with R&D and Production to implement new processes as well as help improve plant layout and function.
  • Sara Fleetwood has joined the Sterling R&D department as a Product Development Engineer. She is a recent graduate from Virginia Tech with a BS in Materials Science Engineering. She is also an outdoor enthusiast with rock and ice climbing and caving experience.

Sterling also reassigned four employees.

  • Mike Knox has been with Sterling for five years in the shipping department and will be moving to the role of Purchaser as soon as his current position is filled in shipping. He will be working closely with vendors to ensure on-time and accurate shipments of raw materials and components.  
  • Dave Werdelin has earned the title of Arbor Sales under the newly restructured Work Division (formerly called “Rescue”).  He has been in Customer Service with Sterling for five years and will help drive sales and expand the Sterling brand in the Arbor market.
  • Austin Smith, also in Customer Service, has been promoted to Climbing and Outdoor Sales; a new title in the Sales department and will be working under the Climbing Market Manager. Smith will be responsible for building and maintaining account relationships and drive sales.
  • Karen Trunzo has been with Sterling for 16 years and will be moving to a newly created position as Assistant Production Manager.  Karen will be working with the Plant Manager, R&D, Quality and others to improve production processes, training, and planning at the plant level.