VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – STIHL Inc. announces the promotion of Murray Bishop to Director of Branch Operations at Pacific STIHL, based in Visalia, Calif. effective July 2017.

Bishop, an 18-year employee of STIHL Inc., will now be responsible for directing and managing the sales, distribution and service of all products, parts and accessories at the company-owned branch. He will also lead the development of advertising and marketing plans for the territory, which includes California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Guam.

“Murray has done an excellent job managing multiple departments at STIHL Inc. and is no stranger to the distribution side of the business. We know he’ll bring valuable experience to Pacific STIHL,” said Nick Jiannas, vice president of sales and marketing at STIHL Inc.

Bishop most recently served as senior manager of export and logistics at STIHL Inc. in Virginia Beach, Va. He began his career with STIHL in 1999 as manager of finished goods and was responsible for shipments to domestic and export customers. Since then, he’s served as manager of warehouse operations, as well as packaging operations and national traffic management. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Maritime Association since 2015, Bishop has been a leading voice for strengthening the Port of Virginia and manufacturing in the Commonwealth.

Bishop has been instrumental in the development and implementation of strategies to improve distribution and infrastructure. He helped plan for several facility changes, including moves to new buildings for both Pacific STIHL and Northeast STIHL, the merger of Mississippi Valley STIHL and Midwest STIHL and the recent expansion of Mid-Atlantic STIHL. He also served as Director of Information Services, overseeing systems and project management throughout the STIHL network in the United States.

“I’m excited to continue working to ensure STIHL is the first choice for professionals and consumers in the Pacific STIHL territory,” Bishop said. “I look forward to working with our network of servicing dealers to deliver the best product with the best service possible.”

Bishop succeeds Larry Blamer, who is the new Managing Director for STIHL Australia.

For more information, please visit www.STIHLusa.com.