WMIA Elects Colonial Saw VP David Rakauskas as new Chairman

WMIA ELECTS COLONIAL SAW VP DAVID RAKAUSKAS AS NEW CHAIRMAN

KINGSTON, MA, 5.16.2017 - At the 2017 Woodworking Industry Conference (WIC) in Rancho Mirage, CA, members of the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association (WMIA) elected a new slate of officers to lead the Association for the next two years. David Rakauskas, executive vice president of Colonial Saw Company, Inc., Kingston, MA, was elected WMIA’s new Chairman of the Board at the Association’s Annual Business Meeting on Wednesday, April 26. “I’m really looking forward to leading the association during such exciting times,” Rakauskas said. “The economic situation for our industry is great, our association’s staff is doing a terrific job, our partnership with the other industry associations has never been stronger, and our financial position is solid. We are in a great position to be able to make a real impact, driving value for our member companies over the next few years.” Rakauskas, who started his career at Deloitte & Touche, becoming a certified public accountant in 1994, was introduced to the woodworking industry when he became Colonial Saw’s controller, later moving onto become vice president of operations before assuming his current position. Involved with the WMIA since 1998, when he joined the Young Executives Committee, Rakauskas served as the Association’s vice-chairman of the board from 2015-2017 and secretary/treasurer from 2013-2015, and participated as both chair and member of the Technology Review Committee. “My plan is to focus our attention on education, both for our members’ sales and technical staff as well as the American woodworking workforce,” Rakauskas continued. “At the same time, we need to ensure we get more machinery distributors involved in the Association, continue to support the coordination of ISO and ANSI safety standards, and ensure that the IWF trade show and the Woodworking Industry Conference remain successful.”