Joseph Jones Karcher

Joseph Jones served as President of Alfred Kärcher, Inc., from 2003 to 2007. The company is a U.S. subsidiary of Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG, selling power-cleaning equipment through retail channels such as Costco, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and QVC. Recruited to turn around a firm struggling in North America despite exceptional sales success in Europe, Joseph Jones implemented new marketing, processes, and organizational strategies. Performing detailed market segmentation analysis, he established a marketing approach that defined Kärcher as a retail business, rather than a corporate entity inhabiting retail and commercial segments. Mr. Jones focused on achieving dynamic growth through strong after-sales support, as well. Securing contracts with Walmart totaling $20 million annually, Joseph Jones spearheaded Kärcher’s acquisition of the Sears and Sam’s Club accounts, resulting in substantial company growth of 30 percent between 2004 and 2006. Mr. Jones also focused on eliminating back-office redundancies between Kärcher’s U.S. and Canadian operations, developing a core team of competent managers and supervisors. Prior to joining Kärcher, Joseph Jones served as President and General Manager of the Productivity Solutions Division of Ingersoll-Rand, plc, a $17 billion international commercial and industrial equipment and component manufacturer. In this capacity, he worked toward the reinvention of a struggling global tools division. Combining three divisions, Mr. Jones created a new entity that had 15 percent lower annual operating expenses and enjoyed improved sales and profitability. He also undertook a Chinese joint venture that brought a lower-cost product to the market. As at Kärcher, Joseph Jones secured several important retail business accounts, including Walmart, Lowe’s, and Canadian Tire in North America, as well as Luna, Facom, and Wurth in Europe. Joseph Jones was employed with the Stanley Tools Division of The Stanley Works (now Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.) from 1976 to 1999. As President and General Manager, he refocused Stanley on its core contractor market after excessive focus on the consumer do-it-yourself (DIY) market eroded sales to professionals.