SEL shuffles its executive team

Luis D’Acosta is no longer CEO at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Pullman after the Palouse region’s largest private employer reorganized its executive team.

D’Acosta, who was named CEO in 2014, now serves as chief sales officer, according to a news release SEL issued Tuesday afternoon.

He originally was hired by SEL in 2005 to lead the company’s Mexican operations. He moved to Pullman in 2012 to become vice president of sales and customer service and was promoted to chief operating officer just prior to being named CEO.

No one from SEL was available for comment Tuesday.

“As we expand our reach, we want to ensure that we maintain our commitment to quality, innovation and customer service,” company founder Edmund O. Schweitzer III said in the news release. “This new structure will focus our company on those objectives, while broadening the experience of our executive team and providing opportunities to develop the next generation of leaders throughout the company.”

Schweitzer has been president and is now also chief technology officer of SEL, which manufactures high-tech equipment for electric power transmission and distribution that’s sold to utilities and large-volume power users. The company employs 2,330 people in Pullman and 475 in Lewiston.

Schweitzer and D’Acosta are two of six executives involved in the restructuring, which leaves no one with the title of CEO and puts people with at least 15 years of experience at SEL in charge of key areas of the business.

Dave Whitehead, a 23-year veteran of SEL, is chief operations officer. He is leading global operations as well as research and development. He also is overseeing quality, sales, engineering services and manufacturing.

Bob Morris, who joined SEL 26 years ago, is chief engineering services officer. Tony Lee is chief manufacturing officer. He started at SEL in 1991. Joey Nestegard, who has been with SEL since 2002, has been named chief finance officer.