MINNEAPOLIS (ELCA) -- The Board of Trustees for Augsburg Fortress Publishers elected the Rev. Marvin L. Roloff to a second four-year term as president and chief executive officer during its regular meeting here Oct. 21-23. Augsburg Fortress is the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Roloff, 65, will begin his new term April 26, 2000. He was first elected in April 1996, after serving a year as acting president and chief executive officer, succeeding Gary J.N. Aamodt. Roloff was vice president for customer resources and relationships during the year he was acting head of Augsburg Fortress.
Under Roloff's leadership, printing operations at Augsburg Fortress were closed, distribution centers were centralized to Grove City, Ohio, some $7.5 million was invested in new technology and the company's overall financial condition was stabilized. Presently the publisher is reorganizing into strategic business groups to respond better to the needs of the ELCA and others.
In other business, the board was introduced to several new members of the executive management team of the publishing house. The appointments are part of Augsburg Fortress' board-approved reorganization plan.
Charles C. Halberg, executive vice president and chief operating officer, is responsible for marketing and sales, publishing and operations at Augsburg Fortress. Halberg is a lawyer who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate. He was president and chief executive officer for Good Samaritan Supply Services, St. Paul, from 1992 to 1998.
Kenneth G. Hartwell, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, also served with Good Samaritan Supply as senior vice president and chief operating officer from 1993 to 1998. Hartwell was most recently vice president of sales and marketing at Royal Concrete Products, Minneapolis.
Robert W. McNulty, executive assistant to the president, will develop financial projections and analyses, performance measurement and accountability standards. He has been vice president for finance and treasurer at Augsburg Fortress since 1993.
George W. Poehlman, vice president for finance and treasurer, was controller at Augsburg Fortress since 1998. He previously served as chief financial officer and secretary at Silicon Biology, Inc., and vice president of operations at Heartland Samplers, Inc. Both companies are in Minneapolis.
Board of Trustees member Shirley A. Teig, Plymouth, Minn., announced her resignation as a board member. Teig said she resigned to work in a consultant capacity for the publisher.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
