ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. — Water heater manufacturer A. O. Smith Corp. recently announced changes to its water heater sales team in North America.

After 34 years with A. O. Smith, Mark Gierla, regional vice president of Eastern sales, will retire effective Tuesday, April 1. John Bates, regional vice president of Central sales, will be taking over Eastern sales, while Matt Patterson, national accounts director, will be promoted to regional vice president of Western sales.

Until his retirement, Gierla will work with both Patterson and Bates in order to smooth the transition. Jerry Lapour, sales director, will move into Patterson’s role.

Gierla joined A. O. Smith in 1990 as a district manager. He relocated several times and assumed various sales roles along the way. In 2007, he moved to the Nashville, Tennessee, area, and in 2010 he was promoted to the newly created role of vice president of regional sales. During his tenure, Gierla helped launch some of the company’s most important product innovations, most notably, the Cyclone commercial water heater, an A.O. Smith press release said.

“We thank Mark for his dedication to our organization, his tenacity, and his skill to drive the business forward,” said Chuck Dean, vice president of wholesale sales.

Patterson has been with the company for 12 years and has worked as a technical sales specialist in factory sales in Tennessee, a regional sales manager in the Northwest U.S., and most recently as national accounts director. He also spent two years on the A. O. Smith mobile marketing vehicle, showcasing new products to wholesalers around the country.

Lapour joined A. O. Smith in 2023 and comes with years of industry experience. He most recently worked for Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, managing the north central region. Prior to that, he worked with Elkay Manufacturing for 17 years, with responsibilities that included regional sales manager for the North Central U.S. and national account responsibility for Winsupply.

“Having experienced leaders ready to assume these new roles is of great benefit to the organization and I am confident these transitions will be seamless,” said Dean.