A. O. Smith Corp. has announced the appointment of Stephen O'Brien as chief operating officer for Lochinvar, an industry-leading, high-efficiency boiler and water heater manufacturer located in Lebanon, Tennessee. O'Brien will oversee engineering, manufacturing, quality, product services, marketing and business development teams at Lochinvar, a division of A. O. Smith.

O'Brien comes to Lochinvar from Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS) where, as senior vice president of sales, marketing, and supply chain, he transformed channel strategy and product mix resulting in revenue and net profit growth. He began his career as a small business owner and joined A. O. Smith Electrical Products Co. in 1997 as a sales engineer, where he steadily progressed through sales and marketing roles until being named senior vice president and general manager of HVAC, hermetic, and appliances in 2008. When the company was sold to Regal Beloit in 2011, O'Brien served as the acquisition integration leader and vice president for Regal Beloit until joining METUS in 2015.

"Steve's impressive manufacturing experience managing diverse teams while achieving financial and operational goals make him a perfect fit for Lochinvar as we continue to expand our energy-efficient product offerings and services. His leadership approach to growing the business through a focus on employee development, process improvement and innovation aligns with A. O. Smith's values and philosophy," said Eddie Goodwin, president and general manager of Lochinvar LLC. "I look forward to re-acclimating Steve to A. O. Smith and our brand as we work together to implement our growth strategy for Lochinvar."

O'Brien holds an MBA from the University of Dayton in Ohio and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from State University of New York at Potsdam. He has held numerous leadership positions with a variety of industry associations including the Water Systems Council, Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI), and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.