GRANDVIEW, Mo. — Peterson Manufacturing has appointed Jim Rowden as the companys new vice-president engineering. Rowden, a Peterson associate since 1996, moves up to replace Tim Murphy, a prominent industry figure who is retiring after more than 21 years with the company.

Rowden will direct the product and system design as well as DOT compliance for Petersons full line of LED and incandescent ground vehicle lighting products.

A graduate of Friends University, Rowden spent 16 years in aero-space engineering with then Allied Signal before co-founding his own company involved in the medical device industry in the early 1990s. Since joining Peterson as a project engineer and later becoming engineering manager in 2000, Rowden has been heavily involved with growing the companys line of LED products.

When I first came to Peterson, LEDs were just taking off, said Rowden. For the first few years, most of my emphasis was on expanding our LED line to match our long-time incandescent coverage. Today were second to none in LED offerings, and our Piranha brand leads the industry.

Rowdens predecessor, Tim Murphy, will continue to serve Peterson on a consulting basis through 2007, lending his vast industry knowledge and experience to ensure a smooth transition. Were proud of the innovative, top-quality products that Peterson has introduced over the years, Murphy said. I know that Jim Rowdens leadership and superb staff will keep the companys engineering efforts on the cutting edge as Peterson moves forward.