NORWOOD, Mass. — FM Approvals, a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) specializing in testing and certifying products and services that best protect commercial and industrial property from loss, has moved four of its managers into new roles to better support the company’s global growth.

Richard Ferron has been named operations vice president and manager, testing and certification services. In his new role, Ferron has responsibility for day-to-day operations, bolstering technical innovation and maximizing customer satisfaction across the company’s three technical sections: building materials, electrical systems and fire protection. Previously, he was assistant vice president, director of fire protection at FM Approvals. Ferron joined the company in 1992 as a product certification engineer and has held a variety of engineering roles within the company. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass., and is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). Prior to joining FM Approvals, Ferron spent eight years working on nuclear power systems for Babcock & Wilcox and UNC Naval Products.

Richard Dunne has been named manager, fire protection. He is responsible for managing the product testing and certification of equipment for use in fire protection systems. He had previously served as a group manager within FM Approvals’ fire protection section, since joining the company in 2005. Before that, he worked for American Biophysics Corp. as vice president of engineering, preceded by a role as director of sales and marketing for Invensys’ Thermal Sensor Division. He holds a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical and materials engineering from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., and has a master’s of business administration from Babson College, Wellesley, Mass. He is an active member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Cynthia Frank has been named assistant vice president, manager, building materials, where she is responsible for managing the product testing and certification of building materials and roofing products. She was previously assistant vice president and group manager, building materials. Frank started her career in 1988 working for FM Global as a property loss prevention consultant, and held a variety of supervisory and managerial engineering roles within the company before joining FM Approvals. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and is a member of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI).

James Marquedant has been named manager, electrical systems where he is responsible for managing the testing and certification of equipment for use in hazardous locations as well as fire alarm and detection systems. Since joining FM Approvals in 2008, he was most recently a group manager within the company’s electrical systems section. Before coming to FM Approvals, he worked for various firms including UTC Fire & Security, Kidde North America Division as director of product engineering. Prior to that, Marquedant was employed by Bell Laboratories as technical manager of product realization. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University, Boston. He is a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the U.S. National Committee for the International Trade of Electrical Equipment used in Explosive Atmospheres (USNC/IECEx).

 For more information, visit www.fmapprovals.com.