Joseph Thompson is the president and general manager (GM) of Brugg Lifting North America with responsibilities for the Americas. A mechanical engineer who obtained his degree from Southern Polytechnic, he began his professional career in 1990 in the heavy equipment industry. In his 20-plus years in this industry with Kobelco America, a subsidiary of Kobe Steel, and Case New Holland, a subsidiary of Fiat, he served as a staff engineer before assuming an engineering manager role. He transitioned into operations management before departing for management roles at Cobb Tool and Engineering and Precision Roll Grinders. He joined Brugg Lifting in 2014 where, in addition to his current role as GM, he serves on the global steering committee for the Elevator BU as well as a technical and engineering resource for suspension means.