McLean Biz Buzz: New Senior Management at Freddie Mac, Cardinal Bank, and USA TODAY

Welcome to our new weekly McLean BizBuzz column that will spotlight news from McLean's business neighbors.  We're looking for a classy name for this new column. We would welcome your thoughts for a column name. Just put them in the comments below.

names New CEO

The Board of Directors for , which has its headquarters here in McLean, appointed Donald H. Layton as Chief Executive Officer, according to a press release issued by the company last week. 

Layton spent much of his career at JPMorgan Chase, where he worked his way from trainee to Vice Chairman, and a member of the three-person Office of the Chairman.  “More recently he served as Chairman and CEO of E*TRADE Financial, which he shepherded through the recent financial crisis,” according to the press release.

Layton will assume his new position on May 21, 2012.  He will succeed Charles E. “Ed” Haldeman, Jr.  Haldeman announced late last year that he would be stepping down this year.  “I’m pleased that the Board was able to attract a private sector leader of Don’s caliber.  His capital markets and banking background coupled with his ability to manage large, complex organizations will serve him well as he leads Freddie Mac’s 5,000 dedicated employees going forward,” said Haldeman.

Promotions at Cardinal Bank

, which has its headquarters on Greensboro Drive in McLean, recently appointed Penny Bladich to Senior Vice President, Market Executive.  Previously she served as Market Executive, responsible for overseeing business development efforts in eastern Fairfax County. 

Dennis Griffith, Executive Vice President of , said that “Penny has been a valued member of the Commercial Lending Team since joining Cardinal,” according to a Business Wire press release.

, which calls itself one of the largest financial institutions in northern Virginia, has 27 banking centers in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, according to the bank’s .  

USA TODAY welcomes new President and Publisher

Gannett Co., Inc. has named Larry Kramer President and Publisher of USA TODAY.  Kramer, an award-winning entrepreneur and journalist, currently serves as media consultant and adjunct professor of Media Management at Syracuse University, according to a press release issued by Gannett.

Earlier in his career, Kramer was awarded the National Press Club Award, the Associated Press Award for news writing, and the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting.  He is regarded as a “media entrepreneur,” founding innovative initiatives such as MarketWatch.com, DataSport, Inc., and a “hand-held sports information monitor, which was later sold to Data Broadcasting Corp.,” according to the Gannett press release.

“He is a distinguished journalist with a passion for the news business and has an entrepreneur’s drive to innovate and the business acumen needed to create value,” said Gracia Martore, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gannett.  “He is the ideal leader to have at the helm of USA TODAY as we work to transform this trusted, iconic brand into a more powerful multi-dimensional media platform.” 

Kramer will assume the position at USA TODAY effective immediately.

Manufacturing Numbers Reported

Association for Manufacturing Technology (), which has its headquarters in McLean, announced this week that manufacturing technology orders in March totaled $495.97 million, according to a press release issued by . 

Although that total is slightly lower than last year’s March numbers, which were $502.89, the total is up 11.3 percent from February.  The total reflects data reported by companies participating in the USMTO (United States Manufacturing Technology Orders) program. 

“Manufacturing is expanding with no clear signal of a downturn in slight,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT President.  According to Woods, manufacturing added 34,000 jobs in March alone.  As noted in the AMT press release, “analysis of manufacturing technology orders provides a reliable leading economic indicator.”  However, Woods noted, “USMTO order growth confounds experts as it climbed 12 percent over 2011 levels.”