New River Electrical Strengthens Executive Leadership as Company Expands National Platform
GRANVILLE, OHIO — March 12, 2026 — New River Electrical Corporation (NRE), a leading employee-owned electrical contractor with a growing national footprint, announced today that Jeff Barlow has joined the company as Vice President, General Counsel. Barlow will lead the company’s legal, governance, and compliance strategy as NRE continues expanding its national operations.
Barlow’s appointment reflects NRE’s continued commitment to disciplined corporate growth and long-term independence. As the company scales beyond $1 billion in annual revenue and expands its national delivery platform, strengthening governance, risk, and compliance capabilities remains a strategic priority.
Jeff Barlow, newly appointed Vice President and General Counsel at NRE.
Barlow will lead NRE’s legal, compliance, and governance functions, supporting the company’s enterprise-wide operations and growth initiatives. He is based in NRE’s Strongsville, Ohio office and reports to Laura L. Volpini, Executive Vice President – Enterprise Shared Services & Corporate Secretary.
“Jeff’s addition to our executive team is intentional and strategic,” said Volpini. “As we continue to position NRE for sustainable growth, we must protect what makes this company unique – our independence, our employee-ownership structure, and our disciplined operating model. Jeff brings the depth of experience, judgment, and leadership we need. He understands how legal strategy can enable growth, not slow it down.”
Jeff Barlow Brings More Than Two Decades of Legal Leadership
Barlow brings more than 23 years of legal and executive leadership experience across multinational and employee-owned organizations, including building and scaling global legal organizations, advising boards and executive teams, and leading complex transactions across domestic and international markets. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Momentive Technologies, where he built and scaled growth initiatives.
Prior to Momentive, Barlow was General Counsel at Swagelok Company, an employee-owned organization, where he built the legal department from the ground up and partnered closely with executive leadership to align legal strategy with operational execution. His background includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, commercial contracting, labor strategy, regulatory compliance, and crisis management.
“NRE is at an important inflection point,” said Barlow. “The opportunity to build and lead a legal and compliance function that supports profitable growth while protecting long-term independence is compelling. This company’s employee-ownership culture and commitment to disciplined execution make this a rare and exciting opportunity.”
About New River Electrical Corporation
Founded in 1953, NRE is a nationwide, 100% employee-owned electrical contractor specializing in high-voltage construction and maintenance for utility and industrial clients. With nearly 2,500 employees and operations coast to coast, NRE delivers complex infrastructure projects through a disciplined national delivery platform with regional execution. Learn more about employee-ownership and ESOP companies at the National Center for Employee Ownership.
Media Inquiries
Nicole Rosario, MBA
nrosario@nrec.net
614.264.4667
newriverelectrical.com
