SAN DIEGO, CA — Hawthorne Cat, the exclusive Cat equipment dealer in San Diego, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Pacific Region, announces the promotion of David K. Ness to President and CEO for all the Hawthorne divisions. He will be based in the corporate office in Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), California. David succeeds his father, Tee Ness, and grandfather, Tom Hawthorne, in the role of President.

David is a 20-year Hawthorne veteran who began his career with the company helping Hawthorne to implement 6 Sigma throughout the organization. He went on to the Hawthorne Power Systems division as the Engine Business Manager in 2007, which reached record business levels under his leadership. In 2011, David was promoted to Vice President of Sales. He was responsible for San Diego and Hawaii machinery sales. In 2015, he was promoted to Chief Operations Officer and Senior Vice President. David’s community involvement includes the YMCA-Mission Valley where he is a board member, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, and the Junior Achievement League of San Diego.

“Hawthorne is a family-run business, and I’m proud to say that I am only the third President in our 65-year history," David said. "At Hawthorne, our mission is to help our customers build better communities, and I look forward to the continued and new partnerships with our customers that keep our communities strong."