Bell Helicopter, a Textron company, announced today that Eric Cardinali has been named president of Bell Helicopter Canada. He replaces Jacques St-Laurent who is moving to a new position as president of Bell Helicopter's European operations.

"Eric's proven leadership ability, international business acumen, and outstanding performance results make him a perfect strategic fit for the continued success of our Canadian operations," said Richard Millman, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter.

"Moving Eric into this position highlights the value of Textron's Networked Enterprise, allowing Bell to draw upon the pool of talent across all of Textron. I look forward to the results we are confident he will deliver."

Cardinali comes from E-Z-GO, a Textron company and a leading manufacturer of golf cars and utility vehicles, where he was vice president, Integrated Supply Chain. He has over 20 years experience in domestic and international manufacturing and sales. Cardinali first joined Textron in 2001 at Jacobsen, a turf maintenance equipment and utility vehicle manufacturer in Lincoln, NE. He moved to E-Z-GO as plant manager in 2003 and was promoted to vice president in December 2005. He created a culture of operational excellence at E-Z-GO -- achieving significant improvements in productivity, first time quality, and inventory turns.

Jacques St-Laurent leaves Bell Helicopter Canada after a six year term as president. During his tenure there St-Laurent oversaw the growth of the workforce from 1,200 to 2,400 people and a production rate that improved from 100 helicopters per year to about 200. He also was instrumental in the development of Bell's new light twin helicopter, the Bell 429.

Millman said, "We live in a global market place that demands careful attention. It is particularly important that we be available to serve our customers wherever and whenever they need us. To be able to better serve our European customers, and to spearhead our regional growth we have decided to strengthen our European operations. Jacques' tremendous success at Bell Canada and his understanding of the international market made him the best person for this new role."