Effective June 16, 2003, Tom Zorn has been appointed chief operational officer (COO) of Atlas Copco’s U.S.- based Rental Service Business Area (Rental Service Corporation). Zorn, who has long experience from the rental business, is currently president of the Directional Marketing Division of TMP Worldwide.

"I am most pleased that Tom has joined us," said Freek Nijdam, senior executive vice president Atlas Copco and Head of Business Area Rental Service. "His background with Ford Motor and his experience working with their rental partners, Hertz and Budget Rent-a-car, give him unique insight to the rental business and our use-of-products strategy. In addition, Tom Zorn has been successful in leading turn-around and growth situations."

Operating with three well-respected brands, RSC, Prime Industrial and Prime Energy, Rental Service fulfils the rental and sales demands of the construction, industrial, petrochemical, manufacturing, government and homeowner markets in the United States, Canada and Mexico. As COO, Zorn will start to head of the Support Functions of the Business Area and after an initial period, he will take over and lead the operation.

Zorn started his career working for Ford Motor Company in various financial and strategic roles for eight years. In 1996 he transferred to Budget Rental Car, a Ford subsidiary and assumed the management responsibility for the division Budget Truck Rental. He restructured that division and implemented a turn-around strategy that reversed five years of revenue and profit declines.

After a one-year assignment as senior vice president, Global Strategy for Security Capital Group (a venture capital firm and subsidiary of GE Capital), Zorn returned to Budget Rental Car as the President of Ryder Truck Rental (TRS) and Budget Truck Rental. After having completed the merger of those two companies he moved to TMP Worldwide to participate in Internet opportunities.