The Hillman Companies said on Thursday that Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer James P. Waters will succeed Max W. Hillman as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2013. Waters, who had previously served as Hillman's chief financial officer, joins the company's board of directors, effective immediately. Hillman, who will retire as CEO after 44 years with the company, will retain a seat on the company's board of directors. Headquartered in Cincinnati, the Hillman Companies, which is a portfolio company of Oak Hill Capital Partners, is a distributor of fasteners, key duplication systems, engraved tags and related hardware items to over 20,000 retail customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and South America.