People in Composites: December 2021

INCA Renewable Technologies appoints two industry veterans to key leadership roles

Mary Wetzel, Inca Renewable Technologies board member.

INCA Renewable Technologies (Kelowna, Canada), a manufacturer of natural fibre composites, announce the addition of Mary Wetzel, as an independent board member and Paul Wybo as the company’s new COO.

Wetzel is the founder, president and COO of WishBone Medical (Warsaw, Ind., U.S.), a manufacturer of pediatric orthopedic implants and an inductee in the Automotive Hall of Fame. She is also the former president of TekModo Industries (Elkhart, Ind., U.S.) which is said to have developed the first all-composite trailer for the RV industry. Earlier in her career she headed DaimlerChrysler’s (Stuttgart, Germany) multi-billion-dollar regional incentive programs, was senior manager for Market Intelligence and Business Management, and before this, a member of the advanced engineering team at General Motors (Detroit, Mich., U.S.).

“I am excited to bring my background and expertise to the INCA team to help solve longstanding sustainability challenges in both the automotive and RV industries including weight and emissions reduction and ending use of rainforest plywood,” says Wetzel.

Paul Wybo, INCA Renewable Technologies COO.

Wybo was previously COO, overseeing two factories, for ABC Industries (Winona Lake, Ind., U.S.), manufacturers of industrial textiles and ventilation ducting. During his tenure he implemented lean manufacturing principles to improve EBITDA by 35% and labor efficiency by 90%. Prior to this he was VP of Operations for Able Manufacturing (Joplin, Mo., U.S.), which produces composite and metal autobody parts and before this role was production manager of Goldshield Fiberglass (Decatur, Ind., U.S.), a division of Allied Specialty Vehicles.

“I look forward to putting my 30 years of manufacturing and operations experience to work to build both INCA manufacturing operations from the ground up with the latest production methodologies, state-of-the art manufacturing equipment and highest level of ESG principles,” concluded Wybo.

Teijin board elects new president and CEO

Teijin Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) has announced that its board of directors has elected Akimoto Uchikawa, currently executive officer, member of the board, as its next president and CEO. Uchikawa, who has concurrently served as president, Material Business, of Teijin Group, will assume his new role on April 1, 2022. Jun Suzuki, the current president and CEO of the company, will assume the post of chairman of Teijin Ltd. on the same day.

The executive appointments were recommended by Teijin’s advisory board. The advisory board, which includes independent outside directors and advisors both from Japan and overseas, was established in July 1999 to strengthen group-wide corporate governance. The Nomination Committee, reporting to the advisory board and chaired by an independent outside director, is responsible for evaluating business performance of CEO and selecting its best candidate to succeed. The decision of selecting the new president and CEO was also discussed and agreed by the nomination committee.

Lockheed Martin names executive vice president for Space business

Robert Lightfoot, executive VP of Lockheed Martin’s Space business.

Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, Md., U.S.) has announced that Robert Lightfoot will be the new executive vice president (VP) of the company’s Space business area. The appointment is effective beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

“I’m honored to lead Lockheed Martin Space and work with our customers to strengthen their missions of security, exploration and discovery through innovation and partnership,” says Lightfoot.

Lightfoot, currently the VP of Operations for Lockheed Martin Space, spent 29 years at NASA (Washington D.C., U.S.) in several critical leadership roles to support space operations, exploration and science missions, including as the agency's acting administrator; director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., U.S.; and director of Propulsion Test at Stennis Space Center in Miss, U.S. He succeeds Rick Ambrose, who will retire March 1, 2022, after more than 20 years of service to the company. Ambrose will serve as a strategic advisor as part of a smooth and disciplined transition process.

“Robert is a mission-oriented leader with the right combination of experience to take our Space business to its next heights,” notes Lockheed Martin COO Frank St. John. “He is known for exceptional people leadership, and I look forward to what he will bring to not only Space, but also the broader aerospace and defense industry.”

Montalvo announces new director of engineering

Stephen Franklin, Montalvo’s director of engineering.

Montalvo Corp. (Gorham, Maine, U.S.) has hired Steve Franklin as its new director of engineering. Franklin will be overseeing Montalvo’s Electrical, Mechanical and Automation Engineering teams, as well as directing the development of new products, customized products and larger-scale projects, while improving processes and expanding the company’s overall engineering capabilities.

“Steve is an incredible asset to the team. We are continuously pushing ourselves as a company, creating new products, expanding into new markets and providing additional offerings to our customers as a total web handling and web tension control solutions provider,” says CEO Bryon Williams. “Steve’s background and experience are only going to accelerate these objectives and our overall growth. He brings new ideas, innovations and leadership to the team, and I am excited to see what the future brings.”

Franklin has more than 25 years of experience as an engineer and 14 years as an engineering manager for a global automation supplier, where he monitored the execution of procedures and processes that engineering is involved with, and encouraged changes that made the company more flexible, competitive and quality conscious. Franklin holds a Bachelor of Science in physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Leitz USA names national sales manager

As of Jan. 1, 2022, Leitz USA (Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S.) has appointed Mark Alster as national sales manager. Alster will expand his current duties and responsibility as regional sales manager, as well as manage the company’s customer service department.

Alster began his career with Leitz in 1995 as a customer service representative, and has since taken on a variety of roles and experiences with the company. He currently holds a seat on the AWFS board of directors (Las Vegas Trade Show), as well as an elected board seat for The Sparta School district. 

Leitz notes that it is honored to have Alster as a part of its team and thanks him for his 27 years of dedication.

Eastman Machine announces executive promotions to lead into 2022

Trevor Stevenson, Eastman Machine president.

Robert Stevenson, CEO of Eastman Machine Co. (Buffalo, N.Y., U.S.), a family-owned and operated business since 1888, announces multiple executive staff promotions. With the new year, R. Trevor Stevenson will take on the role of president and Steven F. Calzi as COO.

Trevor Stevenson’s storied career at Eastman started in 2004 as a technician and advanced to the executive team in 2018. Stevenson continues to drive consistent sales growth and aid in Eastman’s global footprint expansion. As president, he will continue to work closely with all departments and influence product design, sales and technical service. Born in Buffalo and raised in Columbus, Ga., U.S., Stevenson graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor’s degree and the University of Buffalo with an MBA in business administration.

“I am honored to take over as president of Eastman Machine Company. I am proud of what my family has built here in Buffalo and of all the employees who have helped us grow for over 133 years,” says Trevor Stevenson. “We have been successful for so many years due to our dedicated employees, attention to our customers and our innovation and quality. These valued traits are what will keep us as the leading manufacturer of industrial cutting and spreading room solutions.”

Steven F. Calzi, Eastman Machine COO

Calzi, a Buffalo native, joined Eastman in 2002 as CFO. Throughout this time, Calzi has facilitated a growth trajectory for Eastman, providing both strategic and disciplined decision-making and guidance. Calzi graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting and the University of Buffalo’s MBA program. Prior to joining Eastman, he held various financial management positions at Carborndum (Worchester, Mass., U.S.), St. Gobain (Courbevoie, France) and Danaher Corp. (Washington, D.C., U.S.).

“Eastman is well-positioned for the future and I owe a lot of this success to the invaluable contributions of both Trevor and Steve,” CEO Robert Stevenson concludes.

Michelman announces executive leadership changes

Michelman (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) continues its preparation in advance of Dr. Richard (Rick) I. Michelman’s selection as the organization’s next president and CEO. Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the following executive leadership changes will position the company for continued success and reinforce its commitment to its triple bottom line.

Dr. Rick Michelman, Michelman president and CEO.

Dr. Rick Michelman, currently CTO and executive VP, Americas and Printing & Packaging, will become president and CEO. He has been with the company for more than 25 years, acquiring broad operation and market knowledge by serving in many organizational roles, including product development, technology management, business development, regional leadership and business segment leadership. Furthermore, his background as a chemist gives him an understanding of the sustainable solutions Michelman continues to innovate globally.

Andrew Michelman, Michelman’s chief business development officer and executive VP, Asia and Fibers & Composites.

Andrew Michelman, the company’s chief business development officer and executive VP, Asia and Fibers & Composites, will assume additional leadership responsibility for Michelman’s Americas region and Coatings business segment. In his expanded role, Michelman will oversee the commercial operations in Asia and the Americas and manage the strategic directions and operations of the Fibers & Composites and Coatings business segments. He joined Michelman in 2015 after accumulating more than 20 years of global mergers and acquisitions experience. In addition, he has worked in investment banking with Citigroup in New York and London and as a strategy and corporate development consultant with manufacturer Valliant Group (Remscheid, Germany).

Paul Griffith, Michelman’s chief marketing officer and executive VP, EMEA and Agriculture.

Paul Griffith, Michelman’s chief marketing officer and executive VP, EMEA and Agriculture, will add leadership of its Printing & Packaging business segment to his responsibilities. He takes over the business segment’s leadership from Dr. Rick Michelman as he transitions to president CEO. Griffith will maintain his leadership over organization-wide Marketing in the EMEA region, and the Agriculture business segment. He came to Michelman in 2016 with almost 30 years’ experience in the chemical industry, where he held senior and executive leadership positions at The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich., U.S.), ExxonMobil (Irving, Texas, U.S.) and Jindal Films (LaGrange, Ga., U.S.), including assignments in Europe, Asia and the U.S.

Jason Wise, Michelman’s chief financial and risk officer.

Jason Wise, appointed CFO in 2019, will assume the role of chief financial and risk officer responsible for the direction and operations of Michelman’s Finance, Accounting, Legal, Regulatory and Environmental Health & Safety functions. Before joining Michelman in 2012, Wise held senior-level managerial and auditing positions at global, mid-to-large-sized market companies, including Baker Concrete Construction (Monroe, Ohio, U.S.), Sun Chemical (Parsippany-Troy Hills, N.J, U.S.), Deloitte (New York, N.Y., U.S.) and Arthur Anderson (St. Charles, Ill., U.S.).

Kreg Keesee, Michelman COO.

Kreg Keesee will remain as COO after being appointed in 2020. He joined Michelman in 2016 as chief supply chain officer and has since transitioned to chief administrative officer and then COO. He currently has leadership and management responsibility for Human Resources, Operations, Supply Chain and Information Technology. Before joining Michelman, Mr. Keesee worked in finance at Procter & Gamble (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) and held senior and executive leadership positions with Sun Chemical. At Sun Chemical, he had a series of posts with increasing responsibility, including VP global supply chain, VP global business transformation and chief information officer and VP – sun graphics division.

“These executive appointments provide leadership continuity and support the momentum we have for delivering on our purpose of innovating a sustainable future,” acknowledges Steve Shifman, the company’s outgoing president and CEO. “We have deployed exceptional talent to ensure that we continue to be more vital and impactful than ever before, as there is increased demand for our sustainable solutions in the coatings, printing and packaging and fibers and composites markets.”

Shifman will transition to executive chair in 2022 after leading the company for nearly 20 years. During his tenure, Michelman has expanded its global footprint and significantly grown in size and profitability. As a result, more than 50% of its business is currently being generated outside of the U.S.

Shifman adds, “It’s an exciting time at Michelman. Our foundation is strong, and we are committed to building the business for generations to come.”