People &
Places
Oscar Esparza
Tyler Gehring
Gehring was promoted to Outside Sales Manager based out of Cleveland, OH, USA, where he will drive sales and growth initiatives across the Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia territories. As he leads a team of outside sales reps, he is dedicated to bringing continued value and growth to the company, while also mentoring and educating new sales reps to do the same. Gehring has been in the plastics industry for seven years, all of which have been with Professional Plastics. He has achieved several promotions within the company and has received numerous recognitions for his hard work, including the Cleveland branch’s Employee of the Year award.
Monroe
Monroe’s career with Asahi/America spans more than 11 years, during which time he has successfully served in various capacities within the company’s sales organization. His most recent role at Asahi/America was the Regional Sales Manager for the Central Region of the United States.
Monroe’s overall experience and knowledge of our industry will serve him well in his new role as the Regional Vice President of East and Central Regions.
Hausserman
Hausserman has been with Rowmark for 24 years, with his most recent role being President of TRG. During his tenure at TRG, he has been responsible for all aspects of manufacturing, warehouse management and domestic and international distributor relations. Additionally, Hausserman has been directly involved in numerous strategic acquisitions that have led to product growth and diversification for TRG.
Leaning on his extensive experience in polymer science, he’s been the driver for advancements in Rowmark engravable sheet materials, including innovative products such as LaserGlow, a laser engravable glow-in-the-dark safety signage material and EcoMark, the industry’s first engravable sheet product made from post-consumer recycled plastics.
Hausserman has been an active member of the plastics industry for 35 years. He is a member of the IAPD Environmental Committee and the Advisory Board for Bowling Green State University’s Advanced Manufacturing Continuing Education Program.
Angelini
Interstate Advanced Materials (IAM) announced Anthony Angelini’s appointment to Co-CEO. Anthony will collaborate with current CEO Cole Klokkevold, bringing a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to the company’s leadership team as it continues to accelerate its growth into new and existing markets.
Anthony Angelini joins IAM with an extensive background in driving growth in IT-enabled service businesses. With decades of experience leading companies that offer custom manufacturing and fulfillment solutions to large organizations, Angelini will enhance IAM’s ability to scale its solutions within its customer base. Throughout his career, Angelini has successfully managed strategic relationships across the supply chain, from vendors to end customers, ensuring ultimate customer satisfaction. His commitment to customer-focused solutions aligns perfectly with IAM’s foundational values of transparency and exceptional customer service.
“Anthony’s extensive experience in providing high-value supply chain solutions to leading enterprise customers across multiple industries comes at a pivotal time as IAM is experiencing accelerating growth and market expansion. His expertise in building relationships with our customers, employees, and strategic suppliers will further reinforce our position within the industry,” said Cole Klokkevold, Co-CEO of Interstate Advanced Materials.
Schneekloth
The 48-year-old industrial engineer Schneekloth comes from the automotive supplier ETO Gruppe Technologies GmbH. There, he held the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), with responsibility for the production plants, purchasing, digitalisation and sustainability.
After studying in Berlin and Rome, Schneekloth held various positions at CNH and Iveco Magirus. Most recently, he was Manufacturing Director with the OEM companies belonging to the Fiat Group, where he was responsible for several plants across Europe. In 2018, the father of three switched to the ETO Group, a global market leader in electromagnetic valves and actuators used in cars and utility vehicles. In 2021 he was appointed second Managing Director of the ETO Group.
Björn Schneekloth, Ralph Pernizsak and Roland Reber will lead Ensinger as equal Managing Directors. With the expansion of the management team, the company is driving forward the transition from the current divisional structure to a functional and regionally oriented organization.
Fórizs
Fórizs is the managing director and owner of the family company Plastrong Kft in Hungary. He studied business in Budapest and later acquired his MBA in London. He has been on the EPDA board since 2019 and was elected Vice President in Nice. Fórizs sees plastic as the material of the 21st century, even though plastic is seen as a polluter of the environment, today’s life would be unimaginable without plastic.
“Together with the board, I want our association to move along in the field of circular economy and increase the number of distributor members. The EPDA gives us a true European perspective on the industry, a great opportunity for a local distributor company,” said Fórizs in an EPDA press release.
The Build America Buy America Act (BABA) was created as a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and signed into law on November 15, 2021. The Act strengthens Made in America Laws and will bolster America’s industrial base, protect national security and support high-paying jobs.
Champion Fiberglass products have always been made in America at the Spring, TX, facility using American materials and labor.
“We’ve always been proud of our Made in America status and of our work on so many landmark American infrastructure projects. Utility projects like the Hoover Dam, bridges like the Golden Gate, tunnels, subway systems, mines, countless data centers, water treatment plants and airports are just some examples of work that we are proud to have contributed to. BABA certification is in our DNA. Our customers can continue to feel confident that they are supporting American jobs, an American company, and the American economy,” said Champion Fiberglass CEO Christopher Kissel.
The Topeka, Kansas branch of Cope Plastics, Inc. has moved to Lenexa, KS. This move will increase the warehouse capacity by more than double, allowing the company to inventory a variety of plastic sheets, rods and tubes. Cope’s 9,750 sq. ft. of warehouse space in Lenexa will allow them to inventory many high-quality local plastic products. The branch will continue to offer the same level of customer service to their customer base while allowing them to increase inventory and reach.
The Lenexa branch is located 15 miles from Kansas City, KS in the metro Kansas City area. This team services the entire state of Kansas and the northwest territory of Missouri. This location houses a dedicated sales team as well as a team of fabrication experts who operate a CNC saw, drill press and strip heaters for bending plastic, allowing Cope’s fabrication services team to support you with custom plastic parts, prototypes or simple cut-to-size jobs.
Additionally, the branch will acquire a larger delivery truck and will be able to deliver to the Kansas City metro and surrounding areas. For customers who prefer to pick up, this location will provide bigger and better dock access for ease of pickup.
“We are excited to announce the branch relocation. Having a larger warehouse and delivery truck will allow us to better serve our existing and new customers in the entire Kansas City Metro area,” said Kirk Wallace, Central Regional Director.
The new Lenexa branch location is fully operational as of July 1, 2024.
Lubrizol Corporation announces a land acquisition.
The Lubrizol Corporation announced on July 30, 2024, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding to purchase a 120-acre plot in Aurangabad, India, where it plans to construct a new manufacturing facility to support the region’s growing transportation and industrial fluid markets. The initial phase of the project represents a projected investment of approximately US$200 million, the company’s largest ever in India, and builds on previously committed investment in the region.
The plant will become the company’s second-largest manufacturing facility globally and its largest manufacturing facility in India when completed. Construction will progress in phases over the next several years with room for future expansion.
“Lubrizol has made meaningful investments in India for more than five decades,” said Flavio Kliger, President of Lubrizol Additives. “This new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will allow us to enhance our local capacity and capabilities for our Additives business with the potential to support other Lubrizol businesses and regions in the future.”
SkillsUSA has selected Kaden Stanczyk, an employee of Badger Plastics & Supply as the official competitor for CNC Milling in the 2024 WorldSkills Competition. Stanczyk will represent the United States at the 2024 WorldSkills Competition along with his WorldSkills technical expert J.R. Colvin. The prestigious international event will be held Sept. 10 – 15, 2024 in Lyon, France.
“The 2024 WorldSkills USA team will have an amazing opportunity to represent SkillsUSA and our nation while undergoing incredibly rigorous training in their craft,” said SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis. “These team members are making a serious commitment to both their skill development and personal growth that will foster their drive, passion and life’s purpose.”
Stanczyk is a precision machining student at Mid-State Technical College in Rapids, WI. He represented the state of Wisconsin in Precision Machining at the SkillsUSA Championships in 2022 and 2023 and won a national silver medal in Precision Machining in 2023.
“It’s an incredible honor and an achievement to be selected. Getting to this point has been a work in progress for me and I continue to learn and train. I have learned so much from my instructor and SkillsUSA advisor Mike Berry, my trainer and WorldSkills expert J.R. Colvin and my dad, Scott Stanczyk (also an employee of Badger Plastics & Supply),” said Stanczyk
The WorldSkills USA team will compete in several trade areas in the largest international showcase of skilled trades. The 47th WorldSkills Competition in 2024 will welcome 1,500 competitors from over 65 countries and regions to take part in 62 skill competitions at Eurexpo Lyon. The competition will showcase dozens of trade skills from construction and building technology, creative arts and fashion, information and communication technology, manufacturing and engineering, social and personal services and transportation and logistics.
A&C Plastics announced it has been named 50 on the Houston Chronicle’s list of Top 100 Privately Held Companies in Houston. Top private companies are named by the Houston Chronicle based on 2023 revenue and employment for privately held companies headquartered in Houston, TX, USA.