Paragon Plastics, an affiliate of Professional Plastics, Inc., welcomed a new Inside Sales Representative.

Alex Munoz joined Paragon Plastics as an Inside Sales Representative based in Santa Ana, CA. In his role, Munoz will serve as a reliable source for all new and existing customers, solidifying business relationships by meeting and exceeding customer requests. Additionally, he will provide customers with in-depth knowledge of product lines and applications, showcasing his industry expertise. Munoz brings over 12 years of plastic distribution experience in both operations and sales.

The Tandem Group announced a new hire.

Andrea Smith was hired as an outside sales representative for The Tandem Group. Smith will be covering Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and the Dakotas, bringing valuable expertise in management to strengthen our presence in these regions. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management, along with a master’s degree in sports management. Her experience with leadership roles and managing sports organizations showcases her skill in building professional relationships. The Tandem Group is excited about the positive impact she’ll bring to our team.

ROWMARK LLC is pleased to announce the hiring of Zachary Finch as Sales Representative.

Before joining Rowmark, Finch spent four years in various management and support roles with Grimco, most recently as Branch Manager. Overall, Finch has more than eight years of experience in customer support and account management with various companies.

“I’m thrilled to start working with Rowmark customers to help them grow their businesses,” said Finch. “Rowmark has so many fantastic products available, and with the new extrusion line, there’s an opportunity for customers to get materials they haven’t had access to previously.”

“It’s an exciting time at Rowmark, and we’re happy to have Zachary on the team,” said Rowmark Business Development Manager Chris Holland. “Zachary brings a lot of experience and energy to the company, and we’re excited about the opportunities he’ll have to share with our customers.”

Zachary received his Bachelor of Science from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL, USA.

Curbell Plastics, Inc. recently promoted David Buchholtz to Business Manager for Films & Tapes.

Buchholtz, formerly Senior Product Specialist, spent the early years of his career in plastics distribution followed by a number of years working for polycarbonate film manufacturers. Four years ago, he joined Curbell, responsible for business development and market growth for films and tapes in the Western United States and Texas, supporting sales teams in those areas.

His previous years of experience combined with his years at Curbell have prepared him to lead a knowledgeable, seasoned team of film and tape experts that serve customers nationwide. Buchholtz feels his experience on both sides of the industry has provided him with valuable insights into working with material processors as well as supporting customers with material specification for a large variety of applications.

Additionally, Curbell Plastics has a dedicated, state-of-the-art plastic films conversion facility in Raynham, MA USA offering a full range of services. All of their film products can be converted to custom roll or sheet sizes for customers nationwide. Capabilities include: die-cutting, guillotining, interleaving, laminating, masking, perforating, re-rolling, sheeting, slitting, spooling, and tipping.

“My goal is to make it as easy as possible for our customers to work with our Films & Tapes group to grow their business,” said Buchholtz. “I am fortunate to lead an extremely experienced and dedicated team that’s eager to provide continued support to customers across the country, and assist with growing business in new markets for Curbell”.

AGRU America, Inc. has officially launched its latest outreach campaign, “Global Company, Local Impact.” AGRU exhibited at the 2024 Pathways 2 Possibilities South Carolina (P2PSC) event in Myrtle Beach to kick off the new outreach campaign in early January.

“Our new campaign empowers our team to sponsor and participate in model community events that shape our futures,” said Yuse Lajiminmuhip, Head of Marketing at AGRU America. “We designed the campaign to recognize our role as a global company in fostering community growth through local initiatives that will have an impact. We are excited to collaborate with our regions’ leading non-profits and government bodies to support programs with a proven track record.”

While AGRU has sponsored P2PSC and other organizations for many years, the new campaign encourages hands-on participation and engagement, which multiplies the impact of every funding dollar.

“Our technical team offers industry-leading support across all our product groups,” said Anthony Johnson, Head of the Technical Product Support Team, “by collaborating with marketing and outreach, we can bring our expertise front-and-center to a wider audience and find new ways to improve our communication.”

The P2PSC event, designed to give eighth graders in the region a glimpse of possible career paths for their future, brings young people and local businesses together. For the 2024 P2PSC event, AGRU designed three activities with a pipe-building activity as the headline station. The station challenged hundreds of students to a team-building, critical-thinking exercise illustrating the value of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes in various applications. Those curious to learn more were directed to the other stations to learn about our design and technical processes, resins, and manufacturing and shown how engineering plastics can be utilized across many industries and applications.

“AGRU has been in the United States for more than 35 years. In that time, we’ve grown from a small operation into a multi-state, multi-site operation,” said Robert L. Johnson, President and CEO at AGRU America. “The Gruber family has led our family-owned business for three generations. They know the value of community engagement and have given AGRU America the mandate to launch new efforts in this area. We are thrilled by the wonderful reception by the P2PSC organizers and state officials and are proud of our team’s execution of this outreach mandate.”

Harrington Process Solutions announced the acquisition of PumpMan, a leading provider of onsite maintenance, repair, and replacement for all components in water and wastewater pumping systems. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2016, PumpMan has grown quickly through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions, building a strong and recognizable brand with a broad geographic footprint. Over the past seven years, the Company has expanded to 11 locations, stretching across the United States from Southern California to the New York metropolitan area. As a leading provider of onsite or offsite repair, replacement and maintenance services for pumps, motors, controls, valves, water wells and other flow control equipment, PumpMan has built a strong market presence in the municipal, industrial and commercial markets.

PumpMan will provide a strong complement to Harrington’s broad range of comprehensive flow-control solutions. Customers and suppliers have long turned to Harrington for its pump distribution expertise. PumpMan will add robust pump service capabilities to the platform, further establishing Harrington as a leading flow control specialist for critical industries that require timely technical solutions.

“Harrington has built an exceptional business on the strength of great technical expertise, a broad range of products, and a nationwide network led by the most passionate employees in the industry,” said Bob Graham, CEO of Harrington. “Adding a leading pump services competency to our family of products and services will bring beneficial synergies for our customers as we continue to strengthen our position in the water markets. We are tremendously excited to partner with PumpMan to add even greater value to our platform as we rapidly grow.”

“I’m very proud of the team we have built at PumpMan and the rapid national expansion we have experienced over the past seven years,” said Don Devine, CEO of PumpMan. “Harrington’s leading presence in a broad range of markets will accelerate our organic expansion and continue to position us for growth via acquisition while we further develop the reputation for outstanding service that we are known for.”