Materials
Charlie Crew was named president and CEO of Sabic Innovative Plastics (the former GE Plastics; www.geplastics.com), replacing Brian Gladden, who left the firm to become CFO at computer maker Dell. Crew joined GE Plastics in 1977 as an account manager, and over the years held a variety of roles with increasing responsibility. Most recently he was vice president and general manager of Sabic Innovative Plastics’ global ventures business.

James Rogers, president of Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, TN) and head of the supplier’s chemicals and fibers business group, will be promoted to president and CEO, effective following the company’s annual meeting of stockholders on May 7, 2009. Rogers has been at Eastman since 1999. Brian Ferguson, who has been chairman and CEO since 2002, will continue to hold these positions through the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders, and then will serve as executive chairman of the board through 2010.

Greg Babe became president and CEO of Bayer Corp., the North American unit of the Leverkusen, Germany based conglomerate, Bayer Group, replacing Attila Molnar, who retired on Oct. 1 after 30 years with the company. Babe will remain president and CEO of Bayer MaterialScience in North America—a position he’s held since 2004.

Chris Pappas was made president and COO of plastics and chemicals manufacturer Nova Chemicals Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA) effective Jan. 1. Pappas, who was Nova’s senior VP and COO, was promoted to lead “day-to-day operations” according to a press release. Jeffrey Lipton will stay on as CEO.

Following a restructuring of its executive board, polymer producer Borealis (Vienna, Austria) named Mark Garrett is its new chief executive and chairman. He was joined by Borealis executives Herbert Willerth, who will continue as executive VP of operations, and Henry Sperle, who took on the new executive VP position for the Middle East and Asia. Two new members joined the board. Martin Kuzaj is in charge of the company’s base chemicals (olefins, phenol, aromatics, melamine, and plant nutrients) business, and Daniel J. Shook will act as CFO.

Engineering plastics supplier Kraton Polymers LLC (Houston) named Kevin Fogarty as president and CEO effective Jan. 14, 2008, succeeding George Gregory, who leaves Kraton after three and a half years. Gregory will stay on as an advisor to Kraton through June 30. In addition, Kraton’s board named David Bradley as COO. Fogarty was promoted from executive VP, which he was since June 2005. He joined the company in May 2004 from polyethylene terephthalate supplier Invista, where he acted as president for polymer and resins. Bradley was promoted from the position of VP operations, which he held since September 2004. He joined Kraton in April 2004, coming over from General Electric.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (Irving, TX) announced a series of changes at its executive level, including the expected election of Michael Dolan as senior VP of Exxon Mobil, and the naming of Stephen Pryor to president of ExxonMobil Chemical Co. and Sherman Glass to president of ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co. Dolan was the president of ExxonMobil Chemical, which includes the company’s plastics and elastomers businesses. Pryor was the president of ExxonMobil Refining & Supply, while Glass was a senior VP Exxon Mobil Chemical.

Greg Garland was elected by Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.’s (The Woodlands, TX) board of directors as the company’s new president and CEO, replacing Raymond Wilcox, who retired. Garland was Chevron Phillips Chemical’s senior vice president for planning and specialty chemicals. From 1992 to 1994 he worked in the company’s K-Resin business unit.

Biobased resin manufacturer Metabolix Inc. (Cambridge, MA) named Richard P. Eno as its president and CEO, replacing Jay Kouba who had served as Metabolix chairman, president, and CEO since May 2007. Eno came to Metabolix from CRA International, where he was a VP leading the global oil and gas business. Prior to that, he worked with Arthur D. Little for 12 years, eventually becoming a VP in its chemicals practice.

Bioresin producer Cereplast Inc. (Hawthorne, CA) tapped the former head of polyolefin giant Basell’s North American operations, Randy Woelfel, as its new president and COO. Woelfel oversees day-to-day operations and reports to Frederic Scheer, who remains Cereplast’s chairman and CEO.

Renewable plastics and chemicals manufacturer Novomer Inc. (Boston, MA) moved its headquarters to Ithaca, NY and named Jim Mahoney as its new chief executive officer. Novomer also named Peter Shepard as vice president of business development. Mahoney comes to Novomer from Surface Logix, where he served as CEO. The company said that it will maintain business development and marketing in Boston, growing R&D in Ithaca near the technology’s birthplace of Cornell University.

Louis M. Maresca was named president and COO of composite plastics supplier Argosy International (New York) by Paul Marks, company chairman and CEO. Maresca came to Argosy from thermoplastic elastomer producer GLS Corp., where he was VP of operations. His past experience also includes stints with the former Great Lakes Chemical and Geon Co.

Tom Drye was promoted from director of sales and marketing, a position he's held since August 2005, to managing director of specialty compounder Techmer Lehvoss Compounds (TLC; Clinton, TLC). Drye came to TLC from the former GE Plastics, where he spent more than 20 years.

Myles Odaniell was appointed president and CEO of extruded sheet supplier Spartech Corp. (St. Louis, MO). Odaniell replaced Randy Martin, who had filled the president and CEO positions on an interim basis and returned to being Spartech’s CFO. Odaniell came to Spartech from additives and chemical supplier Chemtura, where he was executive VP of specialty chemicals. Prior to that, he spent 21 years with specialty chemicals company Cytec Industries.

Machinery/equipment supply

In the spring, Ron Brown announced that he would retire as chairman, president, and CEO of Milacron Inc. (Cincinnati, OH). Brown joined Milacron in 1980, working in various positions. He eventually moved from chief financial officer, president, and chief operating officer, to chairman and chief executive officer in 2001. In 2003, Brown took the role of Milacron president from Harold Faig, who himself had served Milacron for 36 years, with Brown holding all three top positions for the last five years.

Brown’s successor was named in November, with Dave Lawrence becoming president, CEO, and board member of Milacron effective Dec. 1. Lawrence has spent 35 of his 58 years in plastics, including the past five years as president of global mold technologies for Milacron’s D-M-E business. Lawrence joined D-M-E in 1988; Milacron acquired the company in 1996.

Following the ascension of Dave Lawrence to president, CEO, and board member of Milacron effective Dec. 1, the company announced further moves at its upper reaches, with long-time CFO Ross A. Anderson becoming president - machinery technologies North America. Anderson replaced 35-year Milacron veteran David J. Bertke, who retired at year’s end. Current treasurer John C. Francy became VP - finance and CFO, taking over for Anderson. Robert C. McKee moved from president of global industrial fluids to become head of the global mold technologies segment. In addition, Controller Danny L. Gamez was named a VP with additional responsibilities.

After years as the head of Milacron’s plastics machinery division, Karlheinz Bourdon became managing director of the injection molding machinery division of KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH (KM; Munich, Germany). Bourdon had an earlier stint at KM as manager of its systems technology unit, holding this post from 1990 until he joined Ferromatik Milacron, Milacron’s European injection molding machine operation, as director of development and design. He subsequently became production manager, plant manager, and in 2000, was appointed managing director of Ferromatik Milacron. A year later, he took on responsibility for all of Milacron’s European machinery manufacturing, and in 2003 was named president of Milacron’s global plastics machinery business.

Mart Tiismann succeeded Gérard Stricher as president and CEO of stretch blowmolding and beverage packaging machine manufacturer Sidel (Le Havre, France), effective Jan. 1. Tiismann joined Sidel in 2005 as executive VP, leading industrial operations and product R&D activities. His prior experience came with Scania, Eaton, Ingersoll-Rand, and Esab. Stricher plans to retire in April at the age of 60. He joined Sidel in 2001 and has been its head since 2002. In 2005, Stricher oversaw the merger of Sidel and Simonazzi.

Bernd Reifenhäuser joined Klaus and Ulrich Reifenhäuser in management of the cast- and blown-film extruder manufacturing business that bears their surname. Bernd Reifenhäuser was appointed CEO of the holding company Reifenhäuser GmbH & Co. KG Maschinenfabrik, taking on coordination of the strategic development within the Reifenhäuser Group. He also became co-CEO of Reifenhäuser Extrusion and manages Reifenhäuser’s extruder manufacturing line and component business with his brother Klaus.

John Ulcej, who participated in the management buyout of the company, was named the new president of cast-film die manufacturer EDI (Chippewa Falls, WI). He also became vice chairman in charge of technology. Ulcej had acted as the company’s executive vice president in charge of engineering and technology. Dennis Paradise, who was EDI’s North American sales manager, was named vice president of sales and marketing. Assuming the position of technology manager was Sam Iuliano, previously the company’s product manager.

Peter Grolla became managing director at thermoforming machine manufacturer Gabler Thermoform GmbH & KG (Luebeck, Germany), joining the previous managing director Sören Kayser. Grolla, who already had worked in the gabler group’s separate machine manufacturing division.

Trade groups and associations

After guiding The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Arlington, VA) for more than three years, Jack Gerard stepped down as president and CEO and replaced Red Cavaney as head of American Petroleum Institute. Over his 30 months, the ACC added 33 new members and pushed the association’s books into the black. Roughly a month after Gerard’s announcement, the ACC’s board selected Cal Dooley to act as ACC’s president and CEO. Dooley was president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Assn. (GMA), and also served seven terms as a representative in the U.S. Congress.

The Vinyl Institute (VI; Arlington, VA) hired Gregory Bocchi as its president, effective May 1, 2008. Bocchi came to VI from The Powder Coating Institute, where he served as the chief staff executive for the organization.

Catherine Randazzo, COO and executive vice president of the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI; Washington, DC), left the association after 29 years to lead The Sulphur Institute as its president and CEO. Randazzo, who joined SPI in 1979, filled a variety of positions there, becoming the executive VP in 2003 and adding COO responsibilities the following year. Randazzo’s final day at the SPI was May 2, with her work at the Washington, DC-based Sulphur Institute starting on May 5.

Jacques van Rijckevorsel, a member of plastics supplier Solvay’s executive committee, was named the new PlasticsEurope president after being elected at the association’s General Assembly in Ferrera, Italy. He replaced John Taylor as association head, with Günter Hilken (Bayer MaterialScience), Martin Pugh (Ineos Nova), and Anton de Vries (LyondellBasell) elected as vice presidents.

Bernhard Borgardt was elected president of the European processors association (EuPC, Brussels, Belgium). He previously acted as chairman of the group’s packaging division. He also held management positions with Bebo Plastik, RPC Group, PLM, and Schmalbach-Lubeca. Borgardt replaced David A. Williams as EuPC president, who served for the last six years.