Valtris Specialty Chemicals, a leading global manufacturer of a comprehensive portfolio of specialty additives, announced the recent appointments of several senior executives. Each will play a key role driving improved service and reliability to our customers and fueling Valtris’ growth and profitability over the next several years. Each leader has decades of experience delivering growth and profitability at global blue-chip chemical companies. These leaders will be members of Valtris’ Executive Leadership Team, report to Chief Executive Officer Mike McGaugh, and be based in Valtris’ Midland, Michigan office.

Jane Zdrojewski joined Valtris on April 20th as Commercial Vice President – Americas. Ms. Zdrojewski will lead the sales and customer service functions for both North and Latin America regions. In this role, she is responsible for driving business growth, strengthening customer relationships, and improving service levels for customers.

Ms. Zdrojewski comes to Valtris with over 35 years in Sales and Marketing roles at Dow Inc. (“Dow”) (NYSE:DOW). Most recently, Ms. Zdrojewski served as Senior Director, Supply Chain and Customer Experience at Dow. Ms. Zdrojewski held several Global Marketing and Sales Leadership roles at Dow and is an expert in commercial leadership, channel strategy, and customer experience. Ms. Zdrojewski earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Management from Northwood University.

David Brandt joined Valtris on June 15th as Vice President of Global Manufacturing. In this role, Mr. Brandt will have strategic oversight of Valtris’ seven production sites globally, with a focus on improving safety, quality, reliability, and productivity. With more than 30 years of chemical manufacturing experience, Mr. Brandt will strengthen Valtris’ manufacturing foundation through operational excellence, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement.

Prior to joining Valtris, Mr. Brandt had over 30 years leading high-performing manufacturing organizations at DuPont de Nemours Inc. (NYSE:DD), Dow Chemical, Hemlock Semiconductor, and Dow Corning Corporation. Most recently, Mr. Brandt served as the Global Operations Leader of DuPont’s Water Solutions business. Mr. Brandt holds an M.B.A. from Central Michigan University and a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Raymond Hudack joined Valtris on June 22nd as Vice President – Performance Additives. Mr. Hudack is responsible for leading the business strategy, growth, and P&L of Valtris’ Performance Additives portfolio. Mr. Hudack brings more than 25 years in product, asset, and business leadership roles in the chemicals and advanced materials industries. He has a strong track record of growing businesses and improving profitability by better serving customer needs with technologically advantaged offerings.

Prior to Valtris, he served as Global Business Director at PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) for its Optical Materials & Coatings business, which provides innovative material solutions for eyeglasses manufacturers. Prior to his time at PPG, Mr. Hudack spent more than 13 years at Dow in various commercial and business leadership roles across several specialty chemical businesses and performance-driven applications. He holds an M.B.A. from the Ross School of Business and an M.S. and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Rochester.

Layne Schroeder joined Valtris on July 1st as Senior Vice President of Supply Chain & Procurement. Mr. Schroeder is responsible for the strategic leadership of the global supply chain and purchasing functions across the organization and all Valtris locations. Mr. Schroeder has a proven 15-year track record of improving customer service levels, decreasing costs, and growing shareholder value.

Mr. Schroeder most recently served as Vice President of Operations at Myers Tire Supply, an operating segment of Myers Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MYE), where he led procurement, supply chain, and customer service. Prior to his tenure at Myers Industries, he worked at Drew Marine and Dow in several procurement and supply chain leadership roles. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration with specializations in Operations and Logistics Management from The Ohio State University. He is also an APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP).

“Jane, Dave, Ray, and Layne are world-class chemical industry executives who will drive the transformation of Valtris. Each of these leaders has a proven track record of growing a company’s revenue and profit by better serving customers. We have great products, but we needed to improve our customer service levels, in order to take Valtris to the next level – these executives will do exactly that,” said Mike McGaugh, Valtris’ CEO.

ABOUT VALTRIS

Valtris, headquartered in Independence, Ohio, is a global leader in specialty performance additives, offering innovative sustainable solutions and products to customers around the world. With strong technical expertise and best-in-class formulation capabilities, Valtris develops products that provide essential performance properties to polymer end-use applications in the coatings, adhesives and sealants, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, lubricant, and personal care industries. The Company operates seven manufacturing locations across North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.valtris.com.

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