People in composites: December 2022

OSG USA highlights new hires, promotions

Donna Gialo, OSG USA Inc. vice president of marketing.

OSG USA Inc. (St. Charles, Ill., U.S.) a subsidiary of OSG Corp., announces the promotion of Donna Gialo to vice president of marketing, eCommerce and customer success, and the hiring of Rick Harris as OSG’s national accounts strategic manager.

Taking on an expanded role, Gialo, the former director of marketing, will be responsible for leading the company’s development and execution of marketing communications, sales support, eCommerce and customer experience strategies.

She started her career at OSG in 1998 and has held a variety of leadership roles in several areas, including marketing, finance, human resources and business intelligence. Prior to her role as vice president, Gialo was the director of marketing where she reportedly transformed marketing operations that led to the expansion of OSG’s social media platforms, integrated digital solutions and e-commerce business initiatives.

Gialo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and management, and a Master’s degree in business administration, specializing in business intelligence and analytics management.

“I have the pleasure of being supported by talented and dedicated individuals and am honored to be part of the team to develop new strategies and elevate the success of OSG and our brands,” she says.

Rick Harris, OSG USA national accounts strategic manager.

As of Oct. 31, 2022, Rick Harris join the OSG family to provide solutions to its customers as a national accounts strategic manager.

“When the opportunity to join a world-class manufacturer presented itself, I realized that the skills I have developed are perfect for my next step in life, driving profitable growth for a manufacturer like OSG,” Harris explains. “I am thrilled to join OSG, a supplier I have admired my whole career.”

Harris graduated from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) and from there, began his career in the industrial distribution world, driving profitable sales growth for his employers while improving productivity savings for end users. Harris started in the early 90s selling cutting tools and abrasives, and progressed to sales management in 2005, managing 13 salespeople across seven states in the upper Midwest.

The past 12 years, Harris has been involved in a mix of selling large and extra-large integrated supply solutions, sales management and metalworking product management.

KraussMaffei appoints new senior vice president of global sales

Tobias Daniel (right) and Robert Martin (left). 

As of Dec. 1, 2022, Bob Martin has taken over as global head of sales for the KraussMaffei Group (KMG, Munich, Germany). Martin succeeds Tobias Daniel, who left the company on Nov. 30 to pursue new professional challenges. He will report to Xiaojun Cui and will be based at the KraussMaffei location in Florence, Ken., U.S.

As the new senior vice president global sales (injection molding, extrusion, reaction process machinery, automation and additive manufacturing), Martin will also be responsible — in addition to the global strategic orientation of sales — for operational responsibility for the global sales of the KraussMaffei Group. His responsibilities include EMEA, APAC, LATAM and China along with North America.

Martin has extensive leadership experience in global sales, strategic planning and business development, gained over many years in senior management positions with a variety of companies in the automotive, engineering, aerospace and heavy industries. Most recently, he led commercial operations at Fives High Precision Machines (Hebron, Ken., U.S.), as president and chief commercial officer (CCO). Martin holds an Executive Master of business administration from Michigan State University (East Lansing) and a bachelor of business administration in finance from Walsh College (Troy, Mich., U.S.).

“We are very pleased to have Bob Martin, a proven executive, to lead our future sales initiatives,” Xiaojun Cui, executive vice president new machines, emphasizes. “Over the past four years, we have completely realigned our global sales organization thanks to his predecessor, Tobias Daniel. We will build on this solid foundation in the coming years by further optimizing and digitizing our global sales processes, global market coverage and directives. With Bob Martin, we have found the right expert for further transformation and we are looking forward to working together. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tobias Daniel for his outstanding work and commitment to the KraussMaffei Group. I wish him all the best for the future.”

BriskHeat names new president and CEO

BriskHeat Corp. (Columbus, Ohio, U.S.), a provider of flexible surface and immersion heating products, controllers and insulators, announces the retirement of Domenic Federico after serving as president and chief executive officer (CEO) for 22 years. BriskHeat has named Mike Thompson as the new president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Thompson has been with the company for 27 years, the last 15 as senior vice president of manufacturing.

During his years at BriskHeat, Federico is said to have increased the company’s growth tenfold. Under his leadership, BriskHeat has expanded from 100 employees to more than 900, based in six countries. In 2018, Federico led the sale of BriskHeat to Sweden-based Nibe Industrier (Markaryd), a global group of manufacturing companies with more than $3.7 billion in annual revenue and 15,000 employees worldwide.

“The real strength of BriskHeat over the years is in the people and the team we’ve been able to put together,” Federico states. “You must value your people to grow your business. The team we have in place now will forge on and expand, which means continued growth and opportunities for everyone at BriskHeat.”

Thompson brings 27 years of experience with BriskHeat to his new role, where he’s held key positions in manufacturing and sales. As BriskHeat continues to grow, Thompson will lead the company into its next era, which will include a new production facility in Costa Rica.

“As BriskHeat moves into the future, I believe we’re going to be reflecting on Domenic’s vision,” Thompson says. “We will build on our current success and continue to drive revenue growth. We will accomplish this through further market diversity and expanded customer base applications. My vision for BriskHeat is to be the world’s top, one-stop source for all surface heating solutions, temperature controls and insulating needs.”

Web Industries announces new CE0 and vice president, legal

John S. Madej, Web Industries CEO.

Web Industries Inc. (Marlborough, Mass., U.S.) has named industry veteran John S. Madej to serve as its next CEO. He succeeds retiring CEO, Mark Pihl, who will now assume the role of chairman of the board at the employee-owned company, following a 47-year career, 34 of which was in dedicated service to Web Industries.

Madej joined Web Industries as president in March 2022 after 13 years with Hollingsworth & Vose (H&V, East Walpole, Mass., U.S.), where he held the COO and CFO positions.

“I’m very much looking forward to my new role and helping John execute on our vision for the company,” newly appointed chairman of the board Mark Pihl says. “His successful track record across multiple industries will be invaluable in moving Web Industries toward our growth goals. As an employee-owned company, John’s inspirational leadership and proven strategic skills were very attractive to us. We’re all impressed with the progress our business teams are already making under his direction."

Before working at H&V, Madej spent 24 years at General Electric in the U.S. and Japan. He served as president and CEO for Exatec LLC (Wixom, Mich., U.S.), a GE-Bayer joint venture. 

“Web Industries has a successful history of global growth across some of today's most attractive market sectors,” Madej says. “Our people are experienced, innovative and dedicated, and I look forward to putting these advantages to work for our customers to improve their productivity, performance and profitability. At a time when supply chain challenges are intense, Web Industries has all the right capabilities and expertise, and a reputation for a high degree of collaboration with our partners.”

Amy Reardon Doherty, Web Industries vice president, legal.

Web Industries Inc. has also named Amy Reardon Doherty as vice president, legal. Over her career, Doherty has advised executives and business partners on a wide range of legal, financial, IP and business issues.

“Amy brings a blend of private practice and in-house counsel experience in corporate law to our team — particularly around contract manufacturing and the business-to-business arena,” Madej, Web Industries’ CEO says. “She has a long history and established network within the business sectors we serve and a real talent for negotiating and structuring agreements in these areas.”

Prior to joining Web Industries, Doherty counseled the automotive, manufacturing and global supply chain businesses at Bose Corp. (Framingham, Mass., U.S.) and led a team of product lawyers who supported the B2B businesses. Doherty also worked at employee-owned Nypro Inc., (Clinton, Mass., U.S.) advising the healthcare business division as well as Nypro’s strategic companies.

Doherty previously spent nearly a decade in private practice at the Boston office of law firm Goodwin Procter, where she worked on cases involving general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and financial restructuring. She earned her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law (Boston), her bachelor’s degree in political science from Tufts University (Medford) and has completed additional studies through Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning.

Stephen Gill celebrates 65 years with The Gill Corp.

Stephen Gill, chairman and CEO, The Gill Corp. 

Earlier this year Stephen Gill, chairman and CEO, celebrated his 65^th anniversary with The Gill Corp. (El Monte, Calif., U.S.), a company that makes composite materials used primarily in the aerospace industry. Gill began his career at the family business in 1957 working summers and vacations until his graduation from USC.

When he started, the company had about 15 people in a 10,000-square-foot building in South El Monte. After working in positions throughout the corporation, Stephen stepped into the role of CEO in 1991. Under his leadership the corporation has grown to four divisions worldwide, Stephen and the corporation have received numerous awards and recognitions from customers and industry institutions.

Commenting on his 65 years, Stephen says, “It has been a long road and I’ve enjoyed the changes, challenges and the people along the way. I’m not quitting now; I’m going for another 65!”

This is a milestone few people reach and the company is grateful for Gill’s leadership, wisdom and wit.