Industry People

The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the global authority in materials protection and performance, has named Avik Samanta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of South Florida, as the distinguished recipient of the 2026 Dr. A. John Sedriks Seed Grant.

MicroCare has hired Kevin Castonguay to serve as senior director of marketing for MicroCare. 

Gema USA Inc., a Graco Inc. company, announced the addition of Ryan Dudney as Territory Manager for the Southcentral United States.

The Powder Coating Institute announced the appointment of Kerry Crockett as its new Executive Director.

MicroCare, a provider of precision cleaning fluids, specialty chemicals, and application tools, announced the appointment of Doug Kay as Director of Market and New Business Development.

Hubbard-Hall has appointed Stephen Boyd as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), bringing extensive financial and manufacturing experience to the company's executive team.

Corey Williams Sr. has been named General Manager of Dixon Hard Chrome, an aerospace and aircraft plating specialist headquartered in Sun Valley, California.

PPG announced the appointment of John Smith to vice president, architectural coatings, EMEA.

Ronatec C2C announced that industry veteran David Fumia has joined the company to lead and expand Ronatec’s Upper USA Northeast operations.

Seacole has promoted Account Specialist Leighton Wellman to Sales Manager of the Surface Finishing and Printed Wiring Board business segment, stepping into the role previously held by Tyler Thomas, who has been promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing.

Seacole announced the promotion of Sales Manager Tyler Thomas to Director of Sales and Marketing.

Beckers Group has appointed Tatjana Thiel as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), effective 1 June 2026.

Allegheny Coatings named Bob Lund as its new President.

Apogee Architectural Metals announces Peter Dyer as its regional sales manager for the company’s newly established Northwest region.

3P Processing in Wichita, Kansas, a provider of metal processing and finishing solutions to the aerospace industry, announced the appointment of Ben Murrell as Chief Executive Officer.

Sharretts Plating Company announced a strategic expansion into wafer-level metallization for semiconductor and microelectronics applications by hiring John Ghekiere.

With a focus on building strong, lasting relationships with customers throughout the eastern U.S., Billy Welshoff joins Gannon & Scott as an Account Executive.

Keyland Polymer Material Sciences announced a series of leadership transitions that further support the company’s continued growth and long-term strategic vision.

Chemeon Surface Technology, a global leader in environmentally responsible metal surface engineering solutions, announced the elevation and consolidation of its executive leadership into a streamlined, exclusively C-level structure.

Apogee Architectural Metals has named Mike Pedersen as vice president of design and technical services.

Apogee Architectural Metals in Wausau, Wisconsin, appointed Rama Menon as vice president of product management and marketing for Apogee Architectural Metals.