Preferred promotes one, adds another to leadership team

BARBERTON—Preferring Compounding Corp. is making some changes to its leadership team.

Scott Lieberman has been promoted to executive vice president for Preferred Compounding and president of Preferred Compounding de Mexico. The company said he will assume companywide responsibility for all customers with operations in Mexico

Marc Pignataro, who the firm said has more than two decades experience in the chemical, metal, polymer and rubber industries, has joined the company as vice president of sales and business development and will manage sales for most of the U.S.

Pignataro is replacing Joe Hudson, who will retire in mid-June. Hudson, who joined Preferred in 2008, has been elected to the board of directors and will continue to serve as an adviser to the company. He joined Preferred in 2008.

In a news release, Preferred said significant growth over the past five years prompted it to name two executives to managing sales, business development and customer relationships.

“Scott and Marc are highly capable leaders with deep industry experience and real commitment to the quality of our relationships we develop with new and existing customers,” Ken Bloom, Preferred president and CEO, said in a news release. “With them, we expect to continue to earn business by focusing on excellent fundamentals while delivering added value for each customer.”

Lieberman joined Preferred as vice president of strategic initiatives in 2011 and became general manager for Preferred Compounding de Mexico in 2012 when the company acquired that operation. Since then, the Mexico operation has expanded twice, and Preferred revenues overall have doubled.

Lieberman also will manage sales for the Southwest U.S. He will continue to split time between Mexico and his primary office in Ann Arbor, Mich.

“Everywhere I represent Preferred, companies have welcomed the flexibility with which we are willing to serve them and our commitment to quality and support,” Lieberman said in a statement. “I'm looking forward to continue to expand and enhance the added value the Preferred team can bring to the table for each customer.”

Pignataro will report directly to Bloom and will have his office at the Barberton headquarters. will be The regional sales managers for the North, Central, Midwest, MidSouth and Southeast territories in the U.S. will report to Pignataro

“This is an exciting time for Preferred,” Pignataro said in a statement. “I am looking forward to building on what Joe and everyone at Preferred have accomplished by continuing to focus on servicing the customer while executing the growth and expansion targeted as a platform company for Audax Private Equity.”

Pignataro joins Preferred from SRC Worldwide, a global producer of premium magnesium fluxes and anhydrous magnesium chloride, where he was president and CEO. He previously worked for Flow Polymers, a manufacturer of proprietary and custom chemical dispersions, process aids and homogenizing agents and was a member of the leadership team at Excel Polymers for a nearly a decade, including serving as president and general manager for operations in China.

He also worked for Ferro Corp., which supplies glass-based coatings, pigments and colors and polishing materials, and at tire maker BF Goodrich in a variety of sales and technical positions. Pignataro earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and a master's in business administration from Baldwin-Wallace College.

Lieberman was North American sales manager for Excel Polymers before joining Preferred. He served as director of automotive sales for Schaeffler K.G., senior account manager and several other positions for Freudenberg-NOK, applications engineer for Bates Fabricating and as a manufacturing process engineer for Ford Motor Co. He earned a bachelor's degree from Lawrence Technological University.

Preferred Compounding supplies proprietary and custom mixed rubber compounds to customers including molders, extruders, mixers and others in the rubber goods market, serving the automotive, construction, power generation and roll goods industries.