AKRON—Signet L.L.C. has organized four of its portfolio companies into a Chemical Specialties Division and has hired a new executive to oversee the unit.
The Akron investment and development company, which went by the name Signet Enterprises until a rebranding and reorganization a couple of years ago, also hired Kevin Williams as president of the new division, according to a news release.
The companies within the division he will oversee are:
- Sprayroq in Birmingham, Ala., which develops and makes applied resins for corrosion protection
- Sprayroq of China in Shanghai, which offers similar services in Asia
- Creative Polymer Solutions in Birmingham, Ala., which specializes in polymer technology for protective and structural coatings for commercial and public sectors
- Blue Grass Chemical Specialties in New Albany, Ind., a contract manufacturer and toll producer of custom chemical products
Williams comes to Signet from Univertical, an Indiana manufacturer of metal chemicals, where he served as president. Prior to that role, Williams was general manager of Univertical International in Suzhou, China. That experience gives him an edge in the industrial markets in which Sprayroq of China operates, Signet said.
"Signet's ownership philosophy has always been to build and expand our portfolio through insourcing and acquisition of like companies in order to get to a point of critical mass, where market saturation and industry brand awareness can be attained," Signet chairman Anthony Manna said in a statment. "We don't just buy and hold, we see where we can bring value and effective change to each company. The formation of this dedicated specialty chemical platform, and bringing in Kevin Williams to lead it, is the next step in that evolution."
Williams will be based in Birmingham and be responsible for overseeing the leadership teams at each of the new division's portfolio companies. Signet president and chief operating officer Mark Corr had been directing the companies.
"Kevin brings a high level of quality, expertise and experience to our organization, specifically in the areas of chemical manufacturing," Corr said in a statement. "This is a very exciting time for the entire Signet Chemical Specialty Division, as each of the individual operating units are experiencing rapid growth. Kevin has an outstanding reputation for leadership development, process management and product development in the chemical industry and is uniquely qualified to provide hands-on support and the guidance necessary to not only maintain but build upon our momentum."
Evidence of that growth: Creative Polymer Solutions this year plans to move into a larger facility that will allow it to increase capacity, and Blue Grass Chemical Specialties is seeing capital upgrades at its plant, the release said.
Williams will work to continue that upward trend and will focus on market development and brand awareness, Signet said.
"I am truly honored to join the Signet L.L.C. management team and lead each of these growing companies in the chemical manufacturing space," Williams said in a statement. "With the four companies now organized and aggregated into their own division, we will be afforded the opportunity to achieve more efficient growth as a team and exploit strategic synergies within the platform and the greater marketplace, without mitigating the individual strengths and value propositions of each company."