BROADVIEW, Ill.—Two materials industry veterans have new roles at Star Thermoplastic Alloys & Rubbers.
Krishna Venkataswamy has been appointed executive vice president of business development. In this newly created role, he'll lead business development, marketing and innovation, officials with Broadview-based Star said in a Dec. 17 news release.
Venkataswamy joined Star in January 2019 as vice president of business development and technical marketing.
Venkaswatamy said that Star "has a lot of plans under way."
"We're looking at everything where TPEs go, whether it's transportation, medical, consumer or electronics," he added. "We have customers in everything from sporting goods to pet toys, and we're big in automotive."
Star employs between 60 and 80 and generates most of its sales from North America, although Venkaswatamy said the firm currently is working on projects involving Europe and Australia.
Venkataswamy has more than 30 years of industry experience, including stints at materials firms Interface Performance Materials and PolyOne Corp. He's received numerous honors during his career, including the Society of Plastics Engineers' Research & Engineering Technology Award in 2012 and the SPE Fellow Award in 2006.
Star officials said that Venkataswamy "brings a strong domain expertise, passion for innovation and visionary leadership to the organization."
Stephen Samluk was appointed vice president of sales. He joined Star as national sales director in July 2018. He has more than 30 years of industry experience, including stints at PolyOne Corp. and DuPont Co.
Star officials said that Samluk "was instrumental in building great teams and driving double-digit business growth." They added that the appointments of Venkataswamy and Samluk "put a laser focus" on customer service and driving growth of the commercial footprint.
"We are confident in our ability to execute on our aggressive growth agenda," CEO and President Tom Dieschbourg said in the release. "I'm very excited to have Steve and Krishna on the executive team to drive our company's growth."
Star makes compounds based on several types of thermoplastic elastomers for automotive, medical and other markets.