Braidy Industries Names Key Executives to Lead Greenfield Construction and Operations of $1.3 Billion Aluminum Mill in South Shore, Greenup County, Kentucky
Senior Executives appointed to manage construction, engineering, manufacturing, procurement, research and development, government relations, marketing and finance.
Corporate offices established in Ashland, KY.
ASHLAND, Ky., Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Braidy Industries, Inc. CEO Craig Bouchard announced today key executives to lead the company's initiative to build an aluminum rolling mill in South Shore, Kentucky, bringing 1000 construction jobs followed by 550 advanced manufacturing jobs to Kentucky's Appalachian region.
These individuals will oversee Construction, Engineering, Manufacturing, Human Resources, Procurement, Marketing, Government Relations, Sales, IT and Administration. The corporation also announced that it had opened its headquarters at 1544 Winchester Avenue, in Ashland's Community Trust Building.
"We are creating the lowest cost producer of sheet and plate aluminum for automotive, aerospace and defense," said CEO Craig Bouchard. "Central to our ability to accomplish this is our executive management team, who have a combined 200 years of industrial and management experience.
"We are delighted to bring this unprecedented collection of skills to bear on the Braidy Industries mission, as we deliver quality aluminum products and ultra-high strength alloys produced in Eastern Kentucky to our customers in the North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Our cost structure allows a global footprint."
The executive management team is comprised of the following individuals.
(Ret.) Brigadier General Blaine Holt, a 30-year veteran of the United States Air Force, becomes the Executive Vice President of Operations. General Holt has extensive logistics experience, including a Bronze Star for having orchestrated combat logistics operations under conditions of socio-political strife as Commander of the US Air Force base in the Kyrgyz Republic. He also earned the designation of being "the #1 Strategist and Innovator" by General Philip Breedlove, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, and the highest-ranking U.S. military official at NATO. General Holt comes to Braidy Industries following his tenure as President of Million Air, the World's #1 private aviation service provider.
Thomas Modrowski becomes Executive Vice President of Construction and Facilities. Having spent over 38 years in the metals industry, Mr. Modrowski has significant executive management experience in bringing exposed-grade metal sheet capacity to market. Mr. Modrowski was nominated to serve a senior role on the team that directed the design, installation, setup and subsequent management of a producer of nearly 900k tons annually of exposed coated metal sheet product. He also spearheaded the re-opening of the Electric Coating Technologies processing facility that was later acquired by Esmark. He joins Braidy Industries following his previous role as CEO of Advanced Alloy Processing, LLC, a stainless steel and aluminum processing and distribution company.
Alan Blankshain becomes Executive Vice President of Engineering. Mr. Blankshain spent 24 years in various senior operational and management positions in metals fabrication, most recently serving as President and CEO of Midland Metal Fabrication and Stamping. Mr. Blankshain holds a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Duke University and MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business.
Barrington Owens assumes the role of Executive Vice President of Manufacturing. Mr. Owens is a 25-year veteran of Alcoa, where he held many management positions, eventually becoming the President of the Distribution and Industrial Products section of Engineered Products, a $1 Billion annual business unit. Following his tenure at Alcoa, Mr. Owens joined Caterpillar, Inc., most recently serving as their Director of Innovation Incubator Operations. Mr. Owens serves on the Board of Visitors of the University of Tennessee School of Artists and Sciences and is a graduate of Columbia University's Senior Executive Program.
Stephen Miller assumes the role of Chief Procurement Officer. Mr. Miller is a seasoned procurement executive, having previously served as Vice President and General Manager for publicly traded Wabash National Corporation, a leading manufacturer of aluminum-sided trailers. Mr. Miller also created and led IPC, his second industrial purchasing consortium, which grew to annual purchasing power of over $3 billion and was twice named amongst the Top 50 "Pros to Know" in purchasing.
Jaunique Sealey assumes the role of Senior Vice President of Business Development, joining following her previous role as CEO of a subsidiary of publicly-traded Real Industry, Inc., the parent company of Real Alloy, the world's largest independent purveyor of recycled aluminum. Ms. Sealey is responsible for business strategy, marketing, investor relations and strategic communications. She is a recognized brand development and positioning expert, and is the author of several books. Ms. Sealey holds a B.S.E. in Civil Engineering from Duke University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Nathan Haney assumes the role of Senior Vice President of Government Relations, having been previously a Deputy Secretary of the Governor's Cabinet for Kentucky. As Deputy Secretary, Mr. Haney spearheaded two of the Governor's flagship initiatives including the Red-Tape Reduction initiative, to national acclaim and recognition. He joins Braidy Industries from the high-powered government relations firm McCarthy Strategy Solutions, where he was a firm principal focused on business development, executive and legislative branch consulting.
(Ret.) Colonel Curtis Carson becomes Senior Vice President, Head of Human Resources. Colonel Carson has over 29 years of experience within the United States Army, with demonstrated expertise in training, training design and strategic planning. He previously served as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Joint Multinational Training Command in Germany and held a senior role within the United States military delegation to NATO Headquarters. Colonel Carson holds a Masters of Arts degree in Human Resources Development.
Ben Markham assumes the role of Managing Director, leading the sales force for aluminum sheet in the metals service center and trailer markets. Mr. Markham has over 30 years of senior leadership experience working for leading industrial manufacturing companies. Over the last 15 years, he has served in senior-level commercial positions that serviced the metals industry in providing surface critical products, concentrating on the transportation market.
Johanne Medina becomes Financial Controller and HQ Facilities Manager.
Karlo Vartan becomes Director of Information Technology and Cyber Security.
Senior Executive Assistant to Mr. Bouchard, Julie Kavanaugh, also serves as Chief of Staff Administration and oversees the company's needs for administrative support and training.
About Braidy Industries, Inc:
Braidy Industries is a future-leaning advanced manufacturer of metals for the global transportation and defense industries. The company's first project, the construction of a greenfield aluminum rolling mill in Greenup County, Kentucky, will position the company as the low-cost provider of 370,000 annual tons of production-ready series 5000, 6000 and 7000 aluminum sheet and plate for the automotive and aerospace industries.
SOURCE Braidy Industries, Inc.
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