Lehigh Technologies Bolsters Presence in Tire, Industrial Rubber, Plastics and Polyurethane Markets With Two New Hires

ATLANTA, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lehigh Technologies Inc., a leading sustainable materials company, today announced the addition of two seasoned tire and plastics industry executives, Greg Henwood and Michael Kruzynski, to the company's business development team, expanding Lehigh's reach in the tire, plastics and polyurethane markets. Greg Henwood is a new Sales Director for Plastics and Polyurethanes, and Michael Kruzynski has been appointed to the position of Major Account Manager for Tire and Industrial Rubber.

In his new role, Henwood will be responsible for building out Lehigh's plastics and polyurethane foam divisions by growing micronized rubber powder (MRP) into the sectors. In his position as Major Account Manager, Kruzynski will work to accelerate adoption of MRP among existing customers and to develop new customers in the tire market and industrial rubber segments. MRP is a sustainable rubber material available for multiple markets that lowers costs, increases the sustainability profile of end products and delivers performance without sacrificing reliability offered by traditional raw materials, such as SBR.

"As evidenced by last month's entry into the European market, Lehigh is focused on driving adoption of micronized rubber powder across a range of market segments and geographies," said Greg Henwood, Sales Director for Plastics and Polyurethanes for Lehigh Technologies. "I am excited by the cost savings and performance benefits that MRP offers polyurethane foam applications, and I look forward to working at Lehigh to drive further adoption of the product in the industry."

Prior to joining Lehigh Technologies, Henwood was President and Chief Operating Officer of Reko International, one of the top ten custom tool manufacturers in North America for plastics molding, providing him with a deep knowledge of the plastics and automotive plastics markets. Henwood also served as Chief Operations Officer of Rieter Automotive, a Tier 1 manufacturer of noise and heat management systems for automobiles.

"Lehigh's MRP provides a compelling value proposition to the tire and industrial rubber markets, from a cost, performance and sustainability perspective," said Michael Kruzynski, Major Account Manager for Lehigh Technologies. "I look forward to building on Lehigh's impressive customer base and making MRP a standard material in tire and industrial rubber applications.

Kruzynski, who has over two decades of experience in the tire and rubber industries, joins Lehigh Technologies from Bridgestone Corporation, where he served as an account executive in the Firestone Polymers division and was responsible for the development of new markets and customers in the tire, adhesive, agricultural, rubber and plastics industries. Kruzynski has also worked as an account manager at Teknor Apex Company, a rubber compound manufacturer.

"We were impressed with Greg and Michael's track records on identifying and developing new markets and industries," said Alan Barton, CEO of Lehigh Technologies. "Following our latest $16 million financing round, we are pursuing commercialization of new applications for our micronized rubber powder, and I am confident that Greg and Michael will play a core role in achieving that goal."

ABOUT LEHIGH TECHNOLOGIES
Lehigh Technologies is a leading sustainable materials company that is transforming end-of-life tire and post-industrial rubber into highly engineered, sustainable powders called Micronized Rubber Powder (MRP) that are being used in a wide range of consumer and industrial applications. Lehigh's energy efficient cryogenic turbo mill technology breaks down these raw materials to micron scale powders that are sold to manufacturers of advanced products, including high-performance tires, industrial rubber, consumer and industrial plastics goods, asphalt and coatings and construction materials. The Tucker, Georgia-based company is privately held and backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Index Ventures, NGP Energy Technology Partners and Leaf Clean Energy. For more information, please visit www.lehightechnologies.com.

SOURCE Lehigh Technologies Inc.