Teknor Apex Announces New CEO to Replace Jonathan Fain
Experienced industry professional Donald K. Wiseman has taken on the CEO role.
Teknor Apex has a long and rich history of serving customers in finding unique and complex product solutions within the plastics industry. For the past 51 years, Jonathan Fain has led the organization to develop long-term partnerships with the company’s suppliers and customers in order to build a strong resilient company. During his tenure, the company revenue has grown by more than 650%, expanded beyond North America to a global footprint, and completed eleven acquisitions.
Mr. Fain has decided to step aside as CEO of the company. He will remain a major stakeholder and continue serving as Chairman of the Board; a position he assumed from his father. “I have had the privilege and honor to lead a great company for over 50 years, and while I am not retiring, I do want to hand over the day-to-day responsibility to someone who can drive to keep the company strong, growing and build upon our culture,” says Fain. “I am very confident in our future leadership and plans for supporting our growth, innovation and sustainability for years to come. Don brings a wealth of experience and is an ideal fit into our company and culture.”
The new Teknor Apex CEO, Donald Wiseman, has a robust history within the plastics industry and a deep expertise in masterbatches and compounding. Most recently he held the position of CEO at Star Plastics. Previously, he was the President for Performance Products and Solutions with PolyOne, Managing Director and General Manager in Taiwan for Cabot Microelectronics, and various leadership roles at Americhem. He will be relocating from Cleveland to work out of the Teknor Apex Headquarters in Pawtucket RI. “I am very excited to join the leadership team of Teknor Apex. What began almost 100 years ago as a small venture in Rhode Island is now among the world’s leading custom compounders. I firmly believe that people and culture are a true competitive advantage for Teknor. I will demonstrate this by removing barriers, collaborating, and rewarding performance to ambitious goals and solve the most demanding business problems, all while emerging a more robust team,” Mr. Wiseman said.
About Teknor Apex
Teknor Apex, is a private family-owned company that was founded by Jonathan’s grandfather Alfred A. Fain in 1924 (as Apex Tire and Rubber Company). When Jonathan’s father Norman Fain went to work with his father Alfred in 1936, the firm was primarily a tire recapping company, but in 1945 it started a custom rubber mixing business and in 1949 began production of vinyl compounds. In 1968, Norman Fain became chairman of the company, it was renamed Teknor Apex, and in 1972 Jonathan Fain joined the company. Today the diversity of the company’s products, combined with its international capabilities, enables customers worldwide to rely on Teknor Apex as a single source for multiple compounds.
Teknor Apex Company, a privately held firm founded in 1924, is one of the world’s leading custom compounders of plastics. Teknor Apex produces flexible and rigid vinyl, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), Engineering thermoplastics (ETP), Thermoplastic Vulcanisate (TPV), color masterbatches, specialty chemicals, and garden hoses. The company is headquartered in Pawtucket, RI, U.S.A. and operates thirteen manufacturing facilities worldwide in the United States, Belgium, Germany, China, and Singapore.
Source: Teknor Apex (Rhode Island, USA, September 11, 2023)
