Blackford Capital's McClarin Plastics, LLC Appoints Jerry Armstrong as CEO
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – McClarin Plastics, LLC, a Hanover, Pa.-based national manufacturer and provider of composites and fiber-reinforced plastic components, announced that it has named Jerry Armstrong as President and CEO of the company.
Armstrong will succeed Todd Kennedy and Doug Christie, who have served as co-CEOs of the company since the recent January merger of Amtech Corporation and McClarin Plastics. Christie and Kennedy will remain actively involved in the company as senior members of the team.
Armstrong has a long track record of growth at various publically traded companies. Most notably, in 2002, Jerry joined National Seating, a soon-to-be product brand of Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. As Vice President and General Manager for National Seating, he was responsible for all aspects of the original equipment and aftermarket businesses. He was promoted to President, CVG Americas in 2004. Under his leadership, Commercial Vehicle Group grew from $250M to $916M in revenue. The company went public on August 5, 2004 and is now listed on the NASDAQ as CVGI.
Also of note, Armstrong spent a portion of his career with Arvin Meritor Inc. where he served as Vice President of Operations and Engineering for Gabriel Ride Control, Inc. He was promoted two years later to Vice President and General Manager of Gabriel Ride Control, Inc. While at Arvin Meritor, Armstrong helped grow sales by more than $400 million.
In addition to earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Arts from Berea College, Armstrong also holds a degree from the Executive Business Program at the University of Indiana Graduate School of Business.
“Jerry’s track record in the industry is outstanding and we are confident that his experience and leadership of McClarin will drive performance that will reward investors. He is a proven leader with success in acquisition integration, growth planning and implementation, reporting, private equity support, and manufacturing production, skills he has demonstrated at major publically traded companies,” said Blackford Capital’s Founder and Managing Director Martin Stein. “Jerry is an expert in the transportation and specifically heavy truck markets, which directly overlaps both the Amtech and McClarin customer bases. Jerry is the right leader to implement our integration plan and cultivate our long-term strategic vision, which will benefit our communities, customers, employees, suppliers, investors, and other stakeholders.”
In an initial statement to employees, Armstrong stated, “The combination of Blackford and Amtech’s credibility in the industry, market and industry dynamics, and the solid foundation of these two organizations provides a unique opportunity to create a dynamic value proposition for our employees and customers. The market is trending towards consolidation and the public/private energy policy in North America is a game changer for manufacturing in our existing regions. This means more jobs and an exciting next chapter in McClarin’s history.”
About Blackford Capital
Blackford Capital is a private equity firm based in Grand Rapids, Mich., that acquires, manages and builds middle-market manufacturing, distribution and service companies, with seven portfolio companies across the country. The firm has offices in Grand Rapids (headquarters) and Santa Monica, CA. Blackford reviewed roughly 4,000 transactions in 2014, and has closed 33 transactions in the past eight years. The firm’s investment criteria include mature, profitable businesses with revenues between $20 million and $100 million, with management teams that are either willing to remain with the company or are seeking to retire. For more information, visit www.blackfordcapital.com.
About McClarin Plastics
Founded in 1953, McClarin Plastics, LLC. is a national premier contract manufacturer of large thermoformed plastic and fiberglass reinforced plastic components including ABS, polycarbonate, PETG, Styrene, TPO and PC/ABS, polyethylene components, fiberglass, resin transfer molding (RTM), vacuum assist RTM (VARTM), large and small vacuum-form plastics capabilities, finishing, value-added assembly, and custom packaging for industrial equipment, construction, rail, transportation, agricultural and medical applications. The company also offers open, cold, or multi-cavity molding options for fiberglass reinforced plastic molding and fabrication, providing production throughout North America with international exports to Asia and Europe. In January of 2015 McClarin merged with the 28 year old Amtech Corporation forming a national composites manufacturer. For more information, visit www.mcclarinplastics.com.
