Today, Louisiana-based specialty stainless steels producer and solutions provider Crompion International, LLC announced a major promotion and three key executive hires to support its recently completed brand transformation, which is designed to expand global presence and reinforce focus on creating solutions through new specialty stainless steel products and services. The company announced it has promoted long-time employee Ken Grantham to Executive Vice President and hired Bob Whipple as Vice President of Engineering, Angel Proaño as Vice President of International Sales and Dave Carter as Sales Manager.
Ken Grantham was promoted from Director of Technical Sales & Services to Executive Vice President. He has been a stalwart in the metals industry and has been with Crompion International since 2008. Grantham will serve as a face of the company for all markets and industries Crompion International services.
In his 5 years with Crompion International, Grantham has successfully managed exceptional internal and external quality and process controls while maintaining the company’s ISO 9000:2008 accreditation, expanded scope of sales to include many new product offerings, expanded value added products and services and also added advanced 3D modeling and simulation capabilities. He has been responsible for superb strategic partner, supplier and customer development, which has led to double-digit year over year sales growth from 2010-13. Before joining Crompion International, Grantham served as the Vice President of Engineering & New Product Development at Millennium Industries – a Tier I Automotive Supplier of Critical Fuel and Steering Systems – in Michigan since 2003.
Bob Whipple joins the Crompion International team as Vice President of Engineering, a position critical to the company’s solutions-based service. In his new capacity, Whipple will consult with customers on potential equipment material improvements using specialty stainless steels, specifically ferritic and duplex stainless steels supported by Crompion International, engage in technical discussions, demonstrations and presentations with potential clients and team members and identify corrosion and structural problems in order to provide customer solutions.
For the past 9 years, Whipple has worked as a professional metals engineering consultant. His past experience includes 12 years working as Senior Calrod Component Engineer and project Team Leader for General Electric and 5 years as Lead Project Engineer and Manager at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he designed, developed and implemented the Powder Diffractometer Neutron Beam Line.
Angel Proaño joins Crompion International as Vice President of International Sales. With over 12 years’ experience in international sales, specializing in Central and South American business transactions, Proaño will play a key role in introducing Crompion International to a worldwide base of clients and educating various industries on the benefits and efficiency of Crompion International’s new specialty stainless steel products and accompanying services.
Proaño was previously Executive President and Sales Manager at Flowers Santa Barbara Cia. Ltda. in Ecuador, where he was responsible for new international markets including Russia. He also customized and designed trade show exhibits in several domestic and international and national flowers expositions.
In addition, Dave Carter has been hired as Crompion International’s Sales Manager. In his role, Carter will be responsible for overseeing Crompion International’s sales division, including technical, inside and outside sales, as well as the company’s expansive portfolio of stainless steel grades and innovative specialty products.
Carter joins the Crompion International staff with more than 30 years of sales and management experience in a wide range of industries, including pulp & paper, wastewater treatment, automotive, energy and petrochemical. He most recently served as Vice President of Sales for Dewetron Worldwide, where in his 14 years he helped to launch the company’s U.S. division. Carter’s accomplishments include acquiring contracts for NASA’s Space Shuttle & Constellation Programs, The Predator Drone, The Global Hawk, Shell, Exxon and Marathon Oil. He has also provided services and equipment for work on the Missile Defense system and other projects designed to protect our service men and women in defense operations.