Emerald Kalama Chemical Appoints Linkenhoger Sales Manager, N.A.

Emerald Kalama Chemical, a business group of Emerald Performance Materials, has appointed Kaye Linkenhoger as sales manager, North America, for the group’s growing line of K-FLEX low-VOC, non-phthalate plasticizers and coalescents. In this role, Linkenhoger will augment the growing sales network for K-FLEX in the North American region, executing business development strategies, developing new customers and markets, and expanding sales in key markets such as paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants and vinyl.

Linkenhoger has 20 years of experience serving in business development and technical roles for the specialty materials industry. She joins Emerald from PSL North America, where she held the position of business development manager. Previously, she also held positions with Chemtura and Momentive. She obtained an M.B.A in business and an M.S. and B.S. in organic chemistry from Marshall University, Huntington, W.Va.

“Kaye is an important addition to our sales team as we continue to aggressively expand the range of applications and markets we serve in the North American region,” said Shamsi Gravel, K-FLEX vice president. “Her background working with specialty additives, resins and polymers—including the development of new markets and products—make her an excellent candidate to plan and execute key growth strategies. She will also provide additional support for customers in the region to ensure we continue to exceed expectations for unparalleled service and expertise in the coatings, adhesives and PVC plastisol space.”

K-FLEX benzoate technology has a proven track record of more than three decades for delivering performance, providing a highly effective alternative that eliminates the health and environmental concerns of increasingly regulated phthalate plasticizers and high-VOC coalescents. The REACH-compliant K-FLEX platform provides a range of low-VOC, non-phthalate, non-SVHC products, including those with certain clearances for use in food-contact applications.

In recent years, the company has focused on product innovation to deliver benefits to an expanding range of adhesives, sealants, caulk, paints, coatings, graphic arts and plastisol and vinyl applications. For example, in adhesive and sealant applications, K-FLEX products are known for enhancing film formation and adhesion, processing characteristics and improving the resistance of the end-products to oil, grease and water. Other important benefits include improved scrub resistance and gloss retention in paint and coatings.  In vinyl applications, performance can be greatly enhanced by blending the fast-fusing K-FLEX® plasticizers with many other general purpose plasticizers to increase line speed and/or lower processing temperature, as well as improve stain resistance and toughen wear layers in plastisols.

Emerald Kalama Chemical also produces sodium and potassium benzoate, benzoic acid and intermediates, and specialty flavor and fragrance ingredients, which the company sells globally through its distribution partners. The business has manufacturing operations in Kalama, Wash. and in Rotterdam, Netherlands.