Anthony Locicero, Associate editor02.02.21
Following a long career of executive management and leadership, Keim additec’s President David Grabacki announced his retirement from the company effective Feb. 28, 2021.
Grabacki, who started with Keim additec in 2014, took over the leadership role as president from 2014-2021.
“Dave not only has years of outstanding service to the company but has provided strategic leadership through the last several years and has continued to provide valuable counsel to the company and its employees,” Managing Director Mark S. Bitting said. “I want to publicly thank Dave for his service and dedication to serving our customers and helping grow shareholder value.”
In addition to Grabacki’s service to Keim additec, he has served and chaired various industry committees for NAPIM and the CPIPC; served on philanthropic initiatives for his parish and Scoutmaster Emeritus of BSA Troop 3.
“Those of us that know Dave personally admire him not only for his business efforts but also for his personal values as a devoted husband and father," Bitting said. “I wish Dave well and am confident his community will continue to benefit from his valued leadership.”
As part of its ongoing efforts to build strategic partnerships to develop an aggressive sales pipeline for its flagship additive busines, Keim additec’s Board of Directors elected to replace Grabacki with Bitting, currently managing director of Gehring Montgomery.
Bitting will continue to lead both Gehring Montgomery and Keim additec to further the synergistic values the companies share in promoting additives in the market.
Keim additec is a full-line distributor of water-based wax preparations, solid waxes, silicones, pigment dispersants and defoamers in the U.S., representing the Keim additec/CHT and Ceronas product lines in North America. The company caters to the graphic arts, coatings, and plastics industries.
Gehring-Montgomery is a leading distributor of raw materials for commercial and industrial manufacturers in the food, automotive, coatings, adhesives, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries across North America.
This partnership adds another dimension to the Keim additec strategic sales plan that includes, working with “best in class” supply partners, increasing brand recognition, and establishing an aggressive B2B outreach initiative to engage the coatings marketplace in North America.
“I am extremely energized about our partnership with Gehring-Montgomery and the new leadership of Mark Bitting and the opportunity to work closely with his team to accelerate product knowledge of Keim additec to our existing distributor network in the US," Grabacki said. "The partnership fast-tracks the strategic initiatives concerning our innovative materials improving formulations in the coatings world.”
