Quinpario Acquisition Corporation

Quinpario Acquisition Corporation

Apr 14, 2022 by sam.beattie

MANAGEMENT & BOARD


Executive Officers

Jeffry N. Quinn, 54
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors

He is also the founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Member of our sponsor’s managing member, Quinpario Partners LLC, and has served in such role since July 2012. Prior to forming Quinpario Partners LLC, Mr. Quinn was President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Solutia Inc. (formerly NYSE: SOA), a global specialty chemical and performance materials company. From May 2004 to July 2012, Mr. Quinn served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Solutia, and served as the Chairman of the Board from February 2006 to July 2012. Mr. Quinn became President and Chief Executive Officer of Solutia shortly after it had filed for bankruptcy. Over eight years as CEO of Solutia, Mr. Quinn oversaw its transformation from a domestically oriented commodity chemical company to one of the world’s leading specialty chemical firms. Solutia was sold to Eastman Chemical in July 2012. Mr. Quinn joined Solutia in 2003 as Executive Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel. In mid-2003 he added the duties of Chief Restructuring Officer to help prepare the company for its eventual filing for reorganization under Chapter 11. During his tenure at Solutia, the company completed a number of divestitures and acquisitions as it reshaped its portfolio of businesses. It also completed a number of debt and equity offerings. Prior to joining Solutia, Mr. Quinn was Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, Secretary and General Counsel for Premcor Inc. (formerly NYSE: PCO), which at the time was one of the nation’s largest independent refiners. At that time Premcor was a portfolio company of Blackstone Capital Partners, a private equity fund. As general counsel of Premcor, Mr. Quinn was involved in the company’s initial public offering and listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. Premcor was eventually sold to Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) in 2005. Prior to Premcor, Mr. Quinn was Senior Vice President-Law & Human Resources, Secretary and General Counsel for Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE: ACI). Mr. Quinn started at Arch Coal in 1986 when it was known as Arch Mineral Corporation. He became General Counsel in 1989. For the next eleven years Mr. Quinn was a member of the executive management team that grew Arch from a small regional coal producer to the nation’s second largest coal company. Mr. Quinn was involved in a number of mergers and acquisitions at Arch Coal, including the 1987 acquisition of the coal business of Diamond Shamrock Corporation, the 1997 merger with Ashland Coal, Inc., the 1998 acquisition of the U.S. business of Atlantic Richfield Company, and many other smaller transactions as well as the company’s initial public offering in 1997 as part of the Ashland Coal merger. Mr. Quinn is currently a member of the board of directors of Tronox Limited (NYSE: TROX), a fully integrated producer and marketer of titanium ore and titanium dioxide pigment, Ferro Corporation (NYSE: FOE), a global supplier of technology-based performance materials and chemicals for manufacturers, and W.R. Grace & Co. (NYSE: GRA), a global supplier of catalysts, engineered and packaging materials and specialty construction chemicals and building materials.


Paul J. Berra III, 44
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

He is also a partner in our sponsor’s managing member, Quinpario Partners LLC, and serves as its General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, and has served in such roles since July 2012. Mr. Berra served as Senior Vice President, Legal and Governmental Affairs and General Counsel for Solutia Inc. from December 2009 until July 2012 when Solutia was sold to Eastman Chemical. Mr. Berra oversaw the legal and governmental affair functions of Solutia. While serving as general counsel, Mr. Berra played an important role in the company’s equity and debt offerings as well as several refinancings. Prior to December 2009, Mr. Berra also served as Solutia’s Chief Administrative Officer where he had the additional global responsibility for human resources. He served as Solutia’s Vice President of Communications and Government Affairs beginning in 2006. Mr. Berra joined Solutia in June 2003 as Assistant General Counsel, Human Resources, and added government affairs responsibilities the following year. Prior to joining Solutia, Mr. Berra was Corporate Counsel at Premcor Inc., an independent oil refiner, where he handled all labor, employment and litigation matters and contributed to cost-saving initiatives that included a significant reduction-in-force. He also played a role in Premcor’s acquisition and integration of the former Williams Company refinery in Memphis, Tennessee. Earlier, Mr. Berra practiced law with Lewis, Rice and Fingersh, a large regional general practice law firm, and at a small, boutique firm practicing exclusively in the areas of labor and employment law. Mr. Berra received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Business Administration from Webster University and a Juris Doctorate degree from the Saint Louis University School of Law.


A. Craig Ivey, 56
Vice President, Operations

He is also an operating partner in our sponsor’s managing member, Quinpario Partners LLC, and has served in such role since July 2012. Mr. Ivey was previously President and General Manager of the Performance Films Division for Solutia Inc., an aftermarket window film business with operations in Europe, Asia and the Americas, from August 2011 to July 2012. As President and General Manager, Mr. Ivey had responsibility for all commercial, manufacturing, technology, and strategic aspects of the business. During his tenure at Performance Films, the division completed an acquisition of Southwall Technologies Inc. Mr. Ivey joined Solutia at the company’s inception in 1997 and possesses over 30 years of manufacturing, supply chain, business and leadership expertise. From March 2011, prior to being named as President and General Manager for Performance Films in August 2011, Mr. Ivey served as Vice President — Photovoltaics in Solutia’s Advanced Interlayers division, in addition to his role (beginning in January 2010) as Vice President of Business Operations — Asia Pacific Region, based in Shanghai. From January 2008 to January 2010 he served as Vice President — Supply Chain of the Nylon Division. In this role, Mr. Ivey led the development of a global supply chain network, establishing operations and providing service across four continents. Mr. Ivey also has an operations background and served as Plant Manager and Manufacturing Director for Solutia’s largest production facility in Pensacola, FL. While in this role, he led the transformation of the facility from a traditional fiber-based operation to an engineered resins platform. Prior to joining Solutia, he served in various engineering and operations roles with Monsanto Company, Chevron Corporation and Olin Corporation. Mr. Ivey earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University.


Nadim Z. Qureshi, 38
Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer

He is also a partner in our sponsor’s managing member, Quinpario Partners LLC, and has served in such role since September 2012. Prior to this, Mr. Qureshi was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development — Emerging Markets and President of Photovoltaics for Solutia Inc., based in Shanghai, China. Mr. Qureshi was responsible for identifying portfolio development and growth opportunities in emerging markets. He also had responsibility for global management of the photovoltaic business. Before being named to this position in August 2011, Mr. Qureshi was Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development, responsible for strategic planning and business development initiatives across Solutia’s business platforms, from March 2009 to March 2011. Prior to this role, from June 2005 to March 2009 he served as Vice President and General Manager of Nylon Resins and Industrial Fibers where he had profit/loss responsibility and led the business through a period of growth globally until the eventual sale of Solutia’s Nylon division in 2009. Prior to joining Solutia in 2005, he was with CRA International and Arthur D. Little, focusing on strategy development, mergers and acquisitions, growth and performance improvement in the chemical and industrial sectors. For large multinational chemical companies, Mr. Qureshi focused his efforts on identifying organic and inorganic growth opportunities including characterizing the market spaces where his clients participated as well as analyzing large investment projects. In addition, Mr. Qureshi spent time with clients in the industrial and chemical sectors on portfolio assessment and alignment with the ultimate focus on improving shareholder value. Mr. Qureshi’s clients included many of the largest chemicals and industrial companies across the Americas, Europe and Middle East. He started his career as a process engineer at Teknor Apex Company, a plastics compounder where he developed hands-on experience in plastics processing. Mr. Qureshi received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Macromolecular Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, and a Masters in Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. During his academic career, Mr. Qureshi’s research focused on novel polyolefins, barrier films and diffusions processes; he published several articles in prestigious polymer science journals.


D. John Srivisal, 34
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

He is also a partner in our sponsor’s managing member, Quinpario Partners LLC, and has served in such role since July 2012. From January 2009 to July 2012, Mr. Srivisal was Vice President, Transaction Execution for Solutia Inc. In that role Mr. Srivisal had global responsibility for merger, acquisition, divestiture and joint venture transactions. Mr. Srivisal served as the lead strategist, negotiator and decision-maker responsible for completing over 20 transactions. Before being named to this position in January 2009, Mr. Srivisal served as Solutia’s Director of Planning and Coordination from June 2004. In this role, Mr. Srivisal had chief of staff responsibilities for President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Jeffry N. Quinn. During his tenure at Solutia from June 2004 to July 2012, Mr. Srivisal also played a key role in Solutia’s financing transactions, including Solutia’s exit financing and relisting on the NYSE following its emergence from bankruptcy, various acquisition-related financings, and several equity and debt offerings and refinancings. Mr. Srivisal has over thirteen years of transaction experience that includes acting on behalf of Solutia as well as advising companies, creditors, financial sponsors and government entities in a variety of industries on recapitalizations, restructurings, financings, leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures. Before joining Solutia, Mr. Srivisal was a restructuring investment banker at Rothschild Inc. where he executed numerous in-court and out-of-court restructuring, financing and M&A transactions. He began his career in the mergers and acquisitions group at Peter J. Solomon Company. Mr. Srivisal graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics (concentration in Finance) and a minor in Mathematics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.


Board of Directors

James P. Heffernan, 67
Director

James P. Heffernan has served as a member of the Board of Directors of United Natural Foods, Inc. (“United”)(NASDAQ:UNFI), a distributor of natural and organic foods, since December 2000 and as a member of the Board of Directors of Command Security Corp. (“Command”)(AMEX:MOC), a provider of uniformed security officers, aviation security services, and support security services to commercial, financial, industrial, aviation, and governmental customers in the United States, since September 2010. Mr. Heffernan currently serves as Chairman of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee of United and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Command. Previously, Mr. Heffernan served as a member of the Board of Directors of Solutia Inc. (formerly NYSE:SOA), a performance materials specialty chemical manufacturer with global operations, from February 2008 until its acquisition by Eastman Chemical Co. in July 2012. From November 1998 to September 2012, Mr. Heffernan served as Vice Chairman and as a Trustee of the New York Racing Association, the governing body for thoroughbred racing at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga. Prior to that, Mr. Heffernan served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors of Danielson Holding Corporation, which had ownership interests in a number of insurance and trust operations, from June 1990 to September 1996. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Finance Committee of Columbia Energy Group (n/k/a NiSource, Inc.)(formerly NYSE:CG), a vertically integrated gas company with several billion dollars of annual revenues and assets, from January 1993 to November 2000 and as a member of the Board of Directors of Baldwin Piano & Organ Co. from June 2000 to May 2001. Prior to that, Mr. Heffernan served as President of WHR Management Corp., as General Partner of Whitman Heffernan & Rhein Workout Funds and as President of Whitman Heffernan & Rhein & Co., Inc., an investment banking firm specializing in corporate reorganizations, from May 1987 to September 1996. Prior to joining WHR Management Corp., Mr. Heffernan was an attorney with the New York based law firm Anderson, Kill & Olick, PC., where he specialized in corporate reorganizations, from September 1973 to May 1987.


Edgar G. Hotard, 69
Director

Edgar G. Hotard serves as an Operating Partner at HAO Capital, a private equity firm based in Beijing and Hong Kong, which provides growth capital to Chinese companies, since November 2010 and as a Venture Partner at ARCH Venture Partners, a provider of seed / early stage venture capital for technology firms in life sciences, physical sciences and advanced materials, since June 2002. He also serves as Executive Chairman of SIAD Engineering (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., the China subsidiary of SIAD Macchine Impianti S.p.A, a global supplier of compressors and air separation equipment, a position he has held since January 2013. Previously, Mr. Hotard served as an advisor to the Asia practice of Monitor Group, a global strategy-consulting firm and as non-executive Chairman of Monitor Group (China), from June 2000 to November 2010. Prior to that, Mr. Hotard served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Praxair, Inc. (“Praxair”) (NYSE:PX), a worldwide provider of industrial gases, including atmospheric, process and specialty gases, from July 1992 until his retirement in January 1999. In 1992, he co-led the spin-off of Praxair from Union Carbide Corporation (formerly NYSE:UK), a commodity and specialty chemical and polymers company where he served as Corporate Vice President from July 1990 to July 1992. Mr. Hotard currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Albany International Corp. (NYSE:AIN), a global advanced materials processing company serving the paper and aerospace industry, a position he has held since November 2006 and as a member of the Board of Directors of Baosteel Metals, a subsidiary of Baosteel Group Co. Ltd., since January 2013 and as a member of the Board of Directors of SIAD Macchine Impianti S.p.A. since May 2013. Previously, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of various public companies, including Global Industries Inc. (formerly NASDAQ:GLBL), a global offshore oil and gas engineering and construction service company, from 1999 to September 2011; Solutia Inc. (formerly NYSE:SOA), a performance materials specialty chemical manufacturer with global operations, from February 2011 to July 2012 and Shona Energy Company, Inc. (formerly TSX-V:SHO), an oil and natural gas exploration, development and production company, from July 2011 to December 2012. In addition, Mr. Hotard was a founding sponsor of the China Economic and Technology Alliance and a joint MBA program between Renmin University, Beijing, China and the School of Management of the State University of Buffalo, New York.


Walter Thomas Jagodinski, 56
Director

Walter Thomas Jagodinski has been a private investor since September 2007. Mr. Jagodinski has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Lindsay Corporation (NYSE:LNN), a global company focused on providing irrigation and infrastructure solutions to meet the needs of a growing population, since July 2008 and currently serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Phosphate Holdings, Inc., a U.S. producer and marketer of DAP, the most common form of phosphate fertilizer, since May 2009, where he serves as Chairman of Board. Previously, Mr. Jagodinski served as a member of the Board of Directors of Solutia Inc. (formerly NYSE:SOA), a performance materials specialty chemical manufacturer with global operations, from March 2008 until July 2012. Prior to that, Mr. Jagodinski was President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Delta and Pine Land Company (“D&PL”) (formerly NYSE: DLP), a leader in the cotton seed industry, from September 2002 until the company was acquired in June 2007. From June 2002 until August 2002, he served as D&PL’s Executive Vice President and from September 2000 until June 2002, he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary. Mr. Jagodinski was also D&PL’s Vice President-Finance, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary from February 1993 until September 2000 and held various other financial positions at D&PL, from October 1991, when he joined the company, until February 1993. Prior to D&PL, Mr. Jagodinski held various positions in the audit division at Arthur Andersen from 1983 to 1991 and Senior Accountant at Price Waterhouse from 1978 to 1983. Mr. Jagodinski is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and a member of the AICPA, TSCPA and was MSCPA. He is also the Board President of Princess Owners’ Association, Inc., a position he has held since October 2006. Mr. Jagodinski received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (Accounting) from the University of Mississippi.


Dr. John Rutledge, 64
Director

Dr. John Rutledge is the founder of Rutledge Capital, a private equity investment firm that invests in U.S. middle market manufacturing, distribution, and service companies, and has served as its Chairman since 1990. Dr. Rutledge is also Chief Investment Strategist for Safanad SA, an investment firm based in Geneva, Switzerland since its inception in 2008. He also serves as Senior Research Professor at Claremont Graduate University since 2010, where he teaches economics and finance. Dr. Rutledge also serves as a CNBC Contributor since 2009. In addition, Dr. Rutledge is an Honorary Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and Chief Advisor for Finance and Investment to the Governor of the Haidian District in Beijing and has served in those capacities since 2007 and 2008, respectively. He is a senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute and the Heartland Institute. In addition to his many advisory and board roles, Dr. Rutledge has written for Forbes.com and TheStreet.com. He also wrote the Forbes’ Business Strategy column from 1992 to 2002. He also founded Claremont Economics Institute, an economic advisory business, in 1978 and served as its Chairman from January 1979 to 1991. Dr. Rutledge has served as the director of a number of companies, including: American Standard (formerly NYSE: ASD), a manufacturer of plumbing, air conditioning, and automotive products; Earle M. Jorgensen Company (formerly NYSE: JOR), the largest independent distributor of metal products in North America; Lazard Freres Funds, a mutual fund; Amerindo Investment Fund, a mutual fund; CROM Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of prestressed concrete tanks; AdobeAir, a manufacturer of heating and cooling products; StairMaster, a manufacturer of fitness products; Fluidrive, a manufacturer of steerable, hydraulic axles for the agricultural and trucking industries; CST, a manufacturer of paper office products; Ellis Communications, an operator of television and radio companies; General Medical, a supplier of medical products; United Refrigeration, an operator of cold storage warehouses for the food industry; and Framed Picture Enterprise, a retailer in the framed art business. Dr. Rutledge was one of the principal architects of the Reagan economic plan in 1981 and was an adviser to the Bush White House on tax policy from 2001 to 2004. Dr. Rutledge began his career as a professor of economics at Tulane University and Claremont McKenna College. He holds a B.A. from Lake Forest College and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.


Ilan Kaufthal, 65
Director

Ilan Kaufthal is Chairman of East Wind Advisors, a specialized investment banking firm serving companies in the media, education, consumer/retail and information industries, and has held such position since May 2011. From July 2008 to July 2013, Mr. Kaufthal served as Senior Advisor at Irving Place Capital. Earlier in his career, he was Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at Bear Stearns & Co. from May 2000 to July 2008, Vice Chairman and Head of Mergers and Acquisitions at Schroder & Co. from February 1987 to May 2000, and SVP and CFO at NL Industries from May 1971 to February 1987. Mr. Kaufthal serves on the board of directors of the following public companies: Cambrex Corporation (NYSE: CBM), a supplier to the pharmaceutical industries, Blyth, Inc. (NYSE: BTH), a multi level marketing company based in Greenwich, Connecticut and Tronox Limited (NYSE:TROX), a fully integrated producer and marketer of titanium ore and titanium dioxide pigment. Mr. Kaufthal is a graduate of Columbia University and the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration.