Manufacturing 2024: THOMAS E. ‘TEDDY’ GOTTWALD

Gottwald joined NewMarket, parent company of Afton Chemical and Ethyl, in 1984 and worked in its petroleum additives and former plastics businesses before succeeding his father, Bruce, as chairman of the board two decades later.

NewMarket traces its roots to Ethyl Gasoline Corp., a company acquired in 1962 by Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Co., which was run by Gottwald’s late grandfather, Floyd Gottwald.

NewMarket acquired the parent company of American Pacific Corp. (AMPAC) for approximately $700 million in January. NewMarket employs around 2,000 people worldwide, with about 1,000 working in the United States.

Gottwald, a Richmond native, was among notable opponents of a proposed Richmond casino that voters rejected for the second time in November 2023. The father of five Eagle Scouts, Gottwald served in the U.S. Army Reserve in the 1980s. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Virginia Military Institute and his MBA at Harvard Business School.

He serves as a member of the Founding & Emeriti Board of Trustees for Virginia Commonwealth University’s College of Engineering Foundation and on the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors, appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Gottwald also chairs the VMI Jackson-Hope Board of Overseers.