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Manufacturing 2025: IBAÑEZ, JESUS
Ibañez joined Lego Manufacturing Virginia in January to oversee hiring and construction of the Danish toymaker’s $1 billion Chesterfield County facility, bringing two decades of executive leadership in multiple countries. He previously served as vice president of operations at Lego’s plant in Monterrey, Mexico, and was executive operations director for tire company Bridgestone. Before[...]
Manufacturing 2025: WILKIN JR., NEIL D.
Wilkin was named Optical Cable’s chairman and CEO in 2003, two years after joining the company as its chief financial officer. Optical Cable, which manufactures fiber optic and copper communication cables and connectivity products, reported a profit of $18.2 million for fiscal 2024, down 18.3% from the previous year. In July, Optical Cable announced it […]
Manufacturing 2025: KEFFER, CHRIS
Keffer took over leadership of U.S. operations in 2023 for German outdoor power equipment manufacturer Stihl. He has been leading the company’s transition toward battery-powered equipment, a $60 million-plus investment that included converting warehouse space to make room for battery tool manufacturing. Keffer joined the company in 2022 as vice president for sales and marketing […]
Manufacturing 2025: BROADFOOT, HOWARD
Founded in Bristol in 1958, Electro-Mechanical is an electrical equipment manufacturer that sells its products under the Line Power, Federal Pacific, Mafesa and Mirus International brands. In 2024, the company announced plans to invest $16.55 million to add a 200,000-square-foot facility in Washington County that is expected to create 109 jobs. Electro-Mechanical also has three manufacturing [&he[...]
Manufacturing 2025: CODINA, ESTER
Codina started in her current position with Swedish company Alfa Laval in 2022 after serving as senior vice president of its U.S. service and marine divisions. Founded in 1883, the company is a global manufacturer of heat transfer, separation and fluid-handling products, mainly for the energy, environment, food and marine industries. In October 2024, Alfa […]
Manufacturing 2025: JENKINS, JONATHAN
Jenkins became president of Culpeper Wood Preservers in 2016. Started from a single location in Culpeper in 1976, the company now has 19 locations on the East Coast and in Indiana and Tennessee. It is a leading manufacturer of pressure-treated lumber products for the residential, commercial, industrial and marine markets. Its name-brand products are sold […]
Manufacturing 2025: SPILMAN JR., ROBERT H.
Spilman has led Bassett Furniture as its CEO since 2000, also becoming the company’s board chairman in 2016. He has been with the home furniture retailer, manufacturer and marketer for four decades and succeeded his father, Robert H. Spilman Sr., as its chief executive. A network of 87 company- and licensee-owned Bassett Home Furnishings stores […]
Manufacturing 2025: PALIOTTI, BRIAN D.
Paliotti has been president of Afton Chemical since 2023, after having joined the company in 2008 as operations finance director and working for its parent company, NewMarket, as senior finance director. Afton develops and manufactures lubricant and fuel additive packages and markets and sells the products globally. Afton maintains operations in North America, Europe, Asia, […]
Manufacturing 2025: HAYES, TOM
In 2023, tobacco giant and Altria Group competitor Philip Morris International obtained full ownership of Swedish Match AB. The company develops, manufactures and distributes products including chew bags, moist snuff, tobacco-free nicotine pouches, matches and lighters. Hayes began working for the Swedish tobacco products manufacturer in 2006, serving as chief financial officer and senior vice pr[...]
Manufacturing 2025: PARKINSON, JOHN
A subsidiary of Duroc AB, a Sweden-based investment firm that invests in industrial manufacturers, Drake Extrusion produces polypropylene-based colored filament yarn and staple fiber used for home furnishings and automotive manufacturing. The company established its roots in Henry County in 1995, and Parkinson has served at the helm since 2001. In 2021, Drake acquired North […]
Manufacturing 2025: SHIM, PATRICK
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and other officials gathered with Shim in Chesapeake in April to break ground for LS GreenLink USA’s roughly $700 million advanced cable manufacturing and port facility. The site will include a 750,000-square-foot production facility with the state’s tallest structure: a 660-foot tower needed to support the production of […]
Manufacturing 2025: BASSETT, DOUG
Since 2012, Bassett has served as president of Vaughan-Bassett, marking the fourth generation to lead the family company, which opened in 1919. Its brands include Vaughan-Bassett Furniture, Artisan & Post and Laurel Mercantile Co. Home by Ben & Erin Napier. Vaughan-Bassett also bills itself as the nation’s largest manufacturer of wooden bedroom furniture for adults. […]
