Tom Goeke has served as president and CEO of Gordonsville, Va.-based Klöckner Pentaplast of America Inc. since March 1998. After joining KPA in 1989 as assistant to the president, Goeke was appointed general manager for Klöckner Barrier Films. He was charged with creating the first coating and lamination facility for the worldwide Klöckner organization and the North American pharmaceutical blister film industry. He then was promoted to vice president of operations for KPA in 1994.
Two years later, Goeke was named chief operating officer and executive VP for Klöckner Pentaplast, responsible for the daily operations of KPA and its subsidiaries. He now oversees all business and subsidiaries in North and South America, with 1,000 employees and annual sales of more than $400 million.
During his tenure at KPA, the Klöckner Barrier Films business has grown to be the largest producer of coated and laminated pharmaceutical films in North America. The plant recently expanded and doubled its capacity. KPA continues to expand domestically and abroad, with the firm forming subsidiaries both in Brazil and Argentina. In 2001, Klöckner acquired custom sheet extruder Witt Plastics Inc. of Greenville, Ohio. Also in 2001, Klöckner Pentaplast itself was acquired by British private equity firm Cinven Ltd. Goeke serves on the Klöckner Pentaplast Group board and is a managing director of Klöckner Pentaplast in Europe.
The Trenton, N.J., native earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Widener University in Chester, Pa., and an MBA from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. Upon graduation, he joined Imperial Chemical Industries in Wilmington, Del., as a technical service engineer.
In 1985, he joined Hoechst Celanese in Delaware City, Del., as a technical service engineer and later was appointed sales and marketing manager for food, pharmaceutical, and medical packaging films. During his tenure at Hoechst Celanese, he spent two years with their German film division, Kalle Folien, in Wiesbaden, Germany.