Subhash Pahuja, who built Alloy Polymers Inc. into a leading toll compounder, died May 22 from cancer. He was 61.
``Subhash was a pillar in the industry and within our organization,'' Alloy President and Chief Operating Officer Charles Chiappone said in a news release. ``We are deeply saddened by his passing.''
Richmond- based Alloy has plants in Richmond; Gahanna, Ohio; and Crockett, Texas. The firm has annual compounding capacity of almost 400 million pounds.
Pahuja had just joined International Nickel Co. in 1982 when the firm decided to sell its compounding unit, which at the time was based in Waldwick, N.J. Pahuja - who had spent 10 years with color concentrate maker Ampacet Corp. - bought the business, and in 1987 moved it to Richmond.
During his career, Pahuja received several honors, including Virginia's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2000 and a 2004 Chemical Entrepreneur of the Year award from Frost & Sullivan consulting firm. He was a native of India who moved to the U.S. in 1968 to attend the University of New Hampshire.
Last year, Pahuja began turning day-to-day operations over to Chiappone. He had planned to retire into a chairman's role in 2008.
Pahuja's wife, Kamini, will assume the role of chairwoman. Kamini Pahuja had been Alloy's vice president of procurement and previously had served as chief financial officer.