Under new ownership, Alba Enterprises brings in fresh talent

Under new ownership, injection molding industry supplier Alba Enterprises LLC of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has added talent and is preparing for another NPE appearance.

John M. Dineen, owner and president, named Antonio De Longhi as Alba's chief technology officer in October. De Longhi has four decades of experience in the design, engineering and sales of injection molds and hot runner components and relocated to California from Italy to accept the new position.

Since 2007, De Longhi has developed new markets in Russia, Mexico, Colombia and India for Italian hot-runner company Thermoplay SpA and regularly operated from an office at Alba. He is fluent in Italian, Spanish, French and English.

In another hire, plastics industry veteran Rich McGranahan rejoined Alba in late January and serves as sales and engineering manager for the line of Cronoplast SL's Babyplast micro-injection molding machines. He held positions in California with Japanese plastics-equipment manufacturer Nissei Plastic Industrial Co. Ltd. from 1980-2009 and in Middlefield, Ohio, with injection molder Sajar Plastics LLC from 1970-1979.

In addition to Thermoplay systems and Babyplast machines, Alba sells and provides services for Vega srl mold hydraulic cylinders, Alba-brand quick-knockout couplers and Alba-originated latch systems.

Tony Brusca established Alba Enterprises in 1980 and operated the business until his death in October 2012 at the age of 70. As heirs, two sons, Brandon and Brian Brusca, jointly ran Alba until mid-September 2013 when the younger brother, Brian, acquired sole ownership.

Gregory Di Cristina, president of Chase Group Business Brokers Inc. in Murrieta, Calif., arranged the sale of Alba to Dineen on Dec. 6, 2013. Terms were not disclosed.

Dineen is a newcomer to the plastics industry but highly experienced in financial matters. He specialized in securitized-products finance during two decades in New York with Lehman Bros., Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank. From 2008-2012, he was involved with a startup consumer-products company focused on early childhood learning.

He was a mariner with the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet from 1976-1984 achieving status as a licensed tug-boat mate. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1988, benefitted from a one-year Rotary Fellowship for study at the University of Melbourne in Australia and attended the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA for one year.

Recently, Dineen participated in an Orlando session for exhibitors preparing for NPE 2015 taking place March 23-27. Alba Enterprises has participated in numerous NPE shows in the past, and Dineen said he had a positive experience in his initial dealings with the organizing Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.