At resin distributor M. Holland Co., one longtime industry executive is retiring, while another is getting a new job title.
Sourcing Vice President Mike Ojile will retire at the end of the year, ending a career of more than 40 years in plastics. Ojile has been with Northbrook, Ill.-based Holland since 2012.
Responsibility for sourcing at the firm now will be consolidated into the commercial vice president position, a new job that will be held by Sales and Marketing Vice President Marc Fern. Fern has been with Holland since 1997.
“Mike [Ojile] is a unique talent, and there's no way to replace his leadership,” President and CEO Ed Holland said in an Aug. 17 news release. “We're using his well-earned retirement to realign the senior management structure to support the organization's long-term strategic plan.”
Announcing his retirement “is a bittersweet moment for me,” said Ojile, who previously was with materials firms Styrolution and Ashland Inc.
Ed Holland explained that the consolidation of sales and sourcing under Fern “will drive complete alignment of strategy, communication and messaging within the entire commercial organization.”
“[Ojile] leaves some big shoes to fill, but he's left us with an incredibly talented sourcing team,” Fern said. “I'll miss him as a colleague, but he'll always be a friend, and I know I'll be calling him often for counsel and advice.”
M. Holland ranks as one of North America's largest resin distributors, selling more than 1 billion pounds of commodity and engineering resins from more than 20 suppliers annually to almost 4,000 customers.