M. Holland making changes to management roster

Resin distribution firm M. Holland Co. is making changes to its management ranks.

Marc Fern has been named president and chief operating officer of Northbrook, Ill.-based M. Holland.

Ed Holland, who previously served as president, will retain his roles as chairman and CEO.

Ed Holland — who was named the firm's president and CEO in 1994 — said in a phone interview that it's the right time for M. Holland to make these moves because "there's been a lot of transformation in the industry."

"We've developed several strong leaders, and it's time for them to move up and use their skills," he added.

The company was founded by his parents, Marvin and Joan, in 1950. He called the latest management changes "my version of debottlenecking."

"I'm going to work to maintain the culture of our company," Ed Holland said. "Our difference is our people, not our pellets."

The company also announced that Monica Christler has been named commercial executive vice president, and Michael Foldvary is now serving as distribution vice president.

In a phone interview, Fern said that M. Holland's approach "will be driven by the end markets that our suppliers want," including health care, automotive and packaging.

"We're always looking to evaluate and upgrade our product offerings to keep up with the requirements of our customers," Fern added.

M. Holland's five-year plan "has both organic growth and acquisitions as part of our strategy," according to Fern. He added that the firm anticipates "a large amount" of international growth and also will look at domestic growth "as opportunities come up."

On the personnel side, Fern said that M. Holland "is always looking to add good sales people. … We want our corporate development program to produce the next generation of talent."

Fern has been with M. Holland for 26 years, starting as an account manager and most recently serving as commercial executive vice president. As president and COO, he'll oversee the firm's distribution and resale business units, as well as the operations, marketing and IT departments.

Fern has been a member of the company's board of directors for several years.

Christler joined M. Holland in 2012 after the firm acquired Christler Chemical & Plastics Inc. and most recently served as distribution sales director. She'll now oversee the distribution and resale business units and serve as a member of M. Holland's executive team.

Foldvary joined M. Holland in 2019 from BASF. He'll be responsible for sales and sourcing within the U.S. and Canada.

Fern said that Christler and Foldvary "have an in-depth knowledge of the business and greater plastics industry. … Together, our long-term goal is establishing a company where all aspects of the business are connected, optimized and focused on shared organizational goals."

M. Holland is one of North America's largest resin distributors, selling more than $1.5 billion in materials to more than 4,000 customers annually. The firm serves more than 70 countries across North America, Latin American, Europe, the Middle East and Asia and has offices in the U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands.