Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio-based Associated Materials LLC, a vinyl windows and siding maker with $1.6 billion in annual sales and more than 4,000 employees, has appointed James Drexinger as CEO.
Drexinger took the job effective immediately, according to a news release. He succeeds Brian Strauss, who was president and CEO of Associated Materials since 2014.
The CEO change follows the March acquisition of Associated Materials by Strategic Value Partners LLC, a global investment firm known as SVPGlobal and based in Connecticut. That firm has more than $18 billion of assets under management.
Associated Materials in the release called Drexinger "a proven senior executive in the building products industry, respected for his ability to drive operational excellence, capture market share and improve customer experiences."
Most recently, Drexinger was CEO of private equity-backed American Construction Source, a national building materials distribution platform and manufacturer of products for new residential builders and repair and remodel contractors. Under Drexinger's stewardship, Associated Materials said, American Construction "achieved $1 billion in run-rate revenue at above-market gross margins and EBITDA," or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Prior to his role at American Contruction, Drexinger was division president and executive vice president of Stock Building Supply. Drexinger also has held senior executive roles at Wolseley North America, NIBCO and Armstrong World Industries
David Geenberg, co-head of SVPGlobal's North American investment group, in a statement thanked Strauss for his "dedication and service, as well as his commitment to managing Associated Materials over these past eight years to a great level of success as a business with excellent products and customer loyalty."
He said Drexinger joins Associated Materials "as we invest in bringing the company's operations, customer experience and employee engagement to new heights in a very bright future for the business."
Associated Materials operates 11 manufacturing facilities in the United States and Canada that produce vinyl windows, vinyl and composite siding and accessories, and metal building products.