Meet Our Leadership Team

Jeff Kenton

Jeff joined Acme-Hardesty as president in November 2016. Jeff has extensive global business and executive leadership experience. In previous roles, Jeff held numerous executive positions, most recently as president of Brenntag Specialties Inc. and Group Vice President at Ashland Inc. Jeff is most proud of the advances that the Acme-Hardesty team has made with regard to advancing the culture. “We’ve created an extraordinary place to work, based on the premise of respectful relationships coupled with collaborative action!” Acme-Hardesty has achieved unprecedented growth based on living out the team’s cultural beliefs. Jeff graduated from Ursinus College with a B.S. in Chemistry. He currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Société de Chimie Industrielle. In addition, Jeff is on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the MidAtlantic Employers Association.

“We’ve built a culture of kindness and respect. We care about each other. That simple formula translates into an environment that allows for sustained, profitable growth.”

John Carney

John joined Acme-Hardesty in May 2021 as the Vice President, Strategy and Business Development. Prior to joining Acme-Hardesty, he worked at Ashland Global Holdings where his most recent responsibilities were managing the profit and loss of the Pharmaceutical, AgChem and Advanced Materials businesses. His experiences included leading business management, sales, marketing, and R&D groups. John’s background and knowledge of the specialty chemicals business along with his leadership around strategy development will help to ensure Acme-Hardesty’s future growth. John earned his B.S. degree from the University of Maryland in Chemical Engineering and his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. John is also a member of the Société de Chimie Industrielle.

"Acme-Hardesty is a company built on strong cultural beliefs. This is the core to our internal and external relationships. As a company, we look to understand our customers’ needs and provide benefits through products that enable both our customers and us to grow."

Jim Mazich

Jim joined Acme-Hardesty as Controller in June of 2006. Now serving as Vice President of Finance and Operational Excellence, he is responsible for the Accounting and Finance team as well as the Customer Pricing, Supply Chain, and Customer Service teams. Previously, Jim served as Chief Financial Officer at Main Tape Inc. and had P&L responsibility for their manufacturing facility. Earlier in his career, Jim also served as Controller at Webcraft Technologies. Jim holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.B.A. from Monmouth University.

“Each Acme-Hardesty employee is expected to be impactful by identifying opportunities for improvement, then owning and solving those opportunities.”

Brittany VanGilder

Caren Dres-Hajeski

Caren joined Acme-Hardesty in March 2018 as Business Unit Director for Personal Care. In 2021 she assumed the new role of Vice President of Personal Care & Marketing. In her role, Caren manages all aspects of Acme-Hardesty’s personal care business unit as well as all aspects of marketing across the business. She reports directly to Jeff Kenton, President. Caren’s expertise in implementing global marketing strategies and commercialization of specialty ingredients make her an integral part of our Senior Leadership Team. Caren brings over 20 years of personal care market experience to Acme-Hardesty. Her most recent position was as Global Marketing Director with Vantage Specialty Ingredients, where her responsibilities included implementing her company’s global marketing strategy with focus on product portfolio improvement and re-energizing product lines. She’s a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and the Cosmetic Executive Women.

“Acme-Hardesty by far has the best corporate culture that I have experienced in my career. I am proud to be a part of this amazing and rapidly expanding organization.”

Dawn Neuls

Bob Malenchini

Bob joined Acme-Hardesty in December 2000, contributing his expertise across various roles throughout his tenure. Previously serving as the National Sales Director for the Personal Care and Life Science business units, Bob now represents the organization as Vice President of HI&I, Distributor Solutions, & Polyurethane/CASE Specialties. In this capacity, Bob oversees all aspects of Acme-Hardesty’s household, industrial, and institutional business, in addition to managing distributor partnerships and polyurethane technologies. Before joining Acme-Hardesty, Bob held a position at Rohm & Haas as a Senior Sales Representative. In his prior roles, he marketed and sold specialty chemical intermediates to surfactant, pharmaceutical, powder coating, and epoxy resin manufacturers, bringing extensive knowledge of the specialties market to the Acme-Hardesty sales team. Bob holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire and is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

“Acme-Hardesty is a company that continually invests in its employees and is always looking at ways to evolve, to exceed our customers’ expectations.”

Brian McGrath

Brian McGrath joined Acme-Hardesty in October 2021 in the newly created role, Vice President Life Sciences. He has over 35 years of experience in the specialty chemicals space including Pharmaceuticals, Wellness, Personal Care, and Industrial Specialty segments.  Brian has held several global, senior level, business and supply chain positions, in various companies including Axalta, Ashland, Hercules and DuPont. Brian now oversees the Industrial Specialties division in conjunction with the Life Sciences Business Unit. Brian has a proven track record of transforming organizations and delivering differential results by providing strategic leadership and assembling strong, customer focused teams. We are thrilled to have him as a member of our Senior Leadership Team. Brian received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and his MBA from the University of Richmond. Moreover, Brian is a member of Société de Chimie Industrielle.

“The Acme-Hardesty culture is truly exceptional and is based on respectful relationships and collaboration with our customers, employees, and supply partners to drive customer intimacy and innovation.”

Christopher Gross

As the Vice President of Commercial Ventures, Christopher Gross brings over 30 years of marketing and sales expertise to Acme-Hardesty. He joined the company in July 2023, after leading operations and marketing teams in the Chemical, Healthcare, and Medical Device Industries. Chris is passionate about helping companies grow by developing and implementing innovative and data-driven strategies. His specialties include eCommerce sales, digital marketing, sales and marketing operations, distribution partner management, and business analytics. He has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Delaware and a BS in Paper Science and Chemistry from Western Michigan University. Chris is also a mentor at the Spark Innovation Center, a club that promotes entrepreneurship and innovation in the chemical industry.

"Acme-Hardesty is a company that values collaboration, innovation, and sustainability. I enjoy working with a team of professionals who share the same vision and passion. Acme-Hardesty is not only a leader in the bio-chemical industry, but also a family that cares for each other and the environment."

Carolina Soldatelli

Carolina Soldatelli joined Acme-Hardesty in early 2020. In her role as Director of Business Applications, Carolina overseas all business systems and leads many cutting-edge IT initiatives. With over 10 years of business system experience, Carolina has brought a fresh perspective to Acme-Hardesty. Her experience stems from global system implementation to multi-lingual, multi-cultural consulting. She has achieved great success in previous jobs and her leadership skills shine through in all of her projects. Carolina received her Electronic Systems Engineering degree from University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. She is also a member of the Association of Business Process Management Professionals (ABPMP) and the Society of Information Management (SIM).

“Acme-Hardesty’s genuine care for its employees result in a genuine care for its Customers. It is a virtuous cycle supported by its amazing atmosphere and Cultural Beliefs.”

Sid Lyons

Sid Lyons joined Acme-Hardesty in August 2021. His passion for IT is unmatched, lucky for Acme-Hardesty. Sid has held multiple roles in the financial services and non-profit industries, ranging from infrastructure, cybersecurity, IT support, data analytics and business intelligence. In the digital age, Acme-Hardesty’s focus on cybersecurity is critical. We are grateful to have Sid lead this initiative. Sid holds multiple degrees including a Bachelor’s of Science, Masters in Information Systems, and MBA from Villanova University, Drexel University, and Temple University respectively.

“This is a place that truly lives its cultural beliefs and values. I am proud to be part of the family.”

Rishabh Shah

Rishabh Shah was welcomed into the Acme-Hardesty family in September 2016. Since joining the team, Rishabh has brought invaluable expertise to our newly developed Innovation Center. He has extensive experience as a scientist and a technologist and now leads the research & development, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs department. Known as Acme-Hardesty’s resident “chef”, Rishabh offers knowledge in upstream and downstream product development in diversified market applications. He provides value-driven solutions that are innovative, efficacious, and sustainable to our partners and customers. Rishabh earned his Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and Biochemistry from Rutgers. He is also a member of the NY Society of Cosmetic Chemists and NACD.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life; I chose Acme-Hardesty. Absolutely love the transparency, inclusivity, and integrity we have at this company.”

Matt Howle

Matt Howle joined Acme-Hardesty on April 23rd, 2018 as Director of Supply Chain. Matt fulfilled this new role and was successful at bringing multiple teams together by bridging gaps in our workflow. Matt has achieved success in his career with over 30 years in the chemical industry. He has had positions in Sales, Engineering, and Supply Chain. His achievement of his Sigma Black Belt in Operational Workflow has helped him with all aspects of his current and previous roles. Matt holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine.

“Acme-Hardesty is a wonderful place to work. We are one big family doing big company things with the flexibility and versatility of a small company!”

Guy Kalbach

Guy joined the Acme-Hardesty / Jacob Stern and Sons family in March 2020 as our Human Resources Manager. His background is diverse and includes 20+ years of progressive HR Leadership and the successful management of large-scale International Supply Chain and Sales Support Teams. Prior to Acme-Hardesty, Guy’s industry experience varied from medical device manufacturing to technology and even retail.  This includes notable leadership positions at Amazon where he drove unprecedented growth in their Fulfillment Center Operations. His ability to weave his customer-facing experience and interpersonal skills into his everyday job has enhanced our culture and brought new perspectives to our Senior Leadership Team. Guy's empathy and passion make him invaluable to our organization. We have been happy to watch him thrive and Guy now serves as our Director of Human Resources. Guy graduated from the University of Phoenix with a B.S. in Business Management.  Guy also holds an Employment Law Certificate from Cornell University and is a proud member of the Society of Human Resource Managers.

"A key differentiator at Acme-Hardesty is our unique culture and the foundation of our continued success is built on our clearly defined Cultural Beliefs. Our alignment to those Cultural Beliefs is the catalyst which fuels our sustainable, profitable growth."

Ravi Shaheed

Ravi joined Acme-Hardesty in 2015 to direct the company’s global sourcing, aid in business development and serve as Strategic Sourcing Advisor to the Senior Leadership Team, reporting to the President. Today, Ravi leads our knowledgeable sourcing team as VP Global Sourcing. He is responsible for the global development and execution of sourcing strategies. Ravi is leading the sourcing and commodities’ risk management initiatives to achieve the best total value for the business. As advisor to Acme-Hardesty’s Senior Leadership Team, Ravi is also instrumental in formulating and executing company’s business strategy. Ravi has more than 24 years of experience in strategic leadership roles in the Fertilizer/Chemical industries and Armed Forces. Prior to his business career, Ravi served 10 years in the Indian Armed Force, in various roles of strategic importance, achieving the rank of Major. Ravi is also a qualified helicopter pilot from the Indian Armed Forces. Ravi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Punjabi University, India, and Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary, Canada.