Emerald Kalama Chemical, a business group of Emerald Performance Materials, has appointed Scott Neuheardt vice president and general manager for the group’s line of K-FLEX low-VOC, non-phthalate plasticizers and coalescents. In this role, Neuheardt will be responsible for optimizing and expanding business globally, identifying new opportunities for growth and leading teams that will focus on translating emerging market needs into a greater range of product offerings.

Neuheardt has nearly 20 years of experience in senior operations and management roles in the specialty chemicals industry, most recently serving as president and COO at Sekisui Specialty Chemicals. He also previously held various marketing, business and sales management roles at Celanese and GE Plastics. He earned a B.S. in electrical engineering at the Montana State University – Bozeman.

“Scott is a results-oriented leader with a proven track record of success in establishing and executing on strategic plans and exceeding business metrics,” said Edward Gotch, CEO of Emerald Kalama Chemical. “Emerald Kalama Chemical has tripled in size since 2006, and we plan to double again by 2026. Scott’s skills in developing highly effective organization structures and high performance, diverse teams will help lead the K-FLEX business into the next era of growth.”

K-FLEX benzoate technology has a proven track record of more than three decades for delivering performance, providing a highly effective alternative that eliminates the health and environmental concerns of increasingly regulated phthalate plasticizers and high-VOC coalescents. The REACH-compliant K-FLEX platform provides a range of low-VOC, non-phthalate, non-SVHC products, including those with certain clearances for use in food-contact applications.

In recent years, the company has focused on product innovation to deliver benefits to an expanding range of adhesives, sealants, caulk, paints, coatings, graphic arts and plastisol and vinyl applications. For example, in adhesive and sealant applications, K-FLEX products are known for enhancing film formation and adhesion, processing characteristics and improving the resistance of the end-products to oil, grease and water. Other important benefits include improved scrub resistance and gloss retention in paint and coatings. In vinyl applications, performance can be greatly enhanced by blending the fast-fusing K-FLEX plasticizers with many other general purpose plasticizers to increase line speed and/or lower processing temperature, as well as improve stain resistance and toughen wear layers in plastisols.

Emerald Kalama Chemical also produces sodium and potassium benzoate, benzoic acid and intermediates, and specialty flavor and fragrance ingredients, which the company sells globally through its distribution partners. The business has manufacturing operations in Kalama, Wash., Rotterdam, Netherlands and Widnes, UK.