Wear-Dated Realigns Management

St. Louis, MO, August 22--The carpet fiber business of Solutia Inc., which includes Wear-Dated carpet fiber, has made extensive personnel changes in every department. Wear-Dated has built on a solid base of existing experience by realigning people in new roles and adding new talent. "The marketplace has changed significantly," said Gary Lanser, general manager, carpet fibers. "Our group has the creativity to consider new approaches, as well as relevant industry and marketplace experience." Recent additions to the carpet fiber team include: Mark Bass, business director, carpet fibers— formerly with Solutia's Acrilan division as well as with Wear-Dated carpet fiber. Mike Hamlin, manager, new product development— worked with BASF for 18 years, bringing significant textile fiber industry and new product development experience. Bruce Elliston, senior account executive — 29 years of industry experience with BASF, Tapestron International and American Home Designs. Joey Barbaree, sales representative — 15 years of sales and marketing experience at Shaw, Mohawk, Synthetic Industries and most recently at Universal Textile Technologies. Barry Nicks, director, national sales, Wear-Dated — most recently with Tarkett, which he joined after working for Solutia's Acrilan and Wear-Dated carpet fiber divisions. "It is a testimony to the strength of the brand that while in Chapter 11, we have retained key members of our team and attracted strong new talent," said Keith Barbaree, director, Wear-Dated carpet fiber. "We have also retained all of our major customers, and continue to raise awareness and generate strong sales." Barbaree explains that Wear-Dated’s focus is on the marketplace. "We’ve adjusted our programs and re-aligned the efforts of our regional managers and Wear-Dated representatives to work in lockstep with both mill and retail partners," he said. "Furthermore, we have added Barry Nicks to focus specifically on strategic national accounts – an important next step for Wear-Dated – which we believe will add significant benefits for these customers."

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