BRADFORD, Pa. – American Refining Group Inc. (ARG) announced this week Mike Kozminski’s recent promotion to vice president – research and development.
ARG President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Giberson said, “We are thrilled to announce Mike’s progression to vice president of research and development.
“Mike’s technical expertise regarding the chemistry of our refinery’s products and processes is unparalleled,” Giberson stated. “Further, Mike is the epitome of servant leadership, as everyone’s go-to for assistance with all things chemistry at ARG.”
Kozminski succeeds former VP – R&D David Krantz, who retired in January after a decade of service to ARG.
“We certainly thank David for his contributions to ARG during the last 10 years,” Giberson said.
As ARG’s VP – R&D, Kozminski plans and directs all aspects of R&D policies, objectives and initiatives, demonstrating expertise in the field’s concepts, practices and procedures. To assist leadership in maintaining ARG’s competitive, profitable position, he directs the development of new lubricant formulations and new-process development; plans capital expenditures and maintains expense budgets for the R&D and Quality teams; directs product registrations and licensing; and must be able to lead at all levels and simplify complex concepts.
In planning and executing new research and development proposals, Kozminski must define the project’s purpose and costs as well as equipment and HR requirements. The newest member of ARG’s leadership team, some additional key responsibilities include strategic vision communications, tactical planning and execution, consulting, executive-level problem solving and incident investigation.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Mike a number of times during our careers,” Giberson recalled. “In fact, on the very first call I ever made as a salesman, Mike and I were together. His incredible knowledge of petrochemicals and how they perform in various applications was critical to our closing that first sale.”
Kozminski re-joined ARG June 1, 2007, as manager of R&D. Giberson said he was especially instrumental to the Kensol® drilling-mud project in 2011 and more recently the bright stock hydrotreating efforts, both of which resulted in sales of a new product. Kozminski earned promotion to director of R&D on Aug. 3, 2014. Having worked previously at the Bradford refinery, he has picked up nearly 30 years of industry experience.
Kozminski has co-/authored several technical papers published in peer-reviewed journals. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He and his wife Dawn reside in Lewis Run. The couple are active in Bradford’s Catholic community; Mike serves as a lector and is a member of St. Francis of Assisi’s finance committee.
For more information about ARG, visit www.amref.com or follow the refinery on Facebook and LinkedIn.
BRADFORD, Pa. – ARG announced this week Charlotte Layton’s promotion to director of quality and product development.
ARG President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Giberson said, “We are happy to acknowledge Char’s increased scope of responsibility with this promotion. She has served the Bradford refinery for many years, making significant contributions to our company.”
Most recently, Giberson said, Layton was instrumental in two critical projects, first in achieving ARG’s certification to the latest ISO 9001:2015 quality standard and then in reviewing and updating or confirming technical specifications and data sheets for all refinery products.
As ARG’s director of quality and product development, Layton leads ARG’s entire Quality staff and is responsible for planning and directing quality assurance policies, programs and initiatives as well as process and product testing to ensure production standards are met.
Some key new responsibilities are creating, implementing and overseeing product development strategies; interacting with customers, suppliers and others to understand challenges and opportunities; and researching, planning and executing complex experiments in support of new products, ideas or technology. Layton reviews new ideas and collaborates cross-functionally to determine alignment with our business model and customer needs. Her expanded role requires extensive technical knowledge in multiple areas of petroleum technology in order to assist leadership in making significant business decisions.
Layton holds a Bachelor of Science in physical science and a Bachelor of Science in organic chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. She is an American Society of Quality, Certified Quality Manager/Operational Excellence. She serves as auditor for the Allegheny Mountain ASQ section’s board of directors and has been a member of the American Chemical Society for 35 years. Layton has served in many positions in the Penn-York section including chairman, program director and historian. She is an ISO-certified internal auditor trained in root cause analysis.
Layton has served the Bradford Refinery since June 22, 1981, when she was hired as a chemist I in Witco’s Analytical Services group. She progressed to R&D chemist II in Lubricants Development in 1988, to quality supervisor in 1991 and to quality manager in 1993. She was named Director of Quality in 2016. Layton is ARG’s Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) administrator.
Originally from Johnsonburg, Layton lives in Bradford with her husband Lanny and her great-niece Alexandria Morton.
For more information about ARG, visit www.amref.com or follow the refinery on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Kendex® base oils are now also available in drums and totes! Check out our full base oil offering below and contact us with any questions.
BRADFORD, Pa. – American Refining Group Inc. (ARG) announced this week Sarah Hayden’s promotion to Vice President – Human Resources.
ARG President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Giberson said, “This much-deserved promotion recognizes Sarah’s service, development and leadership at ARG.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with many HR professionals in my career and Sarah is one of, if not the best HR professional I’ve worked with,” Giberson continued. “ARG and Bradford are fortunate to have a professional of Sarah’s caliber.”
Hayden marks 15 years with ARG this year, having been hired Nov. 14, 2005, as HR generalist. She earned promotion to HR manager Aug. 1, 2011, and began participating as a member of ARG’s Leadership Team that same year. She earned promotion to HR director June 9, 2014.
Prior to beginning her career with ARG, Hayden served 6 years as workforce development manager for North Central Regional Planning and Development Commission. She completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, is a certified Professional in Human Resources and has completed numerous trainings in supervision and leadership.
As Vice President – HR, Hayden leads the development and delivery of HR strategies, policies, procedures and programs aligned with ARG’s strategic business objectives, vision, mission and core values. Relying on extensive experience and judgment, she marshals the refinery’s pursuit of a high-performance culture rooted in servant leadership. She must ensure ARG’s compliance with applicable labor laws and demonstrate expertise in a variety of the HR field’s concepts, practices and procedures. She has also led the development of ARG’s COVID-19 protocols.
Hayden directs a team overseeing recruiting, employee relations and performance management as well as benefits and all aspects of compensation. Some additional key responsibilities include strategic vision communications, tactical planning and execution, consulting, executive-level problem solving and incident investigation.
Residing in Foster Township, Hayden and her husband Donnie have two children, Kayla and Mitchell, and recently welcomed a grandson Easton. Her community involvement includes serving as an active facilitator of the Healing Journey women’s ministry and a board member for Bright Alternatives as well as assisting the Bradford YWCA’s personnel committee. The Hayden family are active members of their local church.
“On behalf of all of ARG, we are pleased to announce Sarah’s promotion and congratulate her for this achievement,” Giberson said. “We thank Sarah for her many years of dedicated service to ARG and all its employees, and wish her continued success.”
For more information about ARG, visit www.amref.com or follow the refinery on Facebook and LinkedIn.