BALTIMORE – USALCO, a producer of aluminum-based chemicals used in water treatment and refinery catalyst manufacturing, has appointed Ken Gayer as its first non-family chief executive officer (CEO). Founding family members Peter and David Askew, both of whom have served as former USALCO CEOs, will continue to serve the Company as co-chairmen of the Board of Directors.
Gayer most recently served as CEO of Gelest, a specialty silicones and silanes producer recently sold to Mitsubishi Chemical Company. Prior to Gelest, Ken was Business President of Honeywell Specialty Products and had a 15-year tenure at Honeywell in a variety of leadership positions. Prior to Honeywell, he held leadership roles at McKinsey & Company, the Polaroid Corporation, and served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Nuclear Submarine Force. Gayer holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, a Masters in Chemical Engineering from MIT, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.