LOCAL BUSINESSES
Myers names new VP
Myers Industries Inc. of Akron, maker of plastic and rubber products, has named Monica Vinay to the post of vice president of investor relations and treasurer.
Vinay previously was director of investor relations and communications. She joined the publicly traded company in March 2010 as director of finance and information technology for the distribution segment, and in March 2011 became director of investor and financial relations.
Vinay received a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Akron and a master’s in business administration from Ashland University.
Myers distributes specialized tire and motor vehicle tools, in addition to making plastic and rubber products. The company is a leading North American producer of plastic horticultural pots, trays and planters for professional growers.
Myers also makes products for the food processing and agricultural industries, among other markets.
Global employment totals more than 3,000. Locally, Myers owns the 100-plus employee Akro-Mils plant in Wadsworth, where workers make plastic and steel storage products for industrial, commercial and consumer use.
The company’s corporate headquarters are on South Main Street in Akron.
Promotion at Diebold
Diebold Inc. of Green said Thursday that Stefan E. Merz, a vice president at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Group, has been named senior vice president of strategic projects, effective Aug. 1.
Merz’s appointment comes nearly two months after Diebold said former Hewlett-Packard Co. and Siemens executive Andreas “Andy” W. Mattes had been named Diebold’s president and chief executive officer.
Mattes succeeded Thomas Swidarski, who was fired in January by the Diebold board after the company missed earnings targets and for not moving fast enough to transform the long-established $3 billion maker of automated teller machines and security systems.
Diebold said Thursday that Merz will be responsible for “driving Diebold’s transformation strategy, helping execute on the company’s previously disclosed multiyear realignment plan, and identifying other areas of improvement that will drive future growth.”
Prior to joining Diebold, Merz held various leadership positions at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Group, headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. He most recently served there as vice president of sales strategy and operations.
Merz, like Mattes, also worked at Siemens AG, based in Munich, Germany.
Merz is a native of Sindelfingen, Germany.
OIL & GAS
Anti-injection well rally set
Activists against Ohio’s injection wells will rally at 1:30 p.m. Monday on the square at the Trumbull County Courthouse in downtown Warren.
The group is calling for a ban on injection wells used to dispose of liquid drilling wastes in Ohio.
Keynote speaker will be author Bill McKibben of 350.org, a group involved in fighting global warming.
After the rally, the activists will take a bus to a nearby well site and conduct an interdenominational religious service.
The event is called Don’t Frack Ohio 2.0 and is being sponsored by numerous grass-roots Ohio groups. Several hundred participants are expected.
The sponsors are also conducting training for activists Saturday and Sunday in Ravenna. To sign up, go to www.dontfrackoh.org.
For more information, go to www.concernedcitizensohio.org or contact Mary Greer at 330-472-8086 or Gwen Fischer at 330-569-7863.
Compiled from staff reports