DETROIT – Huron Capital Partners LLC has added specialty coatings industry veteran Robert Taylor to the Huron Resource Group. Taylor will serve as a member of the Board of Directors of Valentus Specialty Chemicals Inc., where he will advise Valentus’s management team, including CEO Ray Chlodney and CFO John Ragazzini.

Taylor has 42 years of experience in the specialty coatings industry, including 29 years with AkzoNobel NV in various research, commercial development, marketing and operations positions. In addition to leading several divisions of AkzoNobel NV, Taylor has served as President and COO of Lilly Industries Inc. and President and General Manager of The Sherwin Williams Co.’s Chemical Coatings Division.

“We are excited to augment a strong Valentus management team with a leader who has demonstrated success at several major specialty coatings businesses,” said Mark Miller, a Vice President at Huron. “We believe Bob’s expertise and connections within the industry will be instrumental in helping Valentus identify, partner with, and grow businesses with market-leading technologies.” Mike Beauregard, a Senior Partner at Huron, added “The addition of Bob to the Valentus initiative signals Huron’s commitment to continuing its history of partnering with specialty chemicals businesses through its ExecFactor^SM buy-and-build investment model. We continue to surround Valentus with intellectual capital that we believe will help our specialty coatings partners thrive.”

The Valentus initiative is targeting companies with the following characteristics: a product portfolio focused on innovative, environmentally-friendly, reactive coatings technologies with a variety of potential applications; proven ability to meet customer needs with unique coatings solutions and exceptional customer service; annual revenues of least $20 million; and a strong recurring revenue base with high customer retention.

Based in Detroit, Huron Capital is an operationally-focused private equity firm with a history of growing lower middle-market companies through its customized ExecFactor buy-and-build investment model. Huron's sector focus includes specialty manufacturing, business services, consumer goods and services, and healthcare.