PASADENA, CA — Ameron International Corp. announced a number of changes in key management positions in the company’s worldwide coatings business, including the appointment of Gerald W. Beeler as group president of the protective coatings division in the United States and Europe.

Beeler was formerly vice president of Marketing for Ameron’s marine and offshore-coatings business, and has held various management positions with the company over the last 10 years. He assumes overall management responsibility for all U.S. and European protective-coatings operations, including marketing and sales activities and manufacturing facilities in the United States, England, and The Netherlands.

In other moves:

  • Randy Roth was named vice president of Sales for the Coatings Group’s U.S.A. division. He was formerly regional sales manager for the Gulf Coast region.

  • Stephen F. Dickey was named vice president of Strategic Planning and Marketing for the Coatings Group, U.S.A. division. He was formerly vice president of Marketing for Industrial Maintenance.

  • Richard Von Hor recently joined the company as vice president of Operations and Distribution for the Coatings Group, U.S.A. division. He was formerly site operations manager for International Paints, a subsidiary of Akzo Nobel.

  • Christine Stanley was appointed vice president of Technology for the worldwide coatings business. She has been with the company for 14 years.

  • Michael Sloan was named vice president of International Operations. He was with Devoe Coatings when the company’s marine coatings business was acquired by Ameron in 1996.

  • Jay Herpel was appointed director of International Sales. He has been an international sales executive with Ameron since 1996.

  • Thomas Brinkman was appointed director of Finance for the Coatings Group, U.S.A. division. He joined Ameron in 1998 as a controller.

Ameron also announced an expansion of its coatings business in the South American and Chinese markets with the appointment of licensees in Brazil and the People’s Republic of China.

In Brazil, Ameron signed a license agreement with Vitoria Quimica Tintas e Anticorrosivos Ltda., a company based in Sao Paulo that produces anticorrosion tapes, films and coatings, including coal-tar, epoxy, and polyurethane systems. In China, Ameron signed a license agreement with Shanghai Hisun Paint Co. Ltd., which operates a plant in Shanghai and manufactures a range of architectural, container, and high-performance protective coatings.

Ameron Chairman, President and CEO James S. Marlen said the moves are needed to expand availability of Ameron’s protective and marine coatings in important growth markets. “Both Vitoria Quimica and Hisun are excellent companies, well respected in their markets,” he said. Ameron operates businesses in North America, Europe and Asia and is a partner in joint-venture companies in the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico.