Courtney Longacre has joined Gulf Coast Chemical Corp. in the position of Inside Sales and New Product Development.

Dowd and Guild Inc. will be representing Kimes Technologies in the Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas region.

Cabot Corp. will expand production capacity by 25 percent at its fumed silica facility in Barry, Wales.

Winona PVD Coatings LLC, a provider of bright finish coatings to the automotive wheel industry, plans to expand its operations in Warsaw, IN, creating up to 70 new jobs by 2012.

PPG Industries announced four executive appointments effective Sept. 1, 2011.

Crosslink™, a developer of electrochemistry- and polymer science-based technologies, announced a joint venture (JV) with Wayne Pigment Corp. to commercialize hexavalent chromium-free (non-chromate) corrosion inhibitor pigments for military and industrial applications.

Cytec Industries Inc. announced net earnings for the second quarter 2011 of $35.1 million or $0.70 per diluted share on net sales of $798 million.

PPG Industries reported sales for the second quarter 2011 of $4.0 billion, an increase of 15 percent versus the prior year’s second quarter. Each major region and reporting segment achieved volume and price gains.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to improve its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program. IRIS is a publicly available online database that provides science-based human health assessments used to inform the agency’s decisions on protecting public health and the environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will not be promulgating additional Clearance and Clearance Testing Requirements to the Lead: Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program (LRRP).