Spartech LLC

We’re pleased to announce that Lucian Strong has joined Spartech as Chief Commercial Officer.

Lucian joins Spartech as the company strengthens its commercial excellence to better serve customers across aerospace, healthcare, mobility, energy, and other engineered materials markets.

In this role, Lucian will lead Spartech's global commercial organization, bringing together sales, marketing, product management, customer service, and quality to create a more connected customer experience while accelerating profitable growth across the business.

Lucian brings more than two decades of executive leadership in advanced manufacturing and engineered materials. Throughout his career, he has built high-performing global commercial organizations and led business units with full P&L responsibility, helping customers grow through innovation, operational excellence, and strong commercial partnerships.

As manufacturers continue seeking reliable domestic supply partners, application-specific materials, and faster product development, Spartech remains focused on being more than a materials supplier. Our goal is to be the trusted engineering and manufacturing partner that helps customers bring innovative products to market with confidence.

Please join us in welcoming Lucian to the Spartech team. We look forward to the leadership, experience, and customer focus he brings as we continue expanding Spartech's capabilities and delivering innovative material solutions that help our customers succeed.

Congratulations to Stephanie Gathman on this exciting new chapter!

Stephanie will lead Spartech’s corporate strategy and special projects to help define the long-term roadmap that advances our vision of being a polymer transformation company solving complex industry challenges through innovative material solutions.

This strategic leadership role will focus on identifying new market opportunities, strengthening our innovation pipeline, expanding capabilities, evaluating growth initiatives, and helping shape the future of Spartech through both organic development and strategic acquisition.

As industries continue evolving across aerospace, medical, transportation, industrial, and energy applications, clients increasingly need dedicated manufacturing partners that combine technical expertise with long-term strategic planning. Stephanie’s leadership will help ensure Spartech continues investing in the technologies, capabilities, and custom-engineering solutions that keep Spartech competitive in a dynamic environment and continuously evolving in alignment with shareholder expectations.

By aligning strategy with client needs, operational excellence, and emerging market opportunities, Spartech remains dedicated to continued sustainable growth while delivering the highest level of value to loyal OEMs, fabricators, and thermoforming partners.

Please join us in congratulating Stephanie on this new role as she creates fresh opportunities for Spartech to serve emerging markets, delivering the expertise, products, and support customers need to succeed.

We look forward to the impact her leadership will have as Spartech continues solving complex product development and manufacturing challenges through advanced material innovation.

As America celebrates its semiquincentennial, we proudly recognize those dedicated to strengthening American manufacturing. From our team to yours, we wish you all a happy Fourth of July!

Please join us in welcoming Fritz Prehn to the Spartech team as our new Senior Technical Lead!

Join the Spartech team: https://bit.ly/4uYJvG1

Fritz brings an exceptional background in polymer science, materials engineering, formulation development, and extrusion technology. His expertise will help shape the future of advanced materials, engineered thermoplastic solutions, and customer-focused innovation at Spartech.

Most recently, he served as a Senior Chemist at Aurora Material Solutions, where he developed advanced engineering thermoplastic formulations and optimized manufacturing capabilities. Prior to Aurora, Fritz was employed by Sabic as a Senior Scientist, where he began as a platform chemist focused on new polycarbonate copolymer development and later moved into compounding and extrusion product development.

He earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Colorado School of Mines, specializing in novel polymer synthesis and organic solar cells. His doctoral research led to postdoctoral work in Singapore, where he helped commercialize printable solar cell technology for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) before transitioning into the thermoplastics industry.

Based at Spartech’s Innovation Center, Fritz will play an important role in accelerating material innovation, expanding product capabilities, and developing high-performance solutions that help customers solve complex manufacturing challenges across diverse industries. We’re excited to have Fritz on our technology team to help drive product development and advance the next generation of custom-engineered polymer solutions.

Originally from Wisconsin, Fritz grew up exploring the Northwoods. Having recently moved to Missouri, he’s excited to discover local nature spots.

Let’s give Fritz a warm welcome to Saint Louis and the Spartech team!

The world we live in and the materials we use are constantly evolving.

Expectations rise. Regulations expand. Performance standards become more demanding.

Manufacturers must meet increasingly rigid criteria without compromising quality, consistency, or operational efficiency.

From recyclable and bio-based polymers that foster signage redesign to flame-retardant and electrification-ready plastics for EV batteries, the future of plastics manufacturing holds many opportunities for advancement amid rapid innovation.

Specialty Applications May Require Custom Material Support for:
- Consistent Gauge & Surface Uniformity
- Hazard Reduction & Damage Resistance
- Thermoformability & Processing Ease
- Multi-layer Construction to Meet Demands, Specifications, & Regulations

Custom-engineered extruded plastic sheet and roll stock solutions help manufacturers scale up and navigate increasingly strict specifications, manufacturing process goals, sustainability demands, and material performance expectations across an expansive range of industries.

Successful material innovation is built on partnership. Through inter-organizational and cross-functional collaboration, engineering and manufacturing expertise, and a commitment to sustainable growth, Spartech supports manufacturers across industries to adapt to an ever-changing world where material performance, regulatory compliance, and end-market expectations must align.

As a leading North American supplier of custom extruded plastic sheet and roll stock, Spartech leverages expertise in materials engineering, processing, and application development to deliver advanced, sustainable, and high-performance materials. We recognize how engineering decisions made at the very beginning of the product lifecycle determine sustainability. Recyclability-by-design helps manufacturers balance performance, aesthetics, and environmental goals.

📢The Future of Signage Materials: Sign-Grade High-Impact Polystyrene — https://hubs.li/Q04hXg5y0

Across the Graphic Arts & Signage market, most performance problems don’t occur during the design stage. They occur during production as color shifts on press, boards that don’t handle cleanly, and unplanned reprints. Consistently dealing with multiple locations, tight timelines, and repeat jobs pays an expensive toll on production efficiency.

The highest-performing teams take a different approach to protect margins, speed up production, and retain clients. They utilize reliable Graphic Arts & Signage materials like PrintMax® ECON, engineered to repeatedly yield the same high standards for everyday Graphic Arts and Signage applications.

PrintMax® ECON is a high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) built to deliver consistent print performance, predictable handling, and scalable efficiency across digital, screen, UV digital, and litho / offset printing workflows. With its durability and strong ink adhesion, PrintMax® ECON is a sign-grade material specifically designed to impress clients with superior graphics at a cost-effective rate. Offered in industry-standard gauges and sizes, with custom dimensions available upon request with competitive lead time.

PrintMax® ECON empowers printing product and service providers with affordable, durable, and sustainable printing materials that make it easier to meet the demand and expectations of clients across industries such as retail, corporate, and advertising.

As a solution-driven partner, Spartech offers custom printing material engineering services alongside a wide selection of formulations, colors, and cuts. Spartech’s post-extrusion services include die cutting, punching, and guillotining. We leverage our expertise in advanced materials, processing, and application development to deliver the highest level of value and drive your projects toward success.

To learn more about PrintMax® ECON styrene sheets or request a sample, visit the Spartech website or contact a Spartech representative at [email protected].