Leadership
Darren, a seasoned industry executive with over 25 years of experience in specialty chemical distribution, brings broad functional expertise to LBB Specialties.
Prior to joining LBB Specialties Darren was the president of AIC (American International Chemical - a subsidiary of LBB Specialties), and had a successful tenure at Brenntag Specialties where he played a key role in the company's growth since its inception.
He earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting, with a minor in Marketing, from the Stephen F. Austin State University.
Throughout his career he has consistently driven transformative business growth in diverse roles that include sales and marketing, operations, and finance.
Jay started off his career in sales with producers such as Penreco (now Calumet) and Mallinckrodt (now Advantor).
He learned the importance of both the customer and the supplier; with this valuable insight and experience, he has helped make Charkit (a subsidiary of LBB Specialties) an ICIS Top 100 Distributor where he was the President and previously Executive Vice President.
Earning his BA in Organizational Communication from The Ohio State University, he has also completed Executive Management Programs at both Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Harvard Business School Executive Education.
Mike joined AIC in March 2019 as Vice President of Finance and his role soon expanded to include that of LBBS Controller. Prior to joining LBBS, Mike held the role of Interim AVP, Internal Audit at Kaman Corporation where he led a team in overall execution of the company’s annual audit plan. Mike also held roles of increasing responsibility at United Technologies including that of Audit Manager, Financial Planning Manager, and Associate Director of Financial Planning at Pratt & Whitney.
Mike earned his BBA in Finance & Economics from The University of Massachusetts, MS in Accounting from the University of Connecticut, an MBA from Quinnipiac University, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Terry joins us from Brenntag Specialties (BSI), where she has held positions of increasing responsibility over the past nine years. Most recently, she served as BSI’s Director of Supply Chain and Customer Service. Prior to joining Brenntag, Terry spent ten years with Kao Specialties Americas, a Japanese manufacturer of specialty chemicals, where she last served as Supply Chain Manager. Earlier in her career with Kao, Terry held positions in Inside Sales and Marketing.
Maryellen joins us from Boehringer Ingelheim where she held the position of Director, HR. Prior to that, she was with CBLPath, Inc. a division of Sonic Healthcare also as Director, HR.
She has a wealth of experience including organizational design, talent and performance management, recruitment, employee relations and engagement, and mroe.
Maryellen has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from New York University and a Master of Science in Organizational Management from Manhattanville College. She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources through the Human Resources Certification Institute.
Nicole Serafin is Vice President, Regulatory Affairs for LBB Specialties and serves on the NACD Government Policy and Advocacy Committee. Nicole first joined Charkit as the Regulatory Manager in 2011 and was later named Regulatory Director in 2017. In early 2020 Nicole was asked to expand her role by partnering with AIC’s Regulatory and Quality teams before assuming her current position as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for LBB Specialties later that year.
Prior to joining Charkit, Nicole worked as a biochemist with Pfizer’s Specialty and Biotech division. Earlier in her career, Nicole held positions with Regeneron and Purdue Pharma. Nicole holds a BS in Biology from SUNY New Paltz.
Kruti Shah has spent 10+ years in the personal care industry, with positions held in R&D, marketing, and technical sales. Kruti initially joined Charkit as a Technical Marketing Director developing and executing strategic business plans to achieve profitable growth within the Personal Care sector. She identified new opportunities and supported Charkit’s customers with technical expertise, making recommendations for formulation challenges. Kruti was then elevated to LBB Specialties to oversee strategic growth for personal care across all companies. She is a graduate of Montclair State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology. Kruti is also a member of both the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists and Cosmetic Executive Women.
Sean has spent 24+ years in the food, nutrition and specialty ingredient markets. With a strong technical background, Sean has held positions in quality assurance, technical sales and principal management. His long-term relationships with personnel at all levels of management at strategic principal partners helped develop AIC’s presence in the specialty ingredient space for food and nutrition and will help drive growth in the food and nutrition industry vertical for LBB Specialties. Sean resides in Columbus, OH.
Panos has over 30 years of experience in the industrial specialty chemicals sector and is widely regarded as a thought leader within the chemical industry. He joined Charkit in 2002 as a Vice President, Sales where he managed several key accounts. In 2019 Panos was promoted to Executive Vice President, Sales where he was responsible for leading Charkit’s sales organization. Here he set the direction and strategy, establish the optimal structure and processes to facilitate profitable growth, lead initiatives to develop new supplier relationships, and spearheaded cross-selling activities with other LBB Specialties business units.
Prior to his time a Charkit, he was the Group Vice President of Industrial Chemicals at Aceto, where he worked for thirteen years. He holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut.
Troy has been in the Life Science industry for over 29 years. Troy has held positions in Quality Control and purchasing while at Perrigo and technical sales and key principal management. Building long term strategy with key principals in Life Science has been a focus since joining AIC. As we move forward with a stronger united distribution team that LBB Specialties has compiled and continues to build Troy is eager to grow our existing portfolio and continue to add principals to our Life Science team. Troy is located in Grand Rapids, MI.
Courtney joins LBB Specialties from Croda Inc., where as an Account Manager she was responsible for managing key global accounts based in the Northeast and Midwestern United States, including collaborating with Croda’s global marketing and R&D teams on new product development, trade show and industry sponsorship and marketing initiatives for a variety of products in the healthcare sector.
Flood earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the Honors Program at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering and has completed graduate coursework in Biotechnology and Biomaterials. She has been a Trustee of The Chemists’ Club since 2012.