Star Plastics Names New CEO

Star Plastics, a custom compounder of engineering-grade thermoplastics, has named Daniel T. McMullen its chief executive officer. He began his Star Plastics career as vice president of finance and corporate development in 2022 and has held the position of interim CEO since September.

“Dan brings over 30 years of management, leadership and product development to this role,” says Carr T. Preston, managing director of Akoya Capital Partners, member of Star Plastics’ board of directors. “He also has experience fostering cultures of innovation and growth and solid experience in his prior roles at Star.”

McMullen’s background is in specialty chemicals and advanced materials, having co-founded the business that became CMC Materials Inc., a supplier of critical materials to the semiconductor industry. He has served as vice president of RRTC Inc. and the Rippey Corp., as well as holding various director-level positions for the Boston based Cabot Corp.

McMullen earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Tufts University. As an undergraduate, he majored in chemistry at the University of Cincinnati. His continuing education experience includes Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean Tools Implementation certifications. He has also authored numerous articles and presentations for industry journals, symposiums and conferences.

McMullen says he looks forward to the future of the company. “In the past two years Star Plastics has made significant investments in new technologies and capabilities that have it well positioned for future growth,” McMullen says. “As a solution provider in sustainable materials, we anticipate a growing need for our reNova recycled-content compounds. What started as a recycling company 35 years ago has now grown into a superior provider of custom compounds based on prime and recycled engineering-grade thermoplastic resins.”

Star Plastics creates custom compounds for engineering-grade thermoplastics with special emphasis on recycled and UL-approved materials. Its Orion engineered resins are made from prime materials and offer high-performance, custom design and functionality such as UV protection, flame retardants and custom color. Its reNova line of recycled-content resins, including third-party validated materials, helps customers meet their sustainability goals. The company serves a variety of industries including consumer electronics, electrical, lighting, appliances transportation, packaging, furniture, industrial and telecommunications. The company maintains plants in Ravenswood and Millwood, West Virginia with manufacturing worldwide.