Vibrantz Technologies’ Leadership Changes

Houston-based Vibrantz Technologies Corp., formed earlier this year via the acquisitions of Ferro and Chromaflo by Prince International Corporation, a portfolio company of American Securities LLC, is undergoing some key leadership changes. The company is comprised of three business segments:

▪  Color Solutions: dry powder pigments, pigment dispersions and liquid colorants for the paints and coatings, thermoset plastics and thermoplastics, and construction markets.

 ▪  Advanced Materials: specialty mineral and chemical additives for end-uses such as alkaline and lithium-ion batteries, electronic components, building and construction, agriculture and animal nutrition, and foundries.

▪  Performance Coatings: high-performance glass coatings and porcelain enamel solutions for coatings, glass and other manufacturers.

Key changes include the retirement of Scott Becker, president of Color Solutions. The new president of Color Solutions is Barry Misquitta, formerly president of the Advanced Materials business. David Newton, previously v.p. for the specialty minerals and battery materials division within the company’s Advanced Materials segment, has stepped into the role of president, Advanced Materials.

Becker has over 40 years of experience in the colorants space. Prior to Vibrantz, he was CEO of Chromaflo Technologies, the company he founded in 2012 and that was acquired by American Securities in 2016. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Plasticolors, Inc., a privately held colorant company serving the industrial coatings and thermoset plastics markets from 1999 to 2012. He was also the president of Elementis Specialties from 1996 to 1999 and was with Pfizer Pigments earlier in his career. Said D. Michael Wilson, Vibrantz’s president and CEO, “Scott has been instrumental to the success of what is today Vibrantz’s Color Solutions segment and an integral member of our team since we became a new company in April of 2022. His involvement in the color solutions space while at Ferro and his experiences living and working abroad make him a natural fit to lead our global Color Solutions segment.”

Misquitta, prior to Vibrantz, was v.p. and CCO at Ferro, having first joined the company in 1999. He has a doctorate in chemistry from Louisiana State University and a Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University.

Newton, prior to Vibrantz, spent over 12 years at Ingevity Corporation which he first joined in 2010 and where he was most recently v.p. of corporate strategy and renewable energy ventures from 2020 to 2022, serving as a spearhead for technology scouting to drive the company’s growth initiatives.  He holds a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business and a Bachelor and Master of Science in civil engineering from Clemson University.