Constar adds three to sales team as it eyes expansion in specialty food and beverage markets

Constar, a leading producer of PET bottles, jars and preforms, has announced the hiring of three new team members:  regional sales managers Mark Cooper and Mark Hubbuch along with design engineer Ryan Lee. Constar is ramping up hiring in anticipation of its emergence from Chapter 11 restructuring in June and aggressive growth plans in the specialty food and beverage sectors.Commenting on the new hires, Constar President and CEO Grant H. Beard said, “Constar is a much different company than it was two years ago; we’re leaner and much more focused on leveraging our strengths in package design and engineering, materials science, and sustainability to grow our business in the specialty food and beverage sectors. We have added several talented and knowledgeable people to our sales and engineering staff to engage a new generation of customers and support immediate and long-term growth. We’re pleased Mark, Mark, and Ryan have chosen to join us.”Constar has also launched several new manufacturing engineering co-op programs to cultivate new talent for the segment:  research and development co-ops with Michigan State and Ferris State Universities and a manufacturing co-op with Ohio State University.Joining Constar are: Mark Cooper has joined Constar as regional sales manager for the Southeast territory. Cooper is a top-performing sales professional with 24 years of experience building market presence and driving revenue growth in packaging and related industries. Prior to joining Constar, Cooper held positions with Phurity Green (national grocery sales) and Byotrol (food services and food processing sales), both in Detroit, Mich. He will manage Constar’s accounts in the Southeast and build new relationships. Cooper holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Marketing and Design from Central Michigan University.Mark Hubbuch has been named regional sales manager for Constar’s Midwest territory.  An experienced packaging engineer and sales executive, he has worked in the packaging industry for more than 20 years. Prior to joining Constar, Hubbuch was an account executive with Multi-Color Corporation, where he directed new product launches with blow and injection molders and managed label and equipment sales. Hubbuch also held national sales positions with Precise Technology, now part of Rexam, and Owens-Illinois, Inc. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Packaging Engineering from Michigan State University.Ryan Lee is Constar’s newest design engineer working at the Technical Center in Alsip, Ill. Lee is credited with a multitude of high profile packaging designs along with several design patents.  He is well versed in the bottle development process with demonstrable skills in concept ideation, renderings and artistic presentations.  Lee has held design engineering positions at Liquid Container and at Panduit Company.