Huber Engineered Woods (HEW), one of the companies within the family-owned J.M. Huber Corporation (Huber) portfolio of businesses, announced today that Kirk Blanchette will succeed Brian Carlson, who will be retiring as of July 1, 2025, as the president of HEW.
Blanchette will bring more than 25 years of experience in finance, corporate strategy and leadership to the role. He is currently chief financial officer and vice president of strategy for HEW. In addition to currently leading the marketing, strategy, finance and accounting, purchasing and risk functions for HEW, he previously had responsibility for the logistics, sales and operations planning, inside sales, information technology and industrial/OEM functions as well.
Prior to joining HEW in 2012, Blanchette held numerous roles in the venture capital and private equity industries, most recently as a partner at Seguin Partners, a middle-market-focused fund. Prior to his principle investing roles he was an investment banker with Bank of America focused on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance for industrial clients. He is currently a board member of Huber Engineered Materials, one of the companies in Huber’s portfolio. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Investments from Babson College and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“I am honored to step into this role and continue building on the foundation of success established by Brian Carlson and our incredible HEW team,” says Blanchette. “As a family-owned business, we remain committed to our core values—the Huber Principles—and our valued employees and customers. I look forward to leading the organization to deliver outstanding results for our customers and shareholders into the future.”
Says Brian Carlson, president of HEW, “This is an exciting time for our entire organization. Kirk is well prepared to lead HEW into its next era, where it will keep delivering innovative, sustainable building solutions that address the needs of our customers and the North American housing and construction industry at large.”
“As a multi-generational family-owned business, we are extremely grateful to Brian Carlson for his 30 years of service to HEW and Huber. And we’re excited about the future of HEW under Kirk’s leadership,” says Gretchen McClain, president and CEO of J.M. Huber Corporation. “Our team of passionate, committed employees will continue to partner with our valued customers to deliver the highest quality, innovative products and service possible.”