5/8/2013
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – (May 8, 2013) – During plant-wide meetings today at Hudson Technologies, President Mark Andrews announced to employees that he will retire this year and that Bret Schmitz, vice president of operations, will be promoted to president. The change is effective August 1.
Andrews, 64, of Ormond Beach, says the leadership change is designed to support future growth and leadership development at Hudson Technologies and allow him to continue to work with Hudson Technologies and other JSJ Corporation businesses as a consultant. Andrews also plans to continue serving the many industry, community and advisory organizations he works with including the Volusia Manufacturers Association (VMA) for which he is the 2012/2013 chairman, United Way Volusia-Flagler Counties, UCF Business Incubator-Daytona Beach and the CEO Business Alliance.
With a manufacturing career that spans more than four decades, Andrews has been with JSJ Corporation for 36 years. Prior to joining Hudson Technologies he worked with GHSP, a JSJ business based in Grand Haven, Mich., and a global supplier of mechanical and electro-mechanical systems to the automotive, transportation, and appliance industries. When he transferred from GHSP to join Hudson as president in 2004, he was vice president of sales and marketing and responsible for GHSP’s manufacturing operations in Germany and engineering and sales in Japan.
Under Andrews’ leadership, the Ormond Beach manufacturer transformed from Hudson Tool & Die to Hudson Technologies. The Volusia Manufacturers Association named Hudson Technologies the 2008 Manufacturer of the Year and in 2009 presented it with two Best Practice awards for Employee Wellness Program and Going Green. In addition to championing employee wellness initiatives, Andrews was the driving force behind the company’s journey to become a green manufacturer. This two-year, $2 million project culminated in 2007 with Hudson Technologies’ full conversion to an aqueous cleaning system and the elimination of hazardous waste from its manufacturing process. In 2010, Hudson Technologies celebrated its 70th Anniversary and received the Retention/Expansion Project Award from the City of Ormond Beach.
Bret Schmitz, 45, of Deland, joined Hudson Technologies as vice president of operations in 2010. Previously he was director of operations with Greatbatch-Globe, a global manufacturer of medical devices and components based in Minneapolis, Minn. His experience includes managing and directing quality assurance, manufacturing, human resources, product development, engineering, facilities and materials. Schmitz, who holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management, began his manufacturing career at Hudson where he worked for 16 years as business unit manager for two product lines before moving to Minneapolis.
