Conner Industries, Inc. Appoints Mike Hans as President of its Lumber Division

FORT WORTH, Texas

Conner Industries, Inc. (“Conner”), a leading national lumber processor and packaging company, announced today the appointment of Mike Hans as President of its Lumber Division.

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Mike Hans, President, Lumber Division, Conner Industries, Inc. (Photo: Business Wire)

Mike started his lumber career in 1972 selling for Georgia Pacific, and his drive and passion to succeed quickly led him to become a Sales Manager. In 1978, Mike moved to Slaughter Brothers in Dallas, TX where he was responsible for all aspects of sales, purchasing, and production. While running the company’s remanufacturing facility, he continued to develop relationships with sawmills and customers. Starting in 1987 until now, Mike has spent the last 28 years developing and growing two trading companies (AIFP and BIFP) of the Forest City Trading Group, LLC, a national leader in the marketing of forest products, most recently as President of Birmingham International Forest Products (BIFP) for the last 10 years, managing all aspects of the company, and increasing revenues and profitability.

“Conner’s potential for growth is very exciting. This is a great opportunity, and I intend to work closely with and assist Conner’s top management in reaching Conner’s full potential, while training and mentoring the company’s future leadership,” said Mike Hans.

“Mike’s 44 years of experience in the Forest Products industry has made him an expert at developing companies and building teams, and he is recognized by his peers as an elite manager in the Forest Products industry. Mike brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to Conner Industries and we are very pleased to have him on our team,” noted Tom Rice, Chairman of Conner Industries.

“We are positioning Conner Industries for rapid growth by focusing on growing each of its expanding business segments. Our goal and imperative is to attract the industry’s most experienced and talented leadership, as we propel Conner forward with internal growth and strategic acquisitions. Mike’s proven track record and ability to develop people make him perfectly suited to lead Conner’s Lumber Division. We look forward to the positive impact that he’ll have with our team,” said Kurien Jacob, CEO of Conner Industries.

About Conner Industries, Inc.

Conner Industries is a leading provider of industrial wood products and services to the industrial and materials handling industries for the last 30 years. The company specializes in supplying cut lumber (softwoods, hardwoods, and panel woods) needed for pallet, crate and skid parts, and fully assembled products, such as pallets, crates, skids and industrial containers. Conner services its customers nationwide from 13 manufacturing plants located in nine states: AL, FL, GA, MS, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA. Conner is one of The Argentum Group’s portfolio companies. Please visit: www.connerindustries.com

About The Argentum Group

Argentum is a New York-based private equity firm that provides growth capital to rapidly growing service companies. Argentum pursues buy-and-build strategies for businesses that can be scaled into much larger enterprises through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Argentum has a successful track record of building industry-leading companies in several industrial sectors, logistics & transportation, environmental sectors, business outsourcing, technology-enabled and healthcare services. Since 1990, Argentum has invested in over 75 companies, and has supported over 175 add-on strategic acquisitions made by its portfolio companies. Please visit: www.argentumgroup.com

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Conner Industries, Inc.
Mike Hans, 817-665-8943
President, Lumber Division
mhans@connerindustries.com
or
Jason Whisenant, 817-349-4875
Dir. Corporate Strategy
jwhisenant@connerindustries.com
or
The Argentum Group
Walter H Barandiaran, 212-949-6262
Managing Partner
walter@argentumgroup.com