Service Centers

Samuel Appoints New President of Manufacturing

Written by David Schollaert

December 5, 2021

Canadian metals distributor and industrial products manufacturer Samuel, Son & Co., Ltd., appointed Brian Cooke as incoming president of its Manufacturing Division.

In the planned transition, Cooke succeeds Rod Crawford, who previously announced his plan to retire in June 2022. The two will work closely together, the company said, to ensure a successful transition until Crawford’s retirement.

Cooke, a manufacturing industry veteran, most recently served as division president at Mauser Packaging Solutions, and spent 20 years at Johnson Controls International in several divisional and functional leadership positions, the company said.

“I am thrilled to welcome Brian to Samuel and know he will be a valuable addition to our team. We are continuing to invest to accelerate growth in our Manufacturing business, and Brian’s proven leadership will help take us to the next level,” said Colin Osborne, Samuel’s president and CEO. “In addition, I would like to thank Rod for his years of service to Samuel, and for the success our Manufacturing Division achieved under his leadership. On behalf of our owners, board of directors and team, I would like to wish Rod well in his upcoming retirement.”

According to the Oakville, Ontario-based service center, Cooke’s leadership expertise and more than 30 years of experience at leading global operations will play a critical role in further developing the company’s highly diverse manufacturing portfolio. He will be located at Samuel’s Woodridge, Ill., facility.

“Samuel is a world-class organization, and its group of manufacturing businesses are each a leader in their own right,” said Cooke. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this growing business and look forward to working with this talented team to deliver an exceptional customer experience.”

Cooke holds a BA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

By David Schollaert, David@SteelMarketUpdate.com

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. Based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office, David can be reached at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

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