Petrakis to Head Sales for Conair in U.S., Canada

Stephen Petrakis, long-time plastics industry executive and, most recently, president of Frigel North America, has been named vice president of sales – U.S. and Canada for The Conair Group Inc., Cranberry Township, PA. He joins the company on August 16, 2010, reporting to Larry Doyle, vice president, global sales & marketing, who made the announcement.

“The United States and Canada represent our largest and most important market,” Doyle says, “That’s why I am so pleased that a highly knowledgeable and experienced industry veteran like Steve Petrakis is joining the Conair organization. He will provide invaluable direction and support for inside and outside commercial activities and will bring new energy and strategic thinking to our heat transfer team.”

Petrakis has a 34-year record of success in both international and domestic manufacturing environments. He has held prominent positions in management, strategic development, and sales and marketing for several global manufacturing companies and has played a key role in bringing sustainable technology to processors throughout North America.

For his part, Petrakis notes that his move to Conair represents something of a homecoming. “When I started as a sales rep in Chicago in 1976, Conair was one of the first companies I represented. Now it seems I’ve come full-circle. I have had tremendous respect for Conair over the years and I look forward to contributing to its continued leadership and success.” 

As a manufacturers’ representative, Petrakis sold not only for Conair, but also EMI, Krauss Maffei, and Martin Industries. He subsequently worked directly for EMI, Innovative Plastic Systems (his own sales agency), AEC, Sterling, and the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), before becoming president of Frigel North America in 2006. In 2008, he was elected a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association, an exclusive organization of accomplished individuals in the plastics industry. He remains an active member of SPI and the Society of Plastics Engineers, where he has held various chair and board positions over the years.
 
Petrakis received his MBA from California Coast University in Santa Ana, CA, and his BS from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.

The Conair Group, Inc., (www.conairgroup.com) is a leading supplier of auxiliary equipment for plastics processors, including resin drying systems, blenders, feeders and material-conveying systems, temperature-control equipment, and granulators.