Mr. Brown will oversee all of the Nichols' business and report to Dave Petratis, Quanex president and chief executive officer.
"I am very excited about the strong qualities that Russ will bring to Quanex and the Nichols organization." said Petratis. "He is an enthusiastic leader with a background of successes that will bring value to Nichols in the areas of operational excellence, innovation, customer service, team building and financial management."
Mr. Brown was previously Vice President, Operations, at Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and provider of electrical distribution equipment. Prior to that, he was Vice President, Operations, for Siemens Dematic, a provider of logistical automation solutions. Mr. Brown has also held positions with Siemens Energy & Automation, Sundstrand Aerospace and Sperry Vickers.
Mr. Brown received both a BS in Industrial Engineering and a MS in Operations Management from Mississippi State University, and a MBA in Finance from Colorado State University. He holds certifications from the American Production & Inventory Control Society and Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He is a member of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and Foundation Board Vice President for Hospice of Northeast Illinois.
Quanex Building Products Corporation is an industry-leading manufacturer of value-added, engineered products and components, serving the energy-efficient building products markets. It is an ROIC-driven company that grows shareholder returns through a combination of organic growth via new products, programs and strategic acquisitions.