Kaszer’s Promotion to Follow Retirement of President Judy Shaffer

[New Castle, PA – October 1, 2024] ELLWOOD today announced a change in leadership at ELLWOOD Specialty Metals (ESM), with the promotion of ELLWOOD executive Mark Kaszer to President effective January 1, 2025. Kaszer will succeed outgoing president Judy Shaffer who earlier this year announced her year-end retirement. 

Kaszer is a 16-year veteran of ELLWOOD and currently serves as Vice President of Sales for ESM, the leading distributor of tool steels and aluminum for plastic molds, die casting, forging dies, and other tooling applications. ESM has operations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Canada, and Mexico.  

Shaffer has served in the President position since 2019 and her career with ELLWOOD spans four decades. Her time with ELLWOOD started in 1993 as a Quality Assurance Manager at ELLWOOD Crankshaft and Machine and she earned promotions through sales and production leadership at various ELLWOOD entities before being named President of ESM. Shaffer’s skill and focus on building team culture has been especially impactful at ESM.

“We are thankful to Judy for her leadership, and we are proud of Mark as this promotion is a recognition of his hard work and his numerous successes during his time with ELLWOOD,” said Ben Huffman, ELLWOOD President and CEO. “Mark and Judy have worked together to expand ESM’s product and service offering and we are excited for the future of the company.”

Kaszer was named Vice President of Sales for ESM in 2021 and has since strategically restructured the sales team to ensure continued growth. He was also a key leader in the start-up of the ELLWOOD Specialty Metals Mexico facility, assisting with the hiring of the leadership and sales team and building inventory to increase sales volume. 

In 2011, Kaszer was named the Director of Sales for ESM and immediately made an impact as he developed an inside sales priority system, worked with financial leaders to improve the bottom-line performance, and more.  Among his other accomplishments in this role, he helped to develop and grow ESM’s aluminum offering in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

Kaszer’s career with ELLLWOOD began in 2008 when he joined the ELLWOOD City Forge as a Product Specialist. He and his wife Kylee make their home in Ellwood City, PA, with their two daughters.