AVON, Ohio — August 24, 2026 — Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has named Matt Sokol President, while David Keehan moves into the role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Keehan represents the second generation of family leadership at APC, a family-owned manufacturer headquartered in Avon, Ohio. Founded in 1997, APC develops and manufactures high-performance coatings and linings for demanding chemical transportation and industrial environments worldwide.
Today, the company serves customers across the marine, rail, tank container, and industrial markets. MarineLINE®, APC’s premier cargo tank coating technology for chemical and product tankers, is trusted on more than 950 vessels worldwide, while ChemLINE® serves rail, tank container, and industrial applications.
Keehan has led APC as President since 2018 and will remain actively involved in the business as Chairman and CEO, helping guide the company’s long-term strategy and continued growth.
Sokol has spent eight years at APC, most recently as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. During that time, he helped lead the company’s commercial strategy across its marine, rail, tank container, and industrial businesses, supporting the continued growth of MarineLINE® and ChemLINE® while helping expand APC into new areas through technologies including TriFLEX®.
As President, Sokol will take responsibility for APC’s day-to-day leadership and operations.
“This is an important step for APC, but it’s also a natural one,” said Keehan. “Matt knows the standard set for APC, he knows our customers, and he understands the processes that have made APC successful. More importantly, he understands the kind of company we want to continue building. I have tremendous confidence in him, and in the leadership team we have around us.”
For Sokol, that responsibility starts with the trust APC has built with its customers.
“Eight years in this business has taught me that customers aren’t simply buying a coating,” Sokol said. “They’re buying confidence that the product will perform, that we’ll stand behind it, and that our people will be there when they need us. My job is to make sure APC keeps earning that confidence as we operate at a larger scale.”
The change in presidency comes alongside several other appointments to APC’s executive leadership team.
Brian Trent has been named Chief Financial Officer after serving as APC’s Controller and Operations Manager since joining the company in 2022. Trent came to APC with a background in accounting and financial management and, over the past four years, has become closely involved in both the financial and operational sides of the business.
Todd Piatt joins APC as Chief Supply Chain Officer after a 20-year career with Fortune Brands Innovations, where he held leadership roles across global manufacturing, operations, and supply chain. He joins APC at an important point in the company’s growth, as it continues to invest in manufacturing capacity and build the operational infrastructure needed to support a growing customer base. Piatt’s experience leading complex manufacturing organizations will be especially important as APC scales production while maintaining the quality, responsiveness, and reliability customers expect.
Jeremy Pasatta has been named Chief Technology Officer after more than eight years with APC, most recently as Vice President of Technology and Process. A polymer chemist with more than 25 years of experience, Pasatta previously held roles at Eastman Kodak, Lexmark International, CVC Thermoset Specialties, Valtris and Huntsman Corporation. Since joining APC in 2018, he has led product development, polymer research, manufacturing technology and technical programs across the company’s coating portfolio.
“We’ve grown significantly, and with that growth comes the need to continue evolving as an organization,” Keehan said. “Matt, Brian, Todd and Jeremy each bring something different to the table. Together, they give us a leadership team that understands where APC has been while also being ready for where we’re going.”
For Sokol, growth will not mean giving up the speed and responsiveness that have long been part of APC's operations.
“Growth isn’t the hard part. Staying fast is,” Sokol said. “We can decide something today and move on it this week, and many companies twice our size can’t. That isn’t just a benefit of being smaller. It comes from how we choose to operate. As APC gets bigger, we have to protect that ability to listen, make decisions, and act quickly. That’s the standard I’m holding us to.”
Keehan will remain actively involved as Chairman and CEO, focusing on board governance, future capital allocation, and APC’s long-term vision.
The leadership changes come during one of the largest periods of investment and growth in APC’s history. The company has expanded its Avon manufacturing footprint to approximately 42,000 square feet, nearly doubling the facility's size. It has invested in a new automated manufacturing system designed to increase production capacity by up to four times. APC has also grown to more than 120 employees globally, continuing to add people across manufacturing, technical service, sales, and operations to support a growing global customer base.