
AZZ Inc.
Fort Worth-based AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ), a leading independent provider of hot-dip galvanizing and coil coating solutions in North America, announced on Thursday that Jeff Vellines had been appointed president and COO of the Precoat Metals business segment.
Kurt Russell, former president and COO of Precoat Metals, will transition into the roles of senior vice president and chief strategic officer.
The appointments will take effect March 1, the company said.
"We are excited to have Kurt Russell, with his tremendous experience in the metal coatings industry and successful track record leading AZZ Precoat Metals, move into the newly created Chief Strategic Officer role to support our stated objective to grow more aggressively in the coatings space,” said Tom Ferguson, CEO of AZZ, in a statement.
Vellines joined Precoat Metals in 2011 as director of strategic planning. He was later promoted to vice president of sales in 2013, and again in 2021, when he assumed responsibility for all commercial operations at Precoat as senior vice president.
Most recently, Vellines was appointed as president of AZZ Precoat Metals in the first quarter of 2024.
Prior to joining Precoat, Vellines held a number of leadership roles at both Roll Coater and Material Sciences Corporation. He has a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Illinois, and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
“Jeff Vellines’ role is being expanded to include Kurt's current duties as chief operating officer of AZZ Precoat Metals. Both promotions are a testament to our leadership bench strength, commitment to developing great talent, and emphasis on executing our strategic plans."