Composites One’s Dehmlow, Holland to receive honors

Two longtime officials with composites supplier Composites One will be honored at the 2019 ACMA Membership Awards Ceremony on September 23.

CEO Steve Dehmlow and business development Vice President Dick Holland will be recognized at the event, which is part of the CAMX 2019 trade show in Anaheim, Calif.

Dehmlow will receive ACMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He’s led Arlington Heights, Ill.-based Composites One since its inception as a joint venture in 1999. Dehmlow was chief operating officer of GLS Composites Distribution for nearly 15 years before structuring the JV.

In a recent news release, Composites One officials said that Dehmlow “led the transition of the company from a small regional composites distribution business to the largest composites distributor in North America and a major player in the composites industry.”

The firm is now wholly owned by the Dehmlow family. Officials added that the business “has focused on creating value for its customers by providing an extensive product line, unique technical support and unmatched dependable service.”

Dehmlow said in the release that he’s “honored to receive this award, but it’s really a recognition of all the outstanding team members we have at Composites One.”

Dehmlow’s father, Louis Dehmlow, was a previous recipient of the ACMA lifetime achievement award. Louis Dehmlow also wrote Superconductive Ideas, a book which officials said “lays out the essential functions of a distributor” and is still followed by Composites One today.

Holland will receive the ACMA’s Hall of Fame Award to recognize his 52 years in the composites industry, along with his many contributions to composites technology and manufacturing. Prior to joining Composites One in 1999, Holland held leadership positions at Owens Corning, Erskine-Johns and CMI, Inc.

Company officials said that Holland’s “vast knowledge of composites materials, applications, and technology played a key role to support the intense demand” for ballistic materials for military vehicles, body armor and similar military uses in post 9/11 wartime activities.

“As a distributor I have always felt we have a responsibility to bring new products, processes and business opportunities to our customers,” Holland said in the release.

Composites One has been solely owned by the Dehmlow family since 2012, when they bought out joint venture partner CCP Composites. The firm’s history dates back to 1940, when Louis Dehmlow and two business partners founded Great Lakes Solvents in Chicago. Its current distribution mix includes resins, reinforcements, gelcoats, pigments and related products from more than 600 suppliers.

In 2014, Composites One acquired the composites distribution business of Nexeo Solutions. That deal pushed Composites One’s annual sales close to the $1 billion mark. The firm distributes materials to fabricators and molders from more than 40 locations in North America.

Composites One also offers value-added services, including closed mold technologies, technical applications reviews and regulatory compliance assistance.

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