Leadership

Mark Pihl was elected Chairman of the Board in October of 2022. Prior to his retirement, Mark served Web Industries as President & CEO, President & COO, and has been a board member since 2012. During his 30+ year career with Web Industries, Mr. Pihl restructured the company and created a business unit architecture, which realigned resources to meet customer and market needs, executed the M&A and international expansion strategies, and positioned all aspects of the company for sustainable and profitable growth. Throughout his career, Mark’s leadership demonstrated active caring for people which contributed to the creation of a high-engagement employee-ownership culture. Mark studied business at Nichols College and Duquesne University and has held various executive and operations roles for Sony Chemical, USA and FLEXcon, Inc.

Mr. Bastardi has held senior level positions within public, multi-national, as well as private, emerging growth medical device & diagnostics companies. His experience spans corporate development, strategic planning, marketing, finance, and general management leadership roles for branded products and contract manufacturing businesses. Currently, he is CEO at the The Great Plains Laboratory. Previously, Mr. Bastardi held various positions with Accriva Diagnostics, Covidien, Flex, Accellent, and Surgical Specialties Corporation. He earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Georgetown University. Mr. Bastardi joined the Web Industries Board of Directors in 2018.

A senior financial executive with extensive CFO experience, Tom has over forty years of diverse business experience in accounting and finance within retail, e-commerce, contract-manufacturing and direct-marketing companies. In 2015, Tom retired as EVP & CFO of SmartPak Equine, where as a key member of senior management, he built and led the HR, IT, and customer service teams along with the accounting and financial functions. Tom is currently on the accounting faculty of the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St Louis and is engaged on a consulting basis as CFO of Boyce Technologies in New York City (#166 on the 2015 Inc. 500 list). Tom serves on the Board of Regents of Concordia University Chicago, chairing their audit and finance committee and as member of the Board of Trustees of Concordia Plan Services, the employee benefit and pension provider of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, serving as chair of their Strategy Committee. A member of Web’s Board of Directors since 2015, Tom is a CPA and holds an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St Louis and a BS in Accounting from Southeast Missouri State University.

A senior business executive with extensive global business leadership experience, Chris has over 30 years of experience in advanced materials, aerospace, and other diverse markets. In 2025, Chris retired as SVP and President of Avient’s Specialty Engineered Materials segment, where he led the growth strategy for the business, more than doubling during his tenure of leadership, through a combination of organic growth, innovation, and M&A. Chris began his career as an engineer at Boeing where he served in various composite product development and engineering roles for high-profile military aircraft programs over a 10-year period. He later joined Cytec, where he led Composites Product Development for the Americas and Asia Pacific regions, served as Vice President of R&D, and ultimately was promoted to Vice President of Cytec’s global Aerospace Engineered Materials business. Before joining Avient in 2018, Chris served as Vice President of Strategy at Hexcel Corporation, responsible for the company’s M&A strategy and execution. Chris holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington, a Master’s of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware, and an MBA from the University of Southern California, where he also serves on the Advisory Board for the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Chris joined the Web Industries Board of Directors in 2025.

Zhaohui Sun is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience in the polymer, composites, and adhesives industry. Currently serving as Vice President at Franklin International, she leads the Pressure Sensitive Adhesives, Homopolymers, and Specialty Polymers business, overseeing P&L, strategic growth, market expansion, and innovation. Zhaohui is known for building high-performing teams, driving customer-focused product development, and growing business through innovation. Prior to joining Franklin, Zhaohui held multiple global leadership roles at Ashland Inc., including Global Business Leader for Transportation Composites and Global Industry Manager for Pressure Sensitive Adhesives. Her career spans product development, product management, commercialization, and strategic marketing across North America, Europe, and Asia. She has led successful M&A initiatives, technology transfers, and innovation pipelines. Zhaohui holds a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from The University of Akron. She has completed executive education at Wharton, Kellogg, and the Center for Creative Leadership, and is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.

A visionary leader with extensive expertise in marketing, business development, program management, strategic customer sales, and complex strategy development in large multi-national corporations, Mrs. Towne has an outstanding record of orchestrating complex programs to effect positive change. Currently, Brenda holds the position of Customer Director for Industrial and Commercial markets for Plexus Corporation. Prior to joining Plexus, she held various senior Sales and Marketing positions in companies such as Celestica, Hewlett Packard, and General Electric. Mrs. Towne is an accomplished entrepreneur and business owner of an organization known as Thrive for Women, which focuses on health and wellness for women, all the while raising awareness for orphanages in third world countries. Brenda earned her MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts. Brenda joined the Web Industries Board of Directors in 2015.

John was hired as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in 2017 and brings over 30 years of financial expertise to Web Industries. John has been a leader of the financial function for several companies, including 10 years as the Vice President of Finance and Treasurer for Nypro Inc. His background in international finance and capital structures will enable Web to continue its growth both domestically and internationally. John has over 10 years of experience in other ESOP companies and strongly believes in the culture of employee-ownership which can transfer potential to reality. He is focused on developing the financial team into true business partners and translating data into information. John has an MBA from Boston University, a BA in Economics from the University of Maine, and spent his junior year as an exchange student at McGill University where he developed his enthusiasm for the complexity of international business.

John joined Web Industries as President in 2022 bringing 36 years of combined public and private company experience. Mr. Madej was then named CEO in December 2022. Prior to joining Web Industries, John Madej held positions at Hollingsworth & Vose (H&V), where he most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and previously was Chief Financial Officer for 6 years. He joined H&V in 2009 as Vice President and General Manager of the Energy and Industrial Systems Business Unit. He was also the Division President of the Engine and Industrial Filtration division. For more than 24 years, John served in a variety of leadership roles at General Electric (GE). Most recently, as President and CEO of Exatec, LLC, a GE-Bayer joint venture. While at GE, John held foundational positions in sales and market team leadership at GE Plastics in multiple industry segments ranging from Business Equipment to Automotive including an expatriate assignment in Tokyo, Japan. John earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Union College.