John G. Brunner
Chairman

John G. Brunner is the third generation of the Brunner family to lead Vi-Jon, Inc., a personal care products and cosmetics company, founded in 1908 by his grandmother and grandfather, Viola and John.

John Brunner joined Vi-Jon, Inc. in 1978. Over the course of the next decade, he focused on each aspect of the company's operation, including manufacturing, purchasing, regulatory affairs, research and development, finance, distribution, and sales. In 1990 he was named President, in 1992, President and CEO, and Chairman and CEO in 2006.

Over the past 30 years, Vi-Jon has experienced solid growth, with distribution reaching internationally, including every major retailer in America. St. Louis University and an international accounting firm selected Vi-Jon as "The Business of the Year" among 150 competing companies. The company was included in the American Management Association book, Corporate Dandelions — How the Weed of Bureaucracy Is Choking American Companies—And What You Can do to Uproot It (as an example of a non-bureaucratic company).

The company continues to maintain its leadership position as the "low cost producer" by aggressively reinvesting in facilities and equipment, while expanding its speed-to-market capabilities. The operating priority is a focus to be "on-time and complete" (OTC) for each and every customer requirement. Drug Store News, Target, Wal-Mart Stores, and other retailers have recognized Vi-Jon as "Supplier of the Year".

Prior to joining Vi-Jon, John Brunner was an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps. He earned a BS degree in Management from Harding University and an MBA from the John M. Olin School of Business Administration at Washington University. Brunner has also completed the Harvard Graduate School of Business Owner-President Management Program. With a passion for teaching, he has participated as a guest instructor at Harvard Business School, Wake Forest Graduate School of Management, Columbia Business School, and other educational institutions.

John Brunner is a Life Member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association. He has served on the Board of Directors of Glenhaven Youth Ranch (Plainview, Arkansas), Students in Free Enterprise (Springfield, Missouri), Grace Evangelistic Ministries (Nashville, TN) and as a Trustee of the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas. He maintains a current certification as a Dive Master/Instructor as a member of the Professional Association of Dive Instructors. He has served as a board member and past president of the Board of Deacons at his church, and is extensively involved in community activities.

Robert "Bob" Kirby
Chief Executive Officer

Bob joined Vi-Jon as CEO in December 2009 bringing over 30 years of diverse management and executive leadership experience in the consumer products industry.

Prior to joining Vi-Jon, Bob served as President/CEO of Accellent, a $500 million manufacturer of products for the medical device industry. In addition, he held the position of President/COO at Handleman and served in a number of leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson including: President, Personal Care Products Company; Vice President, Global Manufacturing & Supply Chain; Vice President, North American Operations – Consumer and Personal Care Group; and Vice President, Research and Development – Consumer Products Group.

Bob began his career at Procter & Gamble as a scientist and has also held leadership positions in research and development, engineering and manufacturing at Kimberly-Clark Corporation and James River/Fort James Corporation.

At Vi-Jon, Bob will be instrumental in leading the strategy to grow the business and focus the company’s organizational capabilities to achieve world-class best practice. Bob received his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering in 1978 from the University of New Hampshire.

Roy Rosas
Chief Administrative Officer

Roy joined Vi-Jon in December 2009. Prior to joining Vi-Jon, Roy had been working with the company since February 2007 as a member of our private equity firm, Berkshire Partners. Roy joined Berkshire Partners in 2007 as Vice President in the Portfolio Support Group to Berkshire’s portfolio companies. Prior to joining Berkshire Partners, Roy served as Global Director, Emerging Markets at The Gillette Company/Procter & Gamble. Prior to his work at Gillette, Roy founded, and was CEO of, Reputation Technologies, a supply chain analytics enterprise software company. Earlier, he had led strategy management consulting teams with the Boston Consulting Group, and was a marketing manager with Procter & Gamble.

Roy obtained his B.S. from the University of the Philippines, his M.S. from the National University of Singapore and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Roy oversees key day-to-day operational initiatives and partners with the CEO in developing and driving the strategic direction for Vi-Jon.

Alfonso Gioia
Chief Manufacturing Officer

Al joined the Vi-Jon Team in 2000. Al has 31 years of progressive responsibilities in operations, much of which were with multiple plant responsibility with global companies including a work assignment in Europe. Al received his Bachelor's Degree in Business in 1974 at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York along with various other management classes taken at Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Management & Sloan School of Management. Al oversees key day-to-day manufacturing initiatives, obsolescence avoidance, and controlling direct labor costs while achieving desired service levels for our customers, as well as optimizing enterprise resources.

Tim Williams
Customer Response Officer

Tim joined Vi-Jon as CRO in May 2010 with over 20 years of extensive experience in supply chain and manufacturing operations and has a strong record of leading organizations to achieve best-in-class standards. Many of Tim’s previous assignments were overseas, namely in the UK, India, Russia, South Africa and his native Australia.

Prior to joining Vi-Jon, Tim was the Technical and Manufacturing Director at Pacific Beverages in Sydney, Australia where he was responsible for the development of a new, $120 million facility. Tim has also served in the roles of Vice President and General Manager of MillerCoors in Virginia, the Director, Process Operations for Coors Brewing Company in Colorado and various positions within SABMiller including Technical Director in India, Quality and Brewing Manager in Russia and New Product Development Manager in South Africa.

At Vi-Jon, Tim’s focus will be on the supply chain and procurement functions of the organization while ensuring we continue to provide optimal service to our customers.

A native of Brazil, Eduardo joined the Vi-Jon team in 1994. For over fourteen years Eduardo has worked with every major retailer in North America to achieve Vi-Jon’s corporate goals. In 2008 Eduardo was promoted to Senior VP of Sales. In his previous position as Vi-Jon’s Wal-Mart Team Leader, Eduardo played a primary role in the establishment of the Bentonville based Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Teams. Eduardo recently completed The Leadership Development Program at Harvard Business School. Eduardo’s goals are, "to focus on new business opportunities while building the right team to achieve success."

Scott joined the Vi-Jon team in 2010 as the Chief Human Resource Officer and brings over 30 years of diverse leadership and general management experience in a variety of industries including consulting, health care, music and consumer packaged goods. In addition to working as a mentor, advocate and coach for associates, his areas of expertise include sales, marketing management and strategic planning.

Prior to Vi-Jon, Scott worked in a variety of roles for leading companies such as Handleman, an international category manager of music for major retailers; Blue Cross Blue Shield, a health insurance provider; Valassis Communications, a marketing services company, and Kraft Foods, where Scott was responsible for classic brands such as JELL-O and Log Cabin as well as new product development.

Scott was an Evans Scholar and graduated with academic honors, including Beta Gamma Sigma, from Michigan State University with BBA and MBA degrees.

Robert "Bob" Hess
Chief Financial Officer

Bob joined the Vi-Jon Team in 1992. Bob has 25 years of experience in the accounting field, holding such positions as Accounting Manager, Assistant Controller, and working his way through the executive chain until reaching his current position. Bob graduated from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville in 1982, receiving his Bachelor Degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Accounting and Management Information Systems. In 1994 Bob received his Masters in Business Administration specializing in Finance, also from Southern Illinois University. Bob has also attended management classes at Harvard Business School. Bob focuses on cash management, banking relationships, company goals and monitoring of these goals, as well as strategic planning. When asked what makes the company a success, Bob replied "Encouraging and promoting ideas from all managers and associates has helped to make Vi-Jon the success it is today."

Lou Laderman
Senior Vice President Corporate Development, Secretary & General Counsel

Lou joined the Vi-Jon Team in 2006, bringing with him over 30 years of experience as Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel for St. Louis-based United Industries/Spectrum Brands, a branded and private label consumer products company; and Vice President and General Counsel for Service Experts Inc., a NYSE-listed residential heating, air conditioning and ventilation operating company and industry consolidator. Lou began his career as a practicing attorney in St. Louis, specializing in corporate and commercial law, labor and employment law, municipal law, and litigation. Lou graduated cum laude from the Saint Louis University School of Law, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management, with a minor in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. As General Counsel, Lou focuses on all of Vi-Jon's legal business, including contracts, intellectual property and corporate matters. He is also focused on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and licensing in his Corporate Development role.