The Rowmark story begins with a vision.

In 1987, Fred Kremer, the CEO of Hancor Inc., a drainage pipe manufacturer located in Findlay, Ohio, had a vision. Fred saw a growing need for extruded sheet materials in the engraving market. He established a working relationship with Don and Audrey Morrison of Rowland, Incorporated in New Berlin, Connecticut. With this partnership in place, he acquired a plastic sheet extrusion line and formed the Hancor Sheet Division.

In 1993, Fred purchased the sole sales and marketing rights for the awards and engraving market from Rowland. He created a new company, established as a separate division of Hancor, and named it Rowmark.

With a strong domestic presence, Rowmark set its sights on the growing international market. In 1996, Rowmark established a distribution warehouse in the Netherlands to respond to increasing European sales. Rowmark was on its way to becoming the worldwide leader in extruded sheet materials for the engraving market.

In 1997, Fred came to a crossroads. He had a greater vision for what Rowmark could become. In a display of unwavering belief in the employees of Rowmark and its growth potential, Fred resigned his position as CEO of Hancor and purchased Rowmark outright from Hancor in October that year. Also, he purchased a building for Rowmark in the nearby Findlay Tall Timbers Industrial Park. This new, state-of-the-art facility would give Rowmark the room it needed to grow and prosper. Until the building was complete, Rowmark would continue to share facilities with Hancor.

The interior construction of the facility continued throughout the fall of 1997, as Fred’s vision took shape. Then, on December 20, just four months before Rowmark would begin the move into its new home, Fred Kremer and two Rowmark pilots were tragically killed in a plane crash in Findlay. Despite the difficult loss, the employees of Rowmark rallied around Fred’s plan for the company and pressed on with the intended move. The Kremer Family, who to this point had not been active with the business, picked up where Fred left off, fully supporting Rowmark and its employees.

On September 2, 1998, Rowmark’s new facility in Findlay, Ohio, was officially declared open. With room to add additional extrusion lines and the ability to store an abundance of raw materials, Rowmark was poised to enter a period of extraordinary growth. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place a day later, when the Kremer Family and Rowmark Board of Directors announce that Duane Jebbett has been named President and COO of Rowmark. A strong leader and protégé of Fred’s vision, Duane was the perfect person to guide Rowmark into the 21st century.

In 2007 the Kremer family, and management, completed a sale of the company to Clearview Capital Partners, which fueled significant growth over a six-year plus period.

In 2013, management and Clearview Capital completed a sale of the company to Bertram Capital. Rowmark continued to invest in growth and expansion. The company moved into a brand-new, state-of-the-art home office and manufacturing facility in 2015. Located in Findlay's Tall Timbers Industrial Park, the Hamlet Drive facility features 90,000 square feet of production and office space with additional room for expansion.

In 2018, Rowmark management, along with Bertram Capital, completed a sale of the company to Windjammer Capital.

In December 2018, after serving the company for more than 20 years, Duane Jebbett, Rowmark President & CEO, announced his plans for retirement. Al Kabus then joined Rowmark as CEO bringing a wealth of talent and experience to the company.

Eric Hausserman was named Rowmark President in August 2019 and was promoted Corporate President in January 2024. Eric has been with the company for more than 20 years, where he has been an active member of the plastics industry for 30 years. Eric has extensive knowledge of Rowmark products and customers. Eric was the perfect fit to focus on the growth of Rowmark.

Al, Eric, and the entire Rowmark team look forward to what’s next as they continue to serve their loyal customer base and grow into new markets and industries.

The Rowmark Promise

At Rowmark, our primary concern is providing the highest quality materials and services to our customers. Therefore, Rowmark will replace, free of charge, any products that do not meet our intended manufacturing or quality standards. If, for any reason, we do not meet your product or service expectations, contact your authorized Rowmark distributor or call 1-877-ROWMARK. Outside of the U.S., please call 419-425-8974 or contact us at samples@rowmark.com.