Wallace to Retire as President of Vallourec Star
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Pipe and tube producer Vallourec Star announced Friday afternoon that company president Judson Wallace will retire effective Dec. 31.
Eric Shuster, president of VAM USA, a sister company to Vallourec Star, will succeed Wallace as president on Jan. 1, the company said.
“It has been a privilege to be associated with Vallourec and the great people that work here,” Wallace said in a statement. “I’m honored to have been part of a team of people who take pride in their work and have achieved great success.”
Wallace, who has nearly 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, was named Vallourec Star president in 2013 after serving as project director for construction of the company’s $1.05 billion pipe mill along Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Vallourec Star is a subsidiary of Vallourec Group, headquartered in Boilogne-Billancourt, France.
Wallace oversees operations, safety, and product quality at the company’s three locations in Houston; Muskogee, Okla.; and Youngstown. In 2017, Vallourec Star was recognized for excellence in quality among its Vallourec peers.
Wallace began his career with Vallourec in 2004 through Grant Prideco, a predecessor of Vallourec subsidiary VAM USA where he also served as president from 2008 through 2012. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Steel Manufacturers Association, the advisory board of the Youngstown State University STEM College and the board of directors and executive committee of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Shuster began his career with Vallourec’s predecessor, North Star Steel, in 1988. Starting as a customer service metallurgist, Shuster held a succession of positions in key technical and leadership roles throughout his career and within Vallourec Star, including the Youngstown operations, before transferring to VAM USA in Houston.
Shuster is a graduate of the Executive MBA program at Youngstown State University where he achieved honors through both Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi honors societies. He earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
Garrett Francis replaces Shuster as President of VAM USA, also effective Jan. 1, Vallourec announced.
Francis is currently Vice President of Operations of Vallourec Star in Youngstown. With more than 20 years operations and manufacturing experience, Francis has been employed with Vallourec for nine years. He will lead VAM USA premium threading facilities in Houston and Youngstown.
Francis holds a MBA and Masters of Engineering in Manufacturing from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University.
Pictured: Judson Wallace
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