Meet Our Team

Alex Conrad

Degassing, Monolithics, Hearth/Frit, Brick

Jim DeMarco 

Slide Gates, Stir Plugs and Ceramic Fiber

Jim started with us in 2001 as the product manager from slide gates, stir plugs and ceramic fiber.  Jim travels to different customers to ensure they have the right process in place.  He also provides slide gate and stir plug troubleshooting.

Jim has worked for multiple companies within the steel industry including Wheeling Pittsburgh, Universal Stainless Steel and NARCO.  

Jim spends his free time with his children and grandchildren. He enjoys biking with his wife, golfing and watching football!

Ed Shaw

Hydraulics & Argon, Flow Control & Equipment

TKE-HTT - Systems Engineer

Ed started working with us in 2001 as the product manager for Hydraulics and Argon.  He customizes sand mixtures to meet customer’s needs.  He also designs and markets special equipment to help custom practices become safer and easier. Ed is also a member of the TKE-HTT Team as the system engineer.

Ed was with Narco for 17 years designing and building equipment for the steel industry and he was also the application engineer for flow control equipment for the steel industry. Ed was the owner of EHS Technologies for 5 years where we built and designed this same equipment.

Ed loves spending time with his wife, 3 sons and grandchildren.

Jay Jackowski 

Ingot Pouring, FerroAlloy, Wire

Jay started working with our team in 2014 and is our Product Manager for Ingot Pouring as well as a Regional Sales Manager. He is specifically focused on introducing our company as the leader in bottom pour tile while continuing to grow partnerships throughout all aspects of the industry.

He has worked in the specialty steel sector for over 20 years in a variety of areas including operations, sales, procurement, and more. Prior to joining our company he worked as superintendent of melting forging, and billet/slab and rolling. His particular expertise is in EAF melting, AOD refining and bottom pour ingot casting. Jay is alumni of the Electric Metal Makers Guild and continues to participate in meetings.

Jay has been largely involved in local youth athletic programs including soccer, softball, baseball, and basketball for over 10 years

Noah Lehr

Foundries

Noah joined our company in 2018 as a Regional Sales Manager and Foundries Product Manager. His main area of focus is serving Ferrous and non-Ferrous foundaries within Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

He has ten years of military experience and a B.S. in Business that has contributed to his success within the manufacturing industry. Noah got his start in steel working in the mettalurgy department, which enabled him to find success with the melt department as a manager. Later he focused on logistics and inventory management for a total of six years. He then moved into the aluminum industry working as a plant superintendent and process engineer for another six years.

When Noah isn't working he cannot be found because he is either hiking trails and camping with his Sheltie named Audrey or rocking out at various music concerts.

Dianne Detwiler

Copper Mold Tubes​

Dianne wears two hats as our director of Electrode Technology and product manager for copper mold tubes, shrouds, SENs/SESs, stopper rods, and other caster products. 

Dianne has a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University and some past experience working with refractory research. She has been working in glass manufacturing for the past five years and is excited to get back to ceramics! 

In her free time, Dianne can be found outdoors skiing, hiking, and road biking.  She is also passionate about working with the Society of Women Engineers to get more young women involved in STEM.

Larry Fitch

Iron Making​

Larry joined FRC Global in May 2024 as our product manager for iron making. His focus is on taphole clay, trough monolithics, and brick for blast furnaces and stoves. 

Larry has 35 years of experience in the refractory industry, including R&D, innovation, marketing, and several other industry segments, mostly with Harbison-Walker. 

In his free time, Larry enjoys boating, mountain biking, and the occasional round of golf.