Richard Seaman

Chairman of the Board

A committed believer in the vitality of entrepreneurship, Richard’s career has been focused on the creative development of the business enterprise.  His vast experience in a wide range of creative business initiatives across multi-functional disciplines serves as a valuable resource to many business and community involvements.

A successful career in growing his small family-owned business from $2 million in annual sales to greater than $100 million in the challenging industrial fabrics industry.

Served as CEO of Seaman Corporation from 1976 - 2015 and increased its size by more than ten-fold.

Has developed and implemented many successful business processes that contributed to Seaman Corporation’s profitable growth.

A robust Strategic Planning Process that engages his management team in identifying growth opportunities and implementing successful strategies to achieve growth objectives.

The development of a CARE Quality Initiative process that focuses on the customer and provides best-in-class quality and service.

Supported implementation of LeanSigma^® throughout the entire organization which not only reduces waste, but increases organizational capability. In 2012, Seaman Corporation was presented the “Perfect Engine” award by TBM Consulting, its highest LeanSigma recognition.

Management succession planning that meets on a semi-annual basis and aligns management growth and development with strategic objectives.

A family business succession planning process that focuses on family stewardship and uses an active shareholder model to assure successful multi-generation ownership succession.

Served as a Director of FirstMerit bank, an $11 billion leading regional institution in Northeast Ohio. Served on the Audit and Compensation Committees for more than ten years and was actively engaged as a Board Member during the 2008-09 financial crises.

Serves as a Trustee of the College of Wooster and of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.

Is a Trustee and Secretary/Treasurer of the Morgan Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to strengthening the free enterprise system by investing in organizations and institutions that foster the entrepreneurial spirit.

Is a founding member of the Vinyl Building Council, a public advocacy group supporting the performance values of the vinyl polymer in the construction industry

Recognized in 2012 as an Honored Life Member of the Industrial Fabrics Association International for his lifelong contribution to the industry.

Was appointed in 2012 as a Commissioner to Ohio’s Third Frontier program, a multi-million dollar economic initiative investing in the creation of a statewide technology focused entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Stays engaged with the global economic issues and leading edge business thinking by annually attending the CEO Harvard program that engages 150 CEO’s from around the world.

Kim Seaman

Management Development, Seaman Corporation

Ms. Seaman joined the Seaman Corporation Board in 2007 and presently serves on the Leadership and Compensation Committee. She supported the company’s marketing and communication efforts for eight years before participating in a Management Development Program to expand her business knowledge in innovation, new business development, human resources, sales and manufacturing. Her previous professional experience also includes working in marketing and fund development for large non-profit organizations in New York City and Chicago.

Ms. Seaman is involved in her family’s business governance work as an active member of the Seaman Family Council and is Chair of the Council’s Education Committee and a member of the Council’s Philanthropy Committee. She served as the Council’s Leader from 2007-2015.

Ms. Seaman holds a B.A. in Communication and Spanish from DePauw University. She has completed professional development programs at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio, including the Gestalt Training Program and the Gestalt Organizational Systems Development Program. Additionally, Ms. Seaman studied photojournalism in Santiago, Chile and silversmithing in Chile and Ecuador.

William Finn

Chairman, AstenJohnson

Mr. Bill Finn joined the Seaman Corporation Board in 2007, serving as Chairman on the Finance and Audit Committee and a member on the Leadership Compensation Committee. He holds over 40 years of experience at AstenJohnson, a global manufacturer of paper machine clothing, advanced and filtration fabrics, filaments, paper machine equipment, and custom rebuild solutions. As President and CEO, Mr. Finn guided AstenJohnson into a global company with sales in over 50 countries and operations in North America, Western and Eastern Europe and China.

Mr. Finn is a recipient of the Innovation Medal from Philadelphia University, the Milliken Medal of Quality Award, and the United Way Community Builder Award.

Steve Matthew

President, Wooster Hydrostatics and Fluid Power Solutions

Mr. Steve Matthew is President of Wooster Hydrostatics and Fluid Power Solutions; both companies are known as industry leaders in hydraulics specializing in remanufacturing, distribution, and hydraulic power systems design. Prior experience includes Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Wooster Brush Company, Vice President of Field Sales at Rubbermaid, and the President of the Telescoping Mast Division at Will-Burt.

In addition to serving on the Seaman Corporation Board, Mr. Matthew is an experienced and dedicated community leader. He currently is the Chairman of the Board of the PRC-Saltillo Corporation and member of the BAC at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, trustee of the Wayne County Community Foundation, trustee of the Noble Foundation, and serves as a Board Member at the Bloomington Medical Services LLC. Prior Board experience includes Chairman of the Board at the Wayne Economic Development Council, trustee of the Village Network, and Chairman of the board at the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the Board of Montana Products Corporation, and the Will-Burt Company.

Mr. Matthew acquired his B.A. from Mount Union College, and later completed the Executive Education Program in Finance at the Booth School of Business, University of Chicago.  He joined the Seaman Corporation Board in 2014, and serves on the Innovation and Technology Committee, as well as the Finance and Audit Committee.

Jeff Swartz

Chief Executive Officer

Jeff Swartz joined Seaman Corporation in 2020 and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Board of Directors. He leads the overall business for Seaman Corporation and provides strategic direction for all business operations with an emphasis on growth, sustainability, and profitability.  

Bringing a wealth of global general management, operations, and commercial leadership experience to his role as CEO, Jeff has a proven track record of delivering above market growth, driving innovation, and managing complex businesses.

Prior to joining Seaman Corporation, Jeff was president of Moen’s North America business.  In this role, he had responsibility for the business strategy to increase market share and achieve exceptional business results.  He oversaw innovation in sales, marketing, and product development with a focus on driving profitable growth.   Prior to that he was senior vice president for global operations and supply chain for the Plumbing division and vice president for Retail at Moen.

Beginning his business career with Armstrong World Industries, Jeff held roles of increasing responsibility in manufacturing, sales, and general management.

Jeff holds a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Bala Venkataraman

President & CEO, Magnipower Company

Mr. Bala Venkataraman joined the Seaman Corporation Board in 1996. He currently is the President and CEO at Magni-Power Company, a full service metal fabrication company specializing in steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, and stainless steel applications. He previously was employed at Seaman Corporation for over 20 years as the Vice President of Research and Development.

As a Director of Seaman Corporation he is a member of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Additional Board experience includes the Wayne County Community Foundation, Magni-Power, Great Decisions of Wayne County. He previously served on the Boards at the United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties, the Advisory Council of Wayne College, Wayne County National Bank, Wayne Economic Development Council, Main Street Wooster and the Village Network.

Mr. Venkataraman holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Technology from the University of Madras, and a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toledo. He is a graduate of the Executive Business Management program from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Jay Brinegar

President, Brinegar Consultants, Inc.

Mr. Jay Brinegar has more than 25 years’ experience in executive assessment and coaching, organizational change and senior team development. As President of Brinegar Consultants, he works with leadership in a wide range of industries including aerospace, manufacturing, finance and health care. Many of his clients are family or owner led businesses. He joined the Seaman Corporation Board in 1989 and currently serves on the Finance Committee.

Mr. Brinegar is a faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland (GIC) and served as a Board member and Treasurer. He is on the Advisory Board of Welty Construction Company one of the few construction companies to use Integrated Project Delivery and LEAN Construction. He is a Gestalt Professional Certified Coach (GPCC).

Robert Walton

Managing Partner, Robert Alan Walton LLC (TX)

Mr. Robert Walton joined the Seaman Corporation Board in 2004, and serves as Chairman of the Leadership and Compensation Committee. He is also a member of the Executive Committee.

Mr. Walton received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and spent a decade teaching at the ‘iSchool’, the Graduate School for Information at the University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Walton is currently the Managing Partner of Robert Alan Walton LLC, a boutique Texas-based consulting firm that acts as the Chief of Staff for an ultra-high net worth family office in Florida.

In 1990, Mr. Walton became President and CEO of CLSI, Inc., a higher education software firm in Boston, MA. In 1992, Mr. Walton sold CLSI to GEAC Corporation and moved to California where he took over as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Innovative Interfaces, Inc., an international library & information management software firm, expanding its base of operations to 33 countries during the ‘90s.

In 1998, Mr. Walton sold his ownership share of Innovative and shifted careers moving to Ohio where he took the position of Vice President for Finance and Business at The College of Wooster. After 8 years as CFO at Wooster, he assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Claremont University Consortium (CA). Mr. Walton served as Vice President of Finance and Administration at Vassar College (NY), and concluded his higher education career by serving for 4 years as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of College Stores (NACS) located in Ohio, ending in 2019.

In addition to the Seaman Corporation Board, Walton currently serves on the boards of RedShelf (Chicago), a private educational software company, Collier Enterprises (FL), a real estate and agriculture company, and as the Managing Director of the Rendero Trust (WY). Mr. Walton previously served as Chairman of iPost Corporation, an internet-focused technology company based in San Francisco, CA, Chairman of Ex Libris (USA), an Israel technology company, and on the boards of Dynix Corporation, an international management information firm in Provo, Utah. Mr. Walton also served as an endowment trustee for the American Library Association, on the board and executive committee of the Association of Consortium Leadership, and the only non-Chinese citizen board member of the Yaohau Experimental School, a private K-12 boarding school located in Shenzhen, RPC.

Mr. Walton resides in East Texas and New Orleans, LA.

Carrie Alt

Family Council Chair, Seaman Corporation

Ms. Carrie Alt rejoined the Board of Directors in 2016 after serving a previous nine-year term. She is an active member of the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee. Ms. Alt is also the current Chair of the Seaman Family Council, guiding family members in their roles as stewards of a family business enterprise. She played a key role in developing the structure and policies that helped form the Family Council, and she currently chairs the Family Council Governance Committee. Ms. Alt has been active in family and business governance, participating in programs at the Loyola Family Business Center and the Family Business Network.

Additional professional experience includes seven years with Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL as a Registered Nurse and Perinatal Outreach Educator. In her role, she was responsible for the care of critically ill infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and served as a liaison between the network hospitals to support educational activities and continuous quality improvement.

Ms. Alt serves on the Board of Trustees for the Camping and Education Foundation and served as the Board Chair for Camp Ogichi Daa Kwe, a wilderness camp for young women, from 2013-2016. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Minor in Business Administration from DePauw University and she is also a certified Stott Pilates Instructor.

Kevin Frank

President & CEO, AstenJohnson

Kevin Frank joined AstenJohnson as President and CEO in January 2015. Formerly, he was the President & CEO of Voith Hydro in York, PA. In 2012, he received the White House Champion of Change award for the innovative work he did in the Hydro power industry.

Prior to Voith Hydro, Kevin held positions at Voith Paper including President Fabrics and Rolls Services North and South America. He also held various senior leadership positions with Xerium/Stowe Woodward.

Kevin is a graduate of Simon Fraser University in BC, Canada and took Advanced Management Studies at the University of New Hampshire and Maastricht University. Kevin is also a Harvard Business School OPM graduate and Harvard Alumni.