Ken Gayer joined USALCO LLC, an H.I.G. Capital-backed chemical manufacturer serving municipal and industrial water treatment customers, as Chief Executive Officer in October 2020.  Ken’s focus at USALCO has been on business-building through acquisitions and post-merger integration, organic growth programs, and operational excellence. 

Prior to USALCO Ken was CEO of Gelest, Inc., a PE-backed chemical company, for three years until its sale to Mitsubishi Chemical in October 2020.  Before that Ken spent 15 years at Honeywell International where his last role was President, Specialty Products.  Other Honeywell roles included Vice President and General Manager for Fluorine Products, Vice President of Procurement, Customer Service, Trade Compliance, and Logistics, and Global Business Director for Foam and Industrial Fluorines.  Earlier in his career Ken held roles with McKinsey and Company, Polaroid Corporation, and served as an officer in the United States Nuclear Submarine Force.  

Ken earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and master’s degrees in business and chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Ken is a licensed Professional Engineer, conversant in German as his first language, and married with two teenage children.