Leadership

Mr. Kasel joined the Company in 2003 as Vice President – Operations and Manufacturing and served in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since December 2019; Senior Vice President – Rail & Construction from 2017 to December 2019; Senior Vice President – Rail Products & Services from 2012 to 2017; and Senior Vice President - Operations and Manufacturing from 2005 to 2012.

In his role as Vice President – Manufacturing and Operations from 2003 to 2005, he introduced LEAN manufacturing and other advancements which improved operating efficiency and reliability. When he assumed the role of Senior Vice President of the Rail business following an alignment of all operations under business leaders with full P&L responsibility, the Rail business was the largest reporting segment by revenue. He then added responsibility for the Construction and Tubular segments prior to being appointed COO.

Mr. Guinee joined the company in 2014 as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.  In this role Mr. Guinee provides leadership for legal matters and public company governance requirements.  He came to the company having previously served in corporate governance and assistant secretary roles at publicly traded companies.  

He provides the needed oversight for compliance with SEC regulations as well as structuring policy for proper governance, ethics, and risk management.  He plays an important role in helping business managers make sound decisions regarding contracts, employment and human resources, and various compliance matters. Mr. Guinee also provides legal guidance for the board of directors.

Mr. Kelly began his career with L.B. Foster in 2006 as Vice President, Human Resources, progressing to his current role as Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Administration. He came to the Company having previously served in various HR leadership roles at public and private companies. Mr. Kelly has a robust background in managing administrative functions, optimizing processes, and fostering cross-departmental collaboration. With a focus on operational excellence, organizational culture, and a passion for driving positive change, he plays a pivotal role in shaping our Company's success and growth.

As the Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, his leadership responsibilities include Human Resources, Quality, Environmental, Health and Safety, Sustainability/ESG, Real Estate and Facilities, and Continuous Sustainable Improvement (CSI).

Mr. Lippard is responsible for the Rail Business line as well as the Rail Business segment sales operations.  Mr. Lippard has worked in the North American rail industry for over 25 years and has held various board positions on important industry associations.  As the company’s top leader in sales he is often regarded as the voice of the customer and a key sponsor for our Customer Centric goals.  

His responsibilities in the company have also included management of international sales and business development, and he currently leads the sales departments responsible for export sales.  Mr. Lippard is also overseeing the rail segments service initiatives which are a key component to organic growth by helping drive operating ratio performance for freight rail operators.  Mr. Lippard plays a significant role in managing relationships with some of the company’s most important partners.

Mr. William (Bill) M. Thalman joined L.B. Foster in 2021 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Thalman brings to the company considerable experience from a successful career in finance and operating positions. Mr. Thalman was previously employed by Kennametal, Inc., a publicly-traded corporation providing metal cutting and wear-protection solutions to various industries, since 2004, most recently serving as Vice President – Advanced Material Solutions since 2016 and Vice President – Transformation Office since 2019.

Prior to his most recent assignments, Mr. Thalman served in roles of increasing responsibility, including Vice President – Finance Infrastructure, Director of Finance – M&A and Planning, Director of Finance – Kennametal Europe, and Assistant Corporate Controller.

Prior to Kennametal, Mr. Thalman held positions where he had responsibility for treasury, investor relations, and financial reporting. Early in his career, he worked in public accounting at Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers). Mr. Thalman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from West Virginia University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Ness’ title recently changed to Senior Vice President, Infrastructure following his promotion to Senior Vice President, Precast Products in 2023 after serving as Vice President, Precast Products since 2021. Prior to that, he served as Director, Ops CXT Precast since June 16, 2020. In 2021, Mr. Ness served as the Rail Business Controller after being promoted from his Division Controller role that he had held since 2006.

Mr. Friedman serves as Senior Vice President – Steel Products and Special Projects. Mr. Friedman joined the company in May of 2019 to lead L.B. Foster's Protective Coatings business and has since provided sales and operations leadership for an expanding portion of L.B. Foster's infrastructure focused businesses. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Friedman worked at ABB, a Swiss global infrastructure technology company, from 2012 to 2019 in commercial and operations leadership roles. These included several years as the Director of Global Product Management, with leadership responsibility for a large portion of ABB's wire and cable management solutions portfolio. Mr. Friedman also previously worked at Hunter Fan Company in R&D, engineering management, and operations. Mr. Friedman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Mississippi.