Our Leadership
Keith White
President & CEO
Michael Rush
CFO
David Rones
Executive V.P. of Sales for Matting Division
A 24-year veteran of the matting industry, David Rones is the Executive V.P. of Sales for Matting Division. Rones is primarily responsible for managing the sales and marketing of all matting products to a variety of industries. Rones’ background in finance combined with a talent for solving business problems in creative ways, often break new ground and leading the division to record sales in nine of the last ten years.
Prior to Americo, Rones spent seven years as a financial analyst with Dun & Bradstreet, United Technologies (Carrier Division) and VeriFone. He also started a successful computer data security sales and service company that he sold in 1992. Later that year, Rones joined Americo as Director of National Accounts for the Matting Division.
At that time, the company was selling mostly plain entrance and anti-fatigue matting to cleaning product distributors. Rones was very influential in bringing custom logo matting to Americo and to some of its key national accounts. A few years later, Rones helped to establish the company’s PromoMatting division, a company focused toward selling to Promotional Product distributors. Over the past decade, Rones has been instrumental in facilitating the asset purchase of several prestigious matting companies, including Hanover Textile Graphics, Pioneer Mat Co., Custom Textile Printing and Shamrock Matting. All acquisitions were accretive in nature; some added to the manufacturing process capabilities of the matting division as well.
Rones’ greatest strength is his creativity and drive to offer customized solutions to the promotional products industry. He thrives on challenges, particularly those that expand the company’s reach into untapped markets.
Mr. Rones holds a bachelors degree in Finance from the University of Georgia. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and has three sons.
Joe Tarantino
VP of Operations
Joseph A. Tarantino is the Vice President of Operations for Americo Manufacturing Company and is responsible for all facets of the non-wovens operation, which include engineering, maintenance, manufacturing, conversion and logistics. Mr. Tarantino works closely with senior management to oversee day-to-day operations of the overall business. Joe joined Americo in September 2001, and has more than 30+ years of experience in the operation and management of abrasives and nonwoven materials production facilities.
Mr. Tarantino graduated from The University of Buffalo in 1972 with a major in Biology. He began his career as co-owner of a Pharmaceutical packaging company. From 1979 to 1984, Joseph worked for Carborundum Abrasives in the R&D department and was one of the key individuals responsible for the development of an Electron Beam processing line.
In 1984, Joseph was promoted to Product Manager. It was at this time, Carborundum purchased Clipper Abrasives in Marshfield, Massachusetts and Joseph was in charge of relocating the facility to High Point, North Carolina. In 1993, Mr. Tarantino was promoted to Manufacturing Manager and was directly responsible for successfully turning the business around before resigning in 2001 to join Americo.
An inspirational leader for business growth and process improvement, Joe has a proven history of success in balancing company interests with long-term organizational vitality. Mr. Tarantino takes great pride in creating a cohesive company culture that encourages teamwork, rewards performance and motivates employees toward a common mission and cause of action. Joseph is also fluent in both Spanish and Italian.
Joe has been married to his wife, Wendy, for 33 years and lives outside the city of Atlanta. Joe and Wendy have 2 grown children.
Kevin Booth
VP of Manufacturing Services
Americo Manufacturing is proud to have Kevin Booth as our Vice President of Technical Services & Strategic Sourcing. His dedication to quality and deep understanding of our business make him a true asset to this company.
Kevin earned his Industrial Engineering degree from Southern Polytechnic State University (now Kennesaw State University), graduating cum laude in December 2011. He joined Americo in February 2012 as an Industrial Engineer, a position where he excelled in both process improvement and project management. He identified various improvement opportunities in our conversion departments and oversaw several critical projects that reduced costs and streamlined our processes. Kevin’s most notable project from this period was helping to design and install a new conveyor and storage system. This system reduced the overall head count in the Nonwovens Conversions Department as well as increased its productivity by 15%. Kevin also supervised the Safety Department during this time and developed most of Americo’s current safety programs.
In 2015, Kevin became Americo’s Manufacturing Manager, bringing his talent for continuous improvement to the daily operations of the Manufacturing Department. In short order, he reduced set-up/changeover times between production runs by 50%, increasing Production line efficiencies by an average of 14%. Scrap rates were also reduced significantly in his time in the department. As the Manufacturing Manager, Kevin also gained valuable knowledge of Americo’s manufacturing process capabilities and raw material components.
Kevin was promoted again in 2017, this time to the Technical Services Manager role. Here he assumed responsibility for product development, quality control, and supporting Sales, Customer Service, Marketing, and our OEM Sales Division. Kevin’s prior experience as Manufacturing Manager served him well in this role as he applied his extensive knowledge of Americo’s capabilities, products, and processes to a variety of breakthrough contributions. Kevin helped develop several notable products such as Americo’s TrapEze Disposable Dusting Sheets and our Maroon X, Titan, and SmartScrub™ floor pads. He collaborated with the Purchasing Department to qualify lower cost raw materials and negotiated pricing and payment terms with key vendors. He also led the charge in developing several high volume custom OEM products for strategic customers.
Thanks to Kevin’s accumulated experience and service, Americo promoted him to the position of VP of Technical Services & Strategic Sourcing in 2021. Kevin now manages the Sourcing, Research & Development, and Quality Control Departments. Given his impressive track record, we are certain that his commitment to excellence will continue to enhance Americo’s processes, efficiencies, and product lines.
Kevin has been a resident of the Atlanta area for well over 25 years and is married with two children, a daughter and a son. He is passionate about spending time with his family. Much of Kevin’s free time consists of going to tournaments for his children as they both play competitive travel softball and baseball.
Rusty Heinsman
Vice President of Commercial Sales
Russell “Rusty” Heinsman is the Vice President of Commercial Sales at Americo Manufacturing Company. He joined the company in 2012 as the National Sales Manager and was promoted into his current role in January 2019. As a member of Americo’s Executive Management Team, he brings to the table extensive knowledge of the Jan/San industry as well as his valuable experience in account management, sales and new business development.
Heinsman earned his Bachelor’s degree in Sports Marketing from the University of Mount Union. He launched his career with the straightforward goals to work hard, make a difference and do things the right way. Early in his sales career it was instilled in him that hard work, integrity and honesty were the keys to success.
As the National Sales Manager at Americo, Mr. Heinsman led the company’s network of independent sales brokers and the Commercial Products Regional Sales Directors, and he proved instrumental in delivering on the company’s value proposition.
In his spare time, Rusty enjoys enjoys fishing, golfing and grilling. He has been married to his wife Amy for nearly 21 years. They have two children, Andrew and Meghan, and family time is always top priority, along with faith, friends and Ohio State football.
Francesca Evans
Vice President of International Sales
Francesca A. Evans is the Vice President of International Sales at Americo Manufacturing Company. Hired into this role in November 2016 due to her 20 years of international sales and operations experience, she cultivates partnerships with customers around the world and pursues opportunities through new business development. She thrives on teamwork, process improvements and customer satisfaction.
Evans grew up bilingual and speaks English, Italian, French, Mandarin and Dutch fluently. She earned her B.A. in East Asian Studies from the University of Virginia, with one year abroad studying Mandarin at National Taiwan Normal University. Later, she completed a graduate certificate program at Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing Center, one of only 30 US students selected for a year-long intensive study of China with courses taught in Mandarin by Chinese professors.
Impressed with the energy and opportunities in Taiwan, Evans returned to Taipei after graduating from college to launch her career in international business. She learned trading basics in an import-export company and then accepted the role of Export Manager with a Taiwanese label manufacturer, representing the company at shows around the world and developing new export markets.
For more than 15 years, Evans continued to broaden her talents in the label and packaging industry, working with companies in Asia, Europe and the United States. She was recruited to found Signatiss S.A., the Dah Mei Group’s first factory in Europe and was instrumental in the setup of the facility. She then continued as the European Marketing and Sales Manager for about five years where she established accounts and grew sales throughout France, Germany and the Benelux.
In a similar role for the SML Group, Evans remained in Europe for another five years, targeting clients with global production sites for maximum benefit to the Group’s 21 production facilities. After six years in Asia and ten in Europe, Evans moved back to the USA and continued to work for SML. There she fostered relationships with major brands including Walmart and Under Armour, handling product development and global account management for labels and packaging, which were beginning to incorporate RFID inlays for inventory management.
Francesca has two daughters and enjoys hiking, horseback riding, travel, reading and learning about different cultures and cuisines.
Mike Hintz
Purchasing Manager
Mike Hintz is the Purchasing Manager at Americo Manufacturing Company. He joined the Company in July 2021, bringing with him over 15 years of experience in the distribution, wholesale, and retail industries. Drawing on his expertise in strategic sourcing, vendor negotiations, pricing analytics, and national sales, Hintz creates value for internal and external stakeholders through controlling costs as well as maximizing efficiencies.
Mr. Hintz earned his Bachelor of Science from Kennesaw State University and, as a continuous learner, went on to complete his MBA at Concordia University Chicago. After starting his career in customer service, Hintz took a role in marketing and communications. This afforded him the opportunity to serve as the project leader implementing a national printing company’s original ecommerce platform, which is still in existence today.
At billion-dollar wholesaler S. P. Richards Company, Hintz managed general line catalog projects, specialty flyer creations, and e-content initiatives. He was promoted into Category & Vendor Management where he negotiated vendor programs, managed category growth through market analytics, and assisted big box retailers in product selection and promotion. This breadth of experience equipped him for further advancement into National Account Sales, managing a national retail account and, as a government business expert, expanding revenues through the GSA, AbilityOne, and military channels.
Moving to the Industries for the Blind, Hintz led the charge in rejuvenating the Vendor Management, Merchandising, and Pricing departments. Through renegotiating both vendor and government contracts, Hintz successfully cut the organization’s costs while maximizing revenues and margins.
At Americo, Mr. Hintz has been tasked with leading the Purchasing team in cost containment, leveraging vendor partnerships to optimize purchasing power, and improving the procurement process. Applying his varied background to a complete procurement review, he will streamline and optimize the Company’s internal systems and purchasing practices from the ground up, enabling Americo to continue to grow and invest in its future.
Mike and his wife both grew up in the Atlanta area and enjoy time with family, the outdoors, and cheering on their favorite sports teams.
David Sprayberry
Director of Information Services
David Sprayberry is the Director of Information Services for Americo Manufacturing Company, Inc. He joined Americo in August of 1998 as the Network Administrator and was quickly promoted to Director of Information Services. As the Director of IT, Sprayberry is responsible for leveraging information security, applications, operations, risk management and technology to accelerate business growth and provide a competitive edge to the company.
David is directly responsible for all technology platforms within the organization. He leads a team of Information Technology specialists and administrators of IT services at all corporate locations. David oversees the inventory and mapping of all technology assets at multiple locations. His team staffs a company help desk, sets standard operating procedures (SOPs) and policies for staff, and oversees the security of the enterprise.
With over 25 years of experience in Information Technology, David has served in many facets of Information Technology and Systems Development. Positions include Senior Quality Control Code Technician, Network Administrator, Database Administrator, and Security Advisor. Mr. Sprayberry holds specialty certifications including: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Checkpoint Certified Systems Engineer (CCSE) and Checkpoint Certified Systems Administrator (CCSA).
David has a diverse IT background with extensive experience in Network Design, Implementation, and IT Administration.
He oversees telecommunication solutions, security assessment, and disaster recovery solutions across multiple platforms. David’s team has implemented multiple systems and streamlined current processes for Americo, both increasing productivity and reducing costs. Just a few of Sprayberry’s departmental accomplishments include: successfully established the company’s Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN), launched a mobile application, implemented and continues to maintain an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, installed a customer relationship management (CRM) program, and supported call centers and multi-tiered wide area networks (WAN) across the company.
Sprayberry has also overseen the implementation of a new bar code scanning system to help manage inventory and streamline the production process, customized a universal shipping solution embraced across multiple divisions handling which handle all the rules of mulitiple, complex businesses, installed and managed a heavly customized material requirements planning (MRP) system and developed customized reporting tools for internal and external customers.
Outside the company, Mr. Sprayberry has served as an advisor to Microsoft for four years and has consulted for other organizations in a variety of industries. David frequently volunteers with Technology for Seniors, Toys 4 Tots, fundraisers for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and American Cancer Society. David is a native to Rome, GA, where he still resides with his wife, Tania and their two children, Tristen and Tinley.