The AltusGroup Board of Directors has named Katherine A. Klosowski-Blatz, a senior executive with decades of experience in the construction and manufacturing industries, as the organization’s new executive director. She began her role on November 1, 2024.

Klosowski-Blatz brings an extensive and diverse management background to AltusGroup, a collaborative of 13 North American precast concrete manufacturers dedicated to innovation powered by collaboration. Klosowski-Blatz has proven successful in driving innovation, portfolio life cycle management and achieving operational excellence on a global basis in addition to implementing organizational change management.

“Katherine’s blend of product development, strategic thinking and organizational expertise will help guide AltusGroup at a pivotal time for our organization,” said AltusGroup Chairman Tony Smith. “We are innovating precast technologies that can give the building team more options with systems integration, continuous insulation and options for reducing our products’ carbon footprints. Her experience guiding product development while enhancing collaboration will enable us to leverage the strengths of our members to benefit AltusGroup and ultimately our customers across the building team.”

Klosowski-Blatz spent the majority of her 27-year career with BASF Construction Chemicals/Construction Systems (formerly Huls America and Degussa Building Systems), the predecessor to MBCC-GROUP. During her tenure, she held various leadership positions, including global director of commercial data excellence, global director of virtual design and construction, head of construction systems for the Asia Pacific region, and regional manager for product development and marketing. Throughout her career, she has driven profitable business growth, led successful projects, cultivated lasting customer relationships, and advanced digitalization initiatives.

“Joining AltusGroup marks a new chapter for both myself and the organization. I am excited to foster collaboration, refine our strategic vision, and drive innovation among our member companies. This presents a unique opportunity to implement meaningful changes in the construction industry through advancements in precast technologies and systems,” said Klosowski-Blatz. “Building on the success of my predecessor, John Carson, positions AltusGroup, our member companies and me to effectively address the challenges and opportunities of 2025 and beyond.”

She succeeds John Carson, who in March 2024 announced his intent to retire by February 2025 after 12 years as AltusGroup’s executive director and an additional 10 years on the board of directors. Carson oversaw a dramatic expansion in AltusGroup’s coast-to-coast presence in the United States and Canada with AltusGroup members now operating 27 manufacturing facilities across North America. Carson also grew the market presence of AltusGroup’s flagship technology, CarbonCast, which uses carbon fiber grid as a wythe connector in insulated precast wall panels. To date, CarbonCast technology has been used on more than 2,500 structures comprising 65 million square feet of precast surface area.

“John’s dedication and entrepreneurial spirit were tremendous assets for AltusGroup over the past dozen years,” said Joe Bunkers, the AltusGroup immediate past chairman who led the executive search. “We have a novel organization based on the concept of co-opetition and he was especially adept at getting our members to collaborate for the greater good. We wish John all the best in his retirement from AltusGroup and thank him deeply for his vision, devotion and energy that contributed so much to our success as an organization.”

As the third executive director in AltusGroup’s 22-year history, Klosowski-Blatz brings a wealth of leadership experience from professional organizations. She has served as the national president of the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) and as the past chairman of ASTM Committee D01.47. Klosowski-Blatz has been recognized with the “Outstanding Achievements Award” for authoring and publishing two ASTM standards, in addition to holding various board positions and committee chairmanships within industry organizations.