Executive Information
Russell Lewis
Founder/Chairman
Russell Lewis is the founder and chairman of Rhino Linings Corporation, a worldwide specialty chemical company specializing in the manufacture and distribution of polyurea, polyurethane, polyaspartic and epoxy. As the organization's visionary, Mr. Lewis acted as President and CEO from the company's inception in 1988 until 2006. During this time, Mr. Lewis established the company's domestic and international distribution network. Rhino Linings Corporation now consists of over 2,000 distributors, applicators and contractors in more than 80 countries around the world.
In addition to his role Rhino Linings Corporation, Mr. Lewis also acts as co-founder and director of Tungsten Heavy Powder, Inc.; a ten year old company that specializes in manufacturing high-density tungsten powder and tungsten products.
Mr. Lewis' entrepreneurial experience includes the participation and investment in companies in varied industries including LightSource Renewables, LLC, Top Local Search and Dryer Vent Wizard. Mr. Lewis also maintains a diverse investment portfolio which includes a variety of real estate investments.
Mr. Lewis is actively involved in the business entrepreneurial community and continues to share his global entrepreneurial experience with students who participate in San Diego State University entrepreneurial programs. Mr. Lewis currently resides in Southern California and enjoys travel, skiing, and motor sports.
Pierre Gagnon
President/CEO
Pierre Gagnon joined Rhino Linings in January 2006 as president and chief executive officer. In his 5 years at Rhino Linings he has grown all aspects of the company including the Vehicle Protection, Industrial, Military, and Epoxy Divisions. Recently he expanded the company by acquiring Concrete Solutions, a company with over 26 years of experience in the decorative concrete industry.
With 27 years of automotive experience, Mr. Gagnon was previously president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, responsible for leading all Mitsubishi Motors activities in the US, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. He led an operations turnaround, resulting in five consecutive years of record growth in profits, sales and brand awareness.
Prior to being recruited by Mitsubishi, Gagnon was head of consumer marketing for the Saturn Corporation. During his tenure, Saturn surpassed Honda in purchase consideration and reached the highest loyalty rate among import competitors. He also served 18 years at General Motors of Canada Ltd., providing leadership in all aspects of sales, service, marketing and field operations. As Director of the Saturn Saab Isuzu division, his operation's accomplishments included leading GM of Canada in customer satisfaction and dealer satisfaction.
A native of Timmins, Ontario, Canada, Gagnon graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and an Honors Bachelor of Commerce. He undertook MBA graduate studies at York University and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration degree from Laurentian University. He and his wife, Denyse, have two children and reside in Southern California.
Sandra S. Roberts
Vice President/CFO
Sandra S. Roberts is vice president/chief financial officer of Rhino Linings Corporation, the world leader in protective linings solutions. Ms. Roberts is responsible for all aspects of the company's finances and administrative functions. This responsibility has grown over the years with the addition of the Industrial, Military, Epoxy, and newly added Concrete Solutions Division, which alone has over 2,000 customers.
Roberts has more than 19 years of experience in financial and management areas. Before joining Rhino Linings Corporation in 1997, Roberts served as the vice president/chief financial officer at National Customer Engineering (NCE) in San Diego.
Roberts completed her undergraduate work at Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan, and has an MBA in Finance from Illinois Benedictine University, located in Chicago, Illinois.
