10 Avient plant leaders
Plant Manager, Sr. Plant Manager and Senior Plant Manager are among the current titles held by these Avient plant leaders, whose profiles place them in states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Arizona. A reader can learn how plant leaders run their sites at Avient from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Anthony "Stony" Smith
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
Anthony Smith has been Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since April 2025, based in Lakewood, Ohio, and the profile headline reads Plant Manager for Avient. Anthony Smith was Operations Manager at Bazetta Steel Processing from 2024 to 2025 and Director of Operations at Cimbar Resources, Inc. from 2022 to 2024.
Christian Plekavic, MBA
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
Christian Plekavic has been Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since August 2026, based in Yorkville, Illinois. Christian Plekavic was Plant Manager at Carus from 2024 to 2025 and Unit Manager at Carus from 2019 to 2024, and was Unit Manager & Quality Manager at PQ Corporation from 2013 to 2019.
Eric Lernould, MBA
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager, Color, Additives, and Inks US/CAN · Avient Corporation
Eric Lernould has been Plant Manager, Color, Additives, and Inks US/CAN at Avient Corporation since January 2025, based in Nashua, New Hampshire. At Avient Corporation, Eric Lernould was also S/4HANA Project Lead, Color & Additives US/CA from 2023 to 2025, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from 2022 to 2023 and Quality and Site Systems Manager from 2018 to 2022.
Erica Lockhart, MBA
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
Erica Lockhart has been Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since November 2021, based in Valparaiso, Indiana. Erica Lockhart was Plant Manager at Aunt Millie's Bakeries from 2020 to 2021, Plant Manager at Toll Brothers from 2016 to 2020 and Production Manager at MonoSol RX from 2014 to 2016.
James Laiacona
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
James Laiacona has been Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since April 2025, based in Mesa, Arizona, and the profile headline reads Plant Manager @ Avient. At Avient Corporation, James Laiacona was also Production Manager from 2022 to 2025, and James Laiacona was Plant Performance Engineer at DSM from 2019 to 2022.
Keith Mccormack
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
Keith Mccormack has been Sr. Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since June 2021, based in Kennesaw, Georgia, and the profile headline reads Sr. Plant Manager at Avient Corporation Specialty Inks. Keith Mccormack was Global Director, Continuous Improvement at PPG INDUSTRIES INC Automotive OEM from 2018 to 2021 and Manufacturing Director - PolyOne Designed Structures and Solutions at PolyOne from 2015 to 2018.
Meghan Kochersperger
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
Meghan Kochersperger has been Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since September 2022, in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Meghan Kochersperger was Extrusion Department Manager at Fres-co System USA, Inc. from 2019 to 2022 and Process Engineer there from 2018 to 2019, and was Senior Research Technician at ExxonMobil from 2013 to 2018.
Rob Warfield
LinkedInExperience: Senior Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
Rob Warfield has been Senior Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since April 2021, based in Greater St. Louis. The profile also lists Plant Manager rows at Avient Corporation starting July 2020 and at PolyOne starting October 2016, and Rob Warfield was Manufacturing / EH&S Manager at PolyOne from 2007 to 2016.
Ryan M. Smith
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
Ryan M. Smith has been Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since July 2025, based in Akron, Ohio. Ryan M. Smith was Director of Site Operations at The Lubrizol Corporation from 2023 to 2024, Vice President Manufacturing & Engineering - DayGlo Color at RPM International Inc. from 2022 to 2023 and Plant Manager at Saint-Gobain Crystals in 2022.
Turner Keane
LinkedInExperience: Plant Manager · Avient Corporation
Turner Keane has been Plant Manager at Avient Corporation since February 2026, based in Cleveland, Ohio. At Avient Corporation, Turner Keane was also Manufacturing Manager from 2024 to 2026 and Corporate Engineer from 2022 to 2024, and Turner Keane was Production Manager at Eaton from 2021 to 2022.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's own plant and the path that led them to plant leadership to your question, since someone who came up through quality, production or continuous improvement will see a plant differently. Weigh how recently each person took on the role, because a newly appointed plant manager and one with years in the role will describe different challenges.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you took over your plant?
- 02How do you split your own time between running the plant day to day and longer-term priorities?
- 03What from the roles you held before leading a plant still shapes how you run it?
Reaching Avient plant leaders
How can I contact one of these Avient plant leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Avient Corporation, based on profile data retrieved on October 26, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Avient plant leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Avient plant leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.