HICKORY, N.C. (January 28, 2021)—Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company (HSM) has appointed Justin Ferdinand vice president and general manager of its Parks Healthcare Products business. Operating under the HSM Diversified Products and Services, LLC division, Ferdinand will lead the charge to drive additional growth of the company’s health care product portfolio which saw tremendous growth last year as it expanded into producing personal protective equipment (PPE), including disposable face masks and gowns.
Ferdinand comes to HSM with 25 years’ experience in leadership roles at several manufacturing companies serving the health care industry, including Velcro USA Inc., Hill-Rom Holdings, Fastenation, and Hoowaki, LLC. As a seasoned business development executive, he has successfully driven top-line growth through product additions and channel expansions into health care segments including memory care, diagnostics, hospital-oriented products, chronic disease, homecare and long-term care as well as the orthopedic and surgical segments.
“Justin’s extensive background in health products makes him an ideal choice to lead this segment, which we hope will be a growth area for our company moving forward,” said Mark Jones, president and CEO of HSM. “Leaning on his experience to provide strategic direction, we are looking forward to expanding the business into other healthcare products to take advantage of the growth opportunities in this broad and important industry segment.”
Ferdinand began his career at Velcro USA Inc., the well-known manufacturer of fastening products. During his eight-year tenure as market manager, he was responsible for the company’s North American medical products segment. While there, he drove profitability for the company through growth in the orthopedic, diagnostics and surgical healthcare segments with innovative products including closure systems for braces, monitors and diagnostic equipment, among others.
He gained additional health care experience during his two-year tenure at Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., a worldwide medical equipment and technology company where he held several leadership positions including global business development manager, global market manager and strategic marketing manager in the company’s clinical division, focused on medical homecare and long-term-care segments. While there, he was responsible for identifying, securing and managing the implementation of several multi-million-dollar acquisitions.
Following his time at Hill-Rom, he spent 13 years as vice president of Fastenation, a technical converter of textiles, plastics, films, adhesives and fastening systems which include well-known brands Velcro, 3M and Glue Dots. During his tenure, he led the reconfiguration of the company from a distributor into an industry-leading technical converter and contract manufacturer, a move which led to expansion of both the top and bottom lines.
Most recently, Ferdinand served as vice president of sales, marketing and business development for Hoowaki LLC, an engineering development firm focused on changing the coefficient of friction of a surface by increasing or reducing grip in products such as medical devices that are utilized both internally and externally to the body. While with Hoowaki, he led the team that developed the Hoowaki NP Collection Swab, a COVID-19 focused product. That launch would result in dramatic annualized increases in Hoowaki’s revenues.
“HSM has strong capabilities in manufacturing nonwovens, furniture and bedding components, and my specialized background will be an asset as we look to grow our health care related product line,” Ferdinand said. “Each one of our divisions offers us opportunities to make the healthcare business stronger. With our state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and processes, we are optimistic in our ability to expand the product line.”
Named after the company’s founder, Parks Underdown, Parks Healthcare Products operates out of its 50,000-square-foot facility in Claremont, North Carolina, where the business produces face masks, Level 1 and Level 2 gowns, therapeutic mattresses and adjustable beds for use in health care applications.
HSM is a privately held company based in Hickory, North Carolina, with more than 25 manufacturing plants in 13 states. In addition to its core furniture and bedding markets, HSM also serves a growing range of customers in the transportation, packaging, health care, apparel and other industries.
For more information, visit hsmsolutions.com.
