Alex Gregory elected chairman of YKK Corp. of America

YKK Corp. of America (YCA) President and CEO, Alex Gregory, was elected chairman of the Marietta, Ga.-based company's board of directors on April 29, 2011, according to a May 10 company release. YKK Corp. of America is a subsidiary of YKK Corp., a worldwide manufacturer of fasteners marketed under the YKK brand and architectural building products marketed under the YKK AP brand. As chairman, Gregory succeeds YKK Corp.'s president and CEO, Tadahiro "Tad" Yoshida, who will continue to serve as a director on YCA's board.

Gregory joined YKK Inc. in 1973 as the weaving department manager in its then new zipper manufacturing center in Macon, Ga. He was promoted to vice president of manufacturing in 1978 and then to senior vice president in 1982. He became senior vice president of corporate planning in 1991 for YCA in Marietta, and then executive vice president of corporate development in 2000. He was named president and CEO of YCA in 2001 and will continue to serve in that role in addition to his duties as chairman of the board.