Alex Gregory elected chairman of YKK Corp. of America

YKK Corp. of America President and CEO, Alex Gregory, was elected chairman of the company's board of directors on April 29, 2011. YKK Corp, of America, Marietta, Ga., 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. YCA oversees13 companies operating throughout North and Central America, Colombia and the West Indies. 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, according to a YKK release.

Gregory joined YKK (U.S.A.) 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 (1978) and then to senior vice president (1982). He became senior vice president of Corporate Planning (1991) for YCA in Marietta, and then executive vice president of Corporate Development (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. Gregory was named YKK's first non-Japanese Group Officer (2004) for YKK Corp. (Japan). He also served on YKK Corp.'s board of directors in Japan (2008-2010). Gregory, who is a retired Naval Reserves Commander with 28 years of service, spent three years on active duty in the United States Navy before joining YKK.