Leadership

Jack Cheng is Founder, President and CEO of AA Metals one of the fastest growing and largest North American distributors of aluminum and stainless steel products. In just over a decade Jack’s vision and leadership has created one of America’s premier distributors of non-ferrous metals and steel. Over the last 6 years, AA Metals has twice been recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States. His company serves 350 customers with over 200 million pounds of aluminum and steel from dozens of mills located in Asia, South America, Europe and the Middle East.

Prior to founding AA Metals, Jack was a senior metallurgist at the Center of Aluminum Technology. He has over 20 years of experience in the metals industry. Jack received his first Ph.D. in Iron and Steel Making from the China Iron and Steel Research Institute and his second Ph.D. in Aluminum from the University of Kentucky. In addition, he has an MBA from the University of Kentucky.

Donald Lawson is the Chief Operating Officer for AA Metals.  In this role, Don is responsible for leading the company in the achievement of its overall growth, service and profitability goals.

Don has a wide-ranging professional background spanning 25 years and multiple functional experiences including general management, sales, manufacturing, supply chain and engineering/R&D.  His industry experiences include building products, consumer packaged goods, metals, plastics and pulp & paper manufacturing.

Don excels in strategic planning, building strong cross-functional teamwork and customer/supplier relationships.  He enjoys solving complex problems within organizations and building platforms capable of sustainable growth.

Before joining AA Metals, Don was a VP with Omnimax International where he was responsible for procurement, supply chain, transportation and coating operations.  Prior to that, he served in a variety of leadership roles with Trinidad-Benham, Novelis and Kimberly-Clark.  Don holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Global Business – both from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA.

During his career, Tom has held executive positions with multiple international organizations (both public and privately owned). He has experience in transportation, logistics, warehousing and communications. Tom has successfully directed several acquisitions, as well as business unit divestitures of underperforming assets. He has also led major systems implementations, transforming organizations into more efficient, cost effective integrated organizations. Tom specializes in financial leadership, business strategy, mergers & acquisitions, CFO mentoring, and public and international companies.
Prior to joining AA Metals, he was CFO of Mix Telematics, Americas as well as COO and CFO of Globe Wireless. Prior to Globe, Tom held multiple positions with Tropical Shipping, including Senior VP of Foreign Operations and CFO. Tom began his career as a staff auditor for one of the Big Eight Accounting firms in Miami.
Mr. Black holds a Master's degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Miami. He is a licensed CPA in the state of Florida.

Mike Parker is the Director of Sales for AA Metals. In this role, Mike leads our talented sales organization in the sale and distribution of our full portfolio of products throughout North America.
Mike has been in the metals industry for the past 8 years and has been in sales for nearly 20 years. His sales experience spans over several industries including aluminum, lead, plastic, and technology.
For the last four years, Mike was the Sales Manager for the largest secondary lead smelter in North America, RSR Corporation, in Dallas, TX. He was responsible for helping lead the sales team, developing and setting strategy, building customer relationships, and leading continuous improvement efforts within the corporate office. Mike’s introduction to the metals industry was with Novelis, the leading producer of flat-rolled aluminum products and the world’s largest recycler of aluminum, in Atlanta, GA where he was an Account Manager in the Light Gauge Division.
Mike received his B.B.A. in Finance, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia Honors Program.

Ruth Gomez is responsible for Operation at AA Metals, within this responsibilities she oversees, logistics, IT and Compliance She has over two decades of international experience in project management, business development , human resources, and international trade. She has a proven ability to leverage business acumen and tactical planning skills to drive change, resolve complex business challenges, and attain superior results.

Prior to joining AA Metals, Ruth was a manager of international business development at Atlas Steel Trading, also, she held a variety of leadership positions in both the U.S. and Colombia. Ruth has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Universidad Externado De Colombia in Bogota, Colombia and a Masters in International Business from both Universidad Externado De Colombia and Columbia University in N.Y.