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.

Ray Fang is the Chief Financial Officer for AA Metals, where he is responsible for corporate overall financial management and acquisitions strategy. Ray has extensive background and experiences in corporate finance, technology development, and manufacturing. He specializes in financial analytics, corporate restructuring, technology partnership, cross-border M&A and joint venture formation.

Prior to joining AA Metals, Ray was OpenPOWER CFO at IBM after taking some general management and financial leadership roles. Before his 13-year career at IBM, Ray was a Sr. Applications Engineer at Ebara Technologies, a semiconductor capital equipment company.

Ray holds a B.S. degree in Materials Science from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering from University of Missouri at Rolla, and an M.B.A. in Finance from Stern School of Business at New York University. He is also an innovator with multiple patents.

Ying Jiang serves as the Assistant to CEO, Director of Human Resources and Corporate Secretary of AA Metals. Ying takes great pride in welcoming new members to the AA Metals family and facilitating their transition and growth within the Company. She strives to optimize corporate operational effectiveness with valuable talents, advanced IT, policy compliance and supportive administration. Ying values her role in developing, communicating, and enacting employment policies and has great respect for the trust that all members of AA Metals place in her.

Ying has successfully created and implemented training programs, and has extensive experience in managing employees and employment policy related issues in both the public and private sectors. Ying has been invited to speak about her experience in these areas at conferences and understands the importance of clear and effective communication.

Ying earned a bachelor of law degree from Soochow University, China, where she graduated near the top of her class, and also has earned a Master of Law degree in Comparative Law from the University of Florida, College of Law. Ying is a devoted mother, wife, and daughter, and loves the personal and professional lifestyle that central Florida has to offer.

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.