Mack Iron promotes a pair

The Mack Iron Works Co., a leading metal fabricator in Sandusky since 1901, serving both the construction and petrochemical industries, recently announced changes in its management team that took effect on Jan. 1. Peter P. Kowalski Jr. assumed the office of president, and Thomas M. Hastings assumed the office of vice president at Mack Iron Works Co. John O. Bacon, who served the company as president since 1989, will continue to serve as chairman and CEO and will manage the company's financial matters. Peter P. Kowalski Jr. Kowalski, a native of Seven Hills, is a mechanical engineering graduate of The Ohio State University's College of Engineering. He achieved his Ohio professional engineering certification in 1989 and maintains professional memberships in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Welding Society. He's been with Mack Iron since 1983, serving as its chief engineer and manager of quality assurance and safety. In addition to those duties, he has served as the company's vice president since 2001. As president, he will manage the day-to-day activities of the company's departments in its daily operations and will continue his duties as chief engineer and safety director. He is a 1989 graduate of Leadership Erie County and is a board member of The Bellevue Hospital and the Sandusky Central Catholic School Education Foundation. He's also held leadership roles in the United Way of Erie County, the Sandusky Central Catholic school board of directors, Kiwanis Club of Sandusky and the Ohio State Alumni Club of Erie County. An active member of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, he lives in Perkins Township with his wife, Marsha. Tom Hastings Tom Hastings, a native of Huron, is a graduate of Huron High School and the vocational welding program at EHOVE Career Center. He began working for Mack Iron in 1978, serving 11 years as a welder/fabricator of company products before moving into product sales as a project estimator in 1989. In 1998, he became chief estimator and manager of the company's sales program, conducted both in-house and through national and international sales representatives. While maintaining those duties, as vice president, he will manage the company's day-to-day business in the absence of the president and serve as a resource to the president for special projects. He is a 1991 graduate of Leadership Erie County and is chairman of the trustees at the Huron United Methodist Church, also having been a Huron city council member, serving two terms as vice mayor. He lives in Huron with his wife, Karen.