Newsroom

Appleton, Wis. – June 21, 2017 – U.S. Lubricants, a division of U.S. Venture, Inc., is proud to announce changes to its senior leadership team to drive continued growth.

Bill Renz has been appointed to President – U.S. Lubricants.  Previously, Renz was general manager for U.S. Gain, a division of U.S. Venture, Inc. that focuses on compressed natural gas (CNG).  With extensive experience in management, operations and engineering, Renz led the expansion of U.S. Gain, which has become a national leader in the CNG industry.  He formed partnerships with fleet owners across the country to provide them with a cleaner, more affordable, more effective way of operating their business.

“Bill’s enthusiasm and leadership skills make him the perfect fit for this position,” says John Schmidt, CEO/president of US. Venture.  “Bill really connects with both our customers and his team members, and I’m confident his talents will take U.S. Lubricants to new heights.”

Renz is a Wisconsin native and University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s degree in manufacturing systems engineering with a specialization in management.

Stephenie Wix has been promoted to Vice President of Sales – U.S. Lubricants.  In her new role, she will oversee all aspects of sales in North America for U.S. Lubricants and work to cultivate synergies between all divisions of U.S. Venture. Wix has 10 years in lubricants and diesel exhaust fluids sales in the trucking and construction industries.  Previously, she was division director of sales for U.S. Gain and drove the growth of the CNG business.  Before joining U.S. Gain in February 2013, Wix was a territory manager for Mid-Town Petroleum/Reladyne in Chicago.

Ben Himle has been hired as Regional General Manager – U.S. Lubricants to oversee our bulk plants in Kimberly, WI; Bloomington, MN; Sioux Falls, SD; and Omaha, NE.  In this role, he will have full P&L responsibility for these businesses. Himle brings a strong background to U.S. Lubricants, having held GM and sales leadership roles across multiple businesses.  He most recently led business development for Valvoline across our footprint in the Midwest, which will bring expertise in driving significant top-line growth in this area.

Jeff Muellenbach has been promoted to Regional General Manager – U.S. Lubricants to oversee our bulk plant in Valparaiso, IN.  In this role, he will have full P&L responsibility for this business. Muellenbach has been with U.S. Lubricants for more than seven years.  Previously, he was regional operations manager, and was in charge of bulk plant operations throughout our footprint.  Before that, he was a sales engineer and led technical strategy with our industrial sales team.  Before joining U.S. Lubricants, he led the Chemical Management Program at BP Castrol-Mercury Marine for over 10 years.  Muellenbach is a University of Wisconsin-Stout graduate with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in business administration.

Matt Mohelnitzky has been promoted to Director, Product Management & Pricing – U.S. Lubricants.  In this role, he will oversee product management, vendor relations, purchasing and pricing to optimize product expertise, and lubricant customer/supplier interfacing for the division. Mohelnitzky has held the role of product marketing manager for U.S. Lubricants the past three years, leading the marketing and brand management teams, along with being an integral part of developing pricing & product placement strategies for the division.  Prior to working at U.S. Lubricants, he gained extensive product management experience leading new product development, supplier/vendor relations and executing pricing strategies. Mohelnitzky is a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh graduate with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance and a master’s degree in business administration.

“With the new leadership team and all of the talented people we have around the nation, U.S. Lubricants is even better positioned to deliver valuable solutions to our customers,” says Bill Renz, president of U.S. Lubricants. “I am confident each member of my team will produce results and propel U.S. Lubricants to a new level.”