Key Management
Robert F. Duke
President
Rob Duke is President of Preferred Materials, Inc. He holds an MBA with Honors and a BS in Chemical Engineering, both from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Rob started his career as a process engineer with BOC Gases (now part of The Linde Group) where he held assignments in the U.S. and Europe. Following BOC, Rob worked for Merck & Company, as part of the corporate finance group covering the European pharmaceutical business. He entered the building materials industry as Director of Strategy & Development for Rinker Materials Corporation (now Cemex) in West Palm Beach, FL. At Rinker, Rob worked with senior management in the evaluation and due diligence of several acquisitions. He then progressed to General Manager – Sales, Marketing, and Distribution for the Florida Quarries Group where sales and operating income grew to an all-time record.
In 2008, Rob joined Preferred Materials, Inc., shortly after its formation, as the company's President. Preferred Materials, based in Tampa, FL, was formed by CRH/Oldcastle when it acquired 26 ready-mix concrete plants and 6 block plants located in Florida (as part of Cemex's divestment of assets in its acquisition of Rinker). In July 2009, Oldcastle's Southeast Division reorganized and shifted the Florida-based aggregates business to Preferred Materials.
Darryl Fales
Vice President & General Manager, Concrete Products, South Florida
Darryl Fales started his career in the concrete industry immediately upon graduating college when he joined Rinker Materials Corporation (now Cemex). He held multiple positions at Rinker including being selected to help design and implement the company's new $100 million SAP software system. Upon completion of the company-wide SAP roll-out, Darryl was promoted to region manager with full P&L responsibility for Rinker's operations in southwest Florida. After the divestment in 2007, Darryl joined Preferred Materials where he continues to focus in the southwest Florida market.
Darryl holds a bachelor of arts in business administration from the University of Central Florida in Orlando as well as an MBA from Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers.
Tom Roloson
Vice President & General Manager, Concrete Products, North Florida
Tom Roloson has 25 years of technical marketing and sales management experience in the concrete and refractory industries. Prior to joining Preferred Materials Inc. he was with Lafarge North America as General Manager for the Maryland Concrete Division. His extensive technical and sales expertise in the refractory industry includes positions with Minteq International, Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties, Allied Mineral Products and United States Steel Corp. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association.
Tom holds a bachelor of science in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University.
Dennis M. McClelland Sr.
General Manager, Aggregate Products, Florida
Dennis M. McClelland Sr. has 30 years of experience in the management of aggregate, asphalt, and ready mix operations. He holds a BA in business from Emory and Henry College and spent two years in the MSBA program at Strayer College in Virginia. Dennis started his career as a site manager for Sterling Mining Company in the coal industry quickly progressing to General Manger. Following Sterling Mining Company Dennis worked for Florida Rock Industries managing the operations of their Aggregate Facility in Macon Georgia. Dennis subsequently joined Vulcan Materials Company as a plant manager and over the span of 12 years had ever increasing roles of responsibility which culminated with being named Area Manager for Vulcan Materials Company operations from Fresno California to the Oregon border. In 2004 Dennis joined Rinker Materials as a consultant in their Kentucky operations and the head of their sand division in Florida.
In January 2007 Dennis joined APAC, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of CRH/Oldcastle as a consultant for two division Presidents, where he gave guidance in aggregate opportunities both on and off shore. In 2008 Dennis officially joined APAC, Inc. as Manger of Aggregate Operation for the Central Florida Division. In July of 2009, APAC Inc.'s aggregates operations in Florida shifted to Preferred Materials during a reorganization of Oldcastle's Southeast Division.