About Us

Mission Statement

Empowering environmental responsibility through sustainable packaging solutions.

Our Vision

Making sustainable packaging the standard in the industries we serve.

Silver Medal Recipient from EcoVadis

Hoover CS has been awarded a silver medal in recognition of our sustainability achievement, placing us in the top 25% for sustainable practices and performance. EcoVadis assessments are performed annually, rating our sustainability performance across four key themes – environment, labor & human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.

Lead By Impact

Working with Hoover CS is a commitment to circularity. We serve you from start, through delivery, and for the future, by safely and sustainably packaging your product or raw material in reusable containers. We control the logistics by providing fleet management and container reconditioning to make the process easy for you and positive for the environment. By choosing Hoover CS services and solutions, you’ll be raising the bar for packaging sustainability in your industry. You’ll set the example of circularity – and that will give you the desired position of leadership.

Executive Management

Kevin Friar

CEO

Preston Davis

CFO

Matt Schmidt

CHRO

Peter Olasky

General Counsel

Chris Winkler

SVP – Sales & Operations

Steven Knudsen

VP – Strategy & Corporate Development

Kevin Friar

CEO

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Currently serving as Chief Executive Officer, Kevin is an established leader across the oil and gas, chemical, refining, and general industrial-end markets. Kevin joined Nalco Company LLC in 1990 and navigated several mergers and acquisitions over the years, eventually becoming Executive Vice President at Nalco Champion, An Ecolab Company, for the Oilfield Chemicals Division.

After 27 wonderful years, Kevin made the decision in 2016 to retire and relocated his family to College Station, Texas. Shortly into retirement, Kevin was invited to lecture as a Professor for the Industrial Distribution Program for Texas A&M. Kevin taught undergrad and graduate courses from 2017 to 2018, and went on to establish several endowments to support, engage, and develop future Aggies.

In 2019, Kevin came out of retirement to accept the role as CEO for Hoover CS. Shortly after, Kevin sold both the manufacturing and the Ferguson offshore segments, allowing the company to shift its focus and promote its large rental fleet of reusable IBCs and ISOs, along with sustainable services and fleet management.

In his spare time, Kevin is an active member of his church’s College Ministry where he and his wife Dana mentor college students. He also sits on the Industry Advisory Board at Texas A&M Industrial Distribution.

Preston Davis

CFO

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Currently serving as Chief Financial Officer, Preston is responsible for Hoover CS’s overall financial strategy and oversees accounting, financial planning and analysis, tax, treasury, shared services, and more.

Prior to joining Hoover CS, Preston served as Director of Finance – Industrial Division for Ecolab, based in Poland, where he was responsible for all commercial financial activities related to the division’s $1.2B portfolio in Europe. As a strong cross-functional leader, Preston is passionate about partnering with Sales and Operations to drive financial performance and deliver results.

Outside of the office, Preston enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, traveling, and improving his golf game.

Matt Schmidt

CHRO

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Currently serving as Chief Human Resources Officer, Matt is responsible for developing and executing strategies across talent management, organizational and performance management, training and on-boarding, and compensation. Overseeing Talent and Human Resources departments, Matt works closely with his team to develop and implement internal systems and processes for attracting, developing, and retaining a strong workforce for Hoover CS across its corporate offices and service centers throughout the nation.

Prior to joining Hoover CS, Matt spent more than 20 years with Nalco, working his way up to Director of Human Resources at Nalco Champion, An Ecolab Company, before accepting the CHRO role with Hoover CS in May 2019.

In his spare time, Matt can be found at the local baseball field with his wife and two sons, who are active players and travel for games, or vacationing with family and friends.

Peter Olasky

General Counsel

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Currently serving as General Counsel, Peter is responsible for all legal matters for Hoover CS. As the company’s first in-house lawyer, Peter’s focus has been enhancing processes as well as the company’s ability to execute on its commercial and strategic objectives.

Prior to joining Hoover CS in January 2022, Peter was Chief Compliance Officer & Assistant General Counsel for ChampionX Corp. and, prior to that, Sector General Counsel for the $3.5 billion Energy Services division of Ecolab Inc. Peter began his legal career as an associate at Skadden Arps and is a graduate of Columbia Law School and the University of Texas.

Outside of the office, Peter enjoys spending time with his family and three children and has visited more than 150 Houston-area playgrounds.

Chris Winkler

SVP – Sales & Operations

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Currently serving as Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations, Chris is responsible for leading our commercial and operational teams to deliver outstanding service to our customers, execute key growth strategies, and continue to drive circular supply chain solutions.

Prior to joining Hoover CS, Chris led the Global Reservoir Chemical Technologies Division of ChampionX and held various commercial roles both domestically and internationally for 12+ years, including being based in the UAE and leading international teams across the Eastern Hemisphere and Latin America. Chris also brings extensive experience in the semiconductor equipment industry and start-up technology in the nano-materials/catalyst markets. He has consistently demonstrated expertise in building and developing high-performing sales teams, leading effective strategic selling activities, and developing major target account pipelines.

Outside of the office, Chris enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, and traveling.

Steven Knudsen

VP – Strategy & Corporate Development

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Currently serving as Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development, Steven is responsible for identifying, leading, and delivering strategic initiatives that drive long-term value for Hoover CS.

Steven supports a range of internal initiatives including long-term strategic planning for business and capital growth, analyzing and segmenting customers, and driving change in underperforming areas of the business, as well as external initiatives primarily focused around mergers, acquisitions, and divestments. As a proven leader with deep functional expertise in operational effectiveness, procurement, supply chain, strategy, product development, and commercial excellence, Steven has established a track record of extraordinary financial and organizational impact by leveraging a unique combination of business savvy, technical expertise, and people leadership in global management consulting.

In his spare time, you can find Steven and his family staying active. Whether that’s a bike ride in the neighborhood or running alongside his wife, Steven fully enjoys the outdoors and sharing that passion with his family.

A Quote From Our CEO

We are making it easy for customers to make a more environmentally sound choice and we are supporting them in articulating what that means in the context of their sustainability goals.

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