MaterialsXchange, an electronic marketplace for buying and selling raw materials, expanded its leadership team with the hiring of Paul Dean. Dean will serve as the company’s director of business development. In the role, Dean will be responsible for the business development and end-user experience of multi-level distribution and independent lumberyards.
Dean has over 30 years of experience and has held leadership roles in LBM distribution and software. The newly appointed director of business development most recently served as the CEO of Progressive Affiliated Lumberman’s Co-operative and as the executive vice president of LBM Advantage.
“Paul has a solid background in both lumber distribution and technology, making him a natural fit for our electronic marketplace and the next chapter in LBM commerce,” Mike Wisnefski, CEO and co-founder of MaterialsXchange, said in a news release. “He has fostered an extensive network in our industry and brings impressive insight to help us lead this evolution.”
Chicago-based MaterialsXchange’s goal is to bring both the ease of an ecommerce solution and the sophistication of the modern capital markets to the lumber industry. The digital marketplace, the creation of Connamara Systems, launched in September 2019 and went live in October. The first listing on the marketplace were wood products, specialty oriented strand board, European spruce lumber, and southern pine lumber. MaterialsXchange recently partnered with Raven Logistics, as it expands its product offerings to include rail freights.
