Sellars Promotes Wade Kemnitz to Co-CEO

Kemnitz, who joined Sellars Absorbent Materials earlier this year, will assume the CEO role at the end of March 2027 as part of a planned transition.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in People

Photograph of large industrial rollers and pale absorbent material moving along a conveyor inside a brick-walled Milwaukee-style manufacturing hall under soft daylight. — Sellars Absorbent Materials promoted President Wade Kemnitz to Co-CEO, with CEO Tom Sellars moving to executive chairman before handing over the top job in March 2027. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Sellars Absorbent Materials has promoted Wade Kemnitz to President and Co-CEO, working alongside current CEO Tom Sellars. Tom Sellars will continue as Executive Chairman and complete his CEO tenure at the end of March 2027, when Kemnitz is set to take over the role.

Why it matters

The planned leadership handoff gives the Milwaukee-based manufacturer a defined succession path after more than 40 years of operation under its founding leadership. Kemnitz brings prior experience leading BiOrigin Specialty Products, a Sellars supplier.

Sellars was founded in 1985 and is one of only two companies capable of producing DRC products, which it makes from recycled paper and boxes. The announcement does not disclose revenue, headcount, or other operating metrics that would indicate the scale of the leadership change.

The players

Sellars Absorbent Materials

A Milwaukee-based manufacturer founded in 1985 that produces DRC wipers and towels from recycled paper and boxes.

Wade Kemnitz

A former CEO of BiOrigin Specialty Products who holds a bachelor's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and an MBA from Murray State University.

Tom Sellars

The current CEO of Sellars Absorbent Materials who will continue as Executive Chairman after handing over the CEO role.

The details

Wade Kemnitz joined Sellars earlier this year as President and COO and has now been promoted to President and Co-CEO as part of a planned transition. Kemnitz previously served as President and CEO of BiOrigin Specialty Products and held management positions at Clearwater Paper and Kimberly-Clark before joining Sellars.

Earlier this year: Kemnitz joins Sellars as President & COO.
End of March 2027: Tom Sellars completes his tenure as CEO and Kemnitz assumes the CEO role.

Leadership Succession

The Sellars transition follows a staged model in which the founder remains in an executive chair role while a successor takes over operational leadership. Such phased handoffs are common at long-established regional manufacturers that prioritize continuity over abrupt changes.

For customers and suppliers of Sellars, the leadership change signals continuity during a planned handoff rather than an immediate shift in operations. The company's leadership roster is now set through the end of March 2027, when Kemnitz is scheduled to take over as CEO.

The takeaway

Planned succession with a founder remaining as Executive Chairman can ease the transition for employees, customers and suppliers who rely on stable leadership. Watching the handoff at the end of March 2027 will show how the co-CEO arrangement works in practice.