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Buyers Products CEO Kleinman Dies

Sept. 22, 2016
James “Jim” Kleinman, CEO and patriarch of Buyers Products Company, passed away suddenly on Sept. 15.

James “Jim” Kleinman, CEO and patriarch of Buyers Products Company, passed away suddenly on Sept. 15.

After his service in the United States Army,  Kleinman entered the construction business and then joined his uncle at Buyers Products in 1964.  Kleinman was responsible for travelling throughout North America, establishing and servicing customers in all 50 states, which he continued to do well into the 1980s.

In 1988, Jim founded and became CEO of Viking Forge Corporation in Streetsboro, Ohio.  Viking Forge established itself as the primary forging supplier to Buyers Products, as well as multiple outside customers servicing the military, automotive, heavy-truck and oil/gas industries.

While CEO of Buyers Products, Kleinman guided expansion with the founding of Viking Forge (forged steel, aluminum and stainless steel), acquisition of TRACOM (steel fabrication and CNC machining), founding of Progressive Powder Coating (powder coating & finishing), acquisition of Romotech (rotational molding of plastics) and Boomerang Rubber (rubber mud flaps & bed mats), formation of TAD (aluminum product fabrication) and TSST (stainless steel product fabrication).

He is survived by his wife, Dolores, two children, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.  His son-in-law, Mark Saltzman (president of Buyers Products Company) will assume the additional corporate responsibilities while continuing in his current role.