Adolph (Ad) Posnick

Adolph (Ad) Posnick, 83, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Ferro Corp., died on Jan. 18 in Cleveland.

Born in Yellow Creek, Saskatchewan, Posnick earned a ceramic engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He joined Ferro as a research engineer in 1947, beginning a 44-year career there.

Posnick became technical director of Ferro’s subsidiary, Ferro Enamel do Brazil, in 1950. He held the position until 1956, when he became managing director of Ferro-Brazil.

After a one-year stint in Europe, Posnick became vice president of international operations at the company’s Cleveland corporate headquarters in 1965. Posnick was appointed senior vice president of operations in 1974 and executive vice president in 1975. He was elected director, president, and CEO in 1976 before being elected chairman in 1988. He retired in 1991. In 2004, the company renamed its Independence, Ohio, technical center the Posnick Center of Innovative Technology.

Posnick participated in a number of local institutions, including Baldwin-Wallace College, the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, United Way, YMCA, Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Tomorrow, and Work in Northeast Ohio Council.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah Anne; and two daughters.