LEADERSHIP TEAM
Our Team Members
Chris Patti – Chief Executive Officer
Chris Patti has served as KSI’s Chief Executive Officer since 2018.
Chris has a long history in distribution having worked for both public and private equity sponsored businesses. He started in the scientific industry in 1998 with VWR International (Avantor) where he held multiple leadership positions and then transitioned into the automotive aftermarket industry in 2007 when he started at Keystone Automotive Operations. Chris helped transform the sales team at Keystone leading to a successful sale of the company to LKQ in 2014. From 2014 to 2017 Chris remained at LKQ where he was responsible for sales and marketing in North America. Chris holds a B.A. from Muhlenberg College in English.
Larry Santoro – Chief Financial Officer
Larry Santoro has served as KSI’s Chief Financial Officer since 2018.
Larry has a background in operations, private equity and finance. He has held a number of executive and senior management positions including as founder of TAS Holdings, an auto-industry focused investment and advisory firm, Chief Administrative Officer and EVP of Fairway Market, a publicly-traded NY metro-area food retailer, Operating Partner at Sterling Investment Partners and Founding Partner and Head of U.S. Private Equity of New Vernon Capital, a multi-billion-dollar asset management firm investing in a range of Indian and U.S. assets. Previously, Larry was a Managing Director in Merrill Lynch’s (now Bank of America's) Investment Banking Group where he served as Group Head of several Investment Banking Groups and as a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Larry holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Engineering from Dartmouth College.
Andy Erickson – Chief Information Officer
Andy Erickson has served as the Chief Information Officer since 2020
Prior to joining KSI as their CIO, Andy had spent the previous year as the Interim CIO through a relationship with RKON. During his 25-year career in IT, Andy has worked at several global companies, including Ace Hardware, Millward Brown and F5 Networks. Most recently Andy was at RKON Technologies where he ran the Professional Services Team. Andy has experience managing teams during merger and acquisitions, as well as carve-outs. Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois
Geoff Watson – Vice President of Operations
Geoff has served as the Vice President of Operations since 2020
Geoff has been around distribution and the automotive aftermarket for nearly 30 years. He spent over twenty-five years of his career with Genuine Parts Company/NAPA in various management roles including Major Accounts, Wholesale Management, NAPA Product Management, Retail and Marketing, Altrom Import Parts Distribution, and NAPA Warehousing and Distribution. Most recently Geoff served as the Northeast Regional Vice President for Factory Motor Parts. Geoff holds a Bachelor of Arts in American History from the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.
James White - Vice President of Safety and Facilities
James has served as the Vice President of Safety and Facilities since 2018
Throughout his 30-year career with KSI, he has held many positions starting as a delivery driver then holding multiple leadership positions and ultimately as a Vice President of the company. James has brought significant value to the organization throughout the years and continues to be involved in multiple aspects of the company.
Jackie Rahbari – Vice President of Human Resources
Jackie Rahbari joined KSI in 2021.
Jackie is responsible for working with senior leaders to drive strategic growth, and the primary driver of the company’s culture across all functions, working directly with the most important asset, the employees. Prior to joining KSI, she was the HR Director at MS International, where she was instrumental in talent management and employee engagement. She brings over 25 years of experience as an HR business partner holding multiple HR leadership roles within manufacturing, having worked at Silver Line Building Products, Andersen Windows and Doors, and Ply Gem Building Products. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and SHRM-SCP certification. She is also a member of the HR Advisory Board for Rutgers.
Melanie Pastor – Director Of Supply Chain Management
Melanie Pastor has served as the Director of Supply Chain Management since 2019
During her 25-year career in Supply Chain, Melanie has worked at several global companies, including Alcoa, Reynolds Consumer Products, and Ivex Packaging. Prior to joining KSI, Melanie was at Rank Group a privately held investment company based in Auckland, New Zealand. Rank constituent companies operate internationally in packaging, consumer goods, and building supplies industries where she held various leadership roles on projects that spanned North, Central, and South American as well as Europe during a vast number of mergers and acquisitions.
Michael Romanello – Director of Sales and Marketing
Mike Romanello has served as the Director of Sales and Marketing since 2020.
Mike joined KSI in the fall of 2018 as a Regional Sales Manager responsible for the Northeast region. Prior to joining KSI, Mike spent more than fifteen years in various leadership roles in the automotive parts aftermarket with Pep Boys.
Mary Johndrow - Head of Corporate Returns
Mary Johndrow has served as KSI’s Head of Corporate Returns since 2021.
Mary joined KSI in 2019 as Director of Category Management. She has an extensive 30-year career in manufacturing, distribution, product development, and retail buying. Prior to joining KSI, Mary was a Buyer for Southern States Cooperative, a full-service ag-retail cooperative and distributor, serving members and customers from Maine to Florida, where she managed categories ranging from soils, mulch, and chemicals, to power equipment and security. She was a Merchandise Manager at catalog retailer firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc., a company that provides unique products and gifts to help baby boomers and seniors live life to the fullest, stay independent and solve aging-related challenges and a Retail Buyer and Sourcing Manager at Circuit City, a national retailer of consumer electronics. Mary spent 14 years working for Lumberg, Inc., a German manufacturer of automotive cables and connectors, where she managed the supply chain and acted as the ISO 9001 Quality Manager.