Meet the Team
Matt Kohnke
President & Chief Operating Officer
A savvy and accomplished leader who fosters a collaborative and progressive approach, Matt Kohnke joined Newberry Tanks in 2020. His duties at Newberry include oversight of the company’s lean manufacturing process to ensure optimization, quality, and employee safety, as well as meeting customer needs such as Newberry’s expedited delivery options.
Matt possesses 17 years’ experience as a senior executive at manufacturing and distribution companies, having most recently served as CFO of Freight Car America, and previously at Dorman Products. Matt began his career at Arthur Andersen in the assurance practice. His lauded track record includes a reputation for value creation by launching measures to streamline functions and improve overall output.
Matt has a BS from Villanova, which means he’s a dedicated Wildcat during basketball season. He’s also a certified baseball and basketball referee. He has two grown sons and lives in Memphis with his wife, Stephanie.
James Fischer
Vice President of Sales
Prior to joining Newberry Tanks & Equipment in late 2018, James served as a highly effective Director of Sales for Electric Guard Dog LLC, an asset protection company that is today the single largest supplier of commercial electric security fences in the U.S. During his tenure, EGD became an “Honor Roll” member of the Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies, with 5 rankings on the list over a period of 6 years. The company was also named “Dealer of the Year” in 2016.
James previously led business development at State Systems Inc, where he achieved top sales awards three years running and successfully grew the company’s first aid and safety division from a start-up to operating in three territories.
James attended Tennessee Tech University, where he played collegiate football, and currently lives in Collierville, TN with his wife Laura Rae, and their four kids.
Brian Brinkley
Vice President/General Manager
Brian has been with Newberry Tank for 29 years, overseeing daily operations of production, finishing, and shipping through three different management teams while maintaining Newberry’s long history of dedication to quality and delivery.
Brian graduated From Arkansas State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
He currently lives In Marion Arkansas with wife Karen and two daughters.
John Whittington
Director of Engineering
John has been with Newberry Tanks since 2019. He came on board initially as a senior project engineer working on finishing and assumed responsibility for Newberry Engineering early in 2020. John has worked in manufacturing in various roles from manufacturing and product engineering to production and plant management over the last 30 years. John has focused on product finishing, both liquid and powder coating, machining, fixturing, and welding. He has worked for manufacturing and fabrication companies in both make to stock and make to order environments.
John graduated from Hendrix College with a Bachelor’s in Physics, and Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering. John lives in Marion, Arkansas, with his wife and two children.
Chris Powell
Plant Manager – Memphis
An accomplished veteran with over 30 years of experience, Christopher got his start in the United States Marine Corps as a Logistics Specialist. He then progressively expanded on his experience in logistics and production. He positively added to the operations of companies such as General Motors, Delphi Automotive Systems, ABB, and Mitsubishi Electric prior to joining Newberry Tanks in 2020.
Christopher has taken charge of the Newberry Memphis plant with focus on production and customer satisfaction with a continuous improvement mindset.
Christopher lives in Hernando, MS with his wife, Amy. They share 3 sons, a daughter, and 4 grandchildren.
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Newberry’s e-Commerce purchasing and service web portal allows customers to place or check order status any time quickly and efficiently. Register your account to manage frequently purchased or repeat purchase items. Registering allows viewing order history, place orders using credit cards or your existing Newberry account.
As an OEM manufacturer, Newberry inventories many valves, vents, gauges, and other tank accessories. Consider accessing our competitively priced product lines in lieu of tying up cash in your own inventory. Let us know if there’s an item you would like to find in our catalog.
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