RDAbbott Hires Cristina DiFranco and Brittany Ploep as Account Managers

RDAbbott recently hired Cristina DiFranco and Brittany Ploep as Account Managers. Cristina is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and serves the Northeastern United States. Brittany will be based in and serve the Southeastern United States. As RDAbbott Account Managers, they will build relationships, foster growth, provide technical support, communicate with suppliers, and provide the best overall solutions for customers in their respective regions.

Cristina DiFranco started working for RDAbbott on May 28, 2024. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, where she minored in Business Management and Polymer Science and Engineering. Cristina has wide-ranging industry experience, including expertise in rubber-to-substrate bonding and rubber molding.

Prior to joining RDAbbott, Cristina worked as an Application Engineer at Parker Lord in Erie, Pennsylvania, for six years. There, she focused on technical troubleshooting, training, and product selection for Chemlok^® adhesive customers. This hybrid position featured both a customer-facing field role and an internal laboratory role.

Cristina’s work experience includes summer internships at Lubrizol, a specialty chemical company in Cleveland, and at ImmunoGen, a pharmaceutical company in Boston. Her hobbies and interests include singing with a local band, playing piano, and attending live concerts. She also enjoys fishing on Lake Erie, visiting National Parks, and attending Cleveland Guardians baseball games.

Brittany Ploep started working for RDAbbott on August 1, 2024. She holds an associate’s degree in Business Studies from Delta College and a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communications from Saginaw Valley State University. During her college years, she worked at Dow as a co-op student, then as a contractor, and finally as a full-time employee.

Brittany’s professional career began as a Customer Service Technician for Dow in Midland, Michigan. She then worked as a Customer Service Representative for Dow Performance Silicones and later became an Account Manager in Dow’s Plastics group. Her most recent role included responsibilities for two sales territories covering commodity and specialty chemistries.

During her time at Dow, Brittany acquired extensive account management and sales experience by servicing laminating adhesives customers in the food and specialty packaging market, as well as a diverse group of industrial clients in the automotive, aerospace, marine, and textile sectors.

In her spare time, Brittany enjoys reading, hunting, being outdoors, and spending time with her two dogs. Within the next six months, she will relocate to the Southeastern United States, where her RDAbbott Account Manager territory is located.