Peter Martin was appointed financial controller at Castle Cement in the UK, succeeding Andrew Morrison. Martin has been with Castle for 2 11/42 years as company accountant. Prior to this, he worked for the Rugby Group, also in the UK.

James Theodores was named executive vice president and chief operating officer of Kaiser Cement Corp. and Kaiser Sand and Gravel Co. Theodores has served in numerous sales and management capacities for the Kaiser companies starting in 1973.

Bob Chapman is the new area sales manager for the Goodman Conveyor Co. in the United States. Working from a satellite office in West Virginia, Chapman will be responsible for sales in southern Ohio, Virginia, eastern Kentucky, southern West Virginia, and eastern Tennessee.

Robert E. Sovik was appointed area vice president, Asia Pacific for Elsag Bailey Process Automation. Sovik previously served as managing director of Elsag Bailey Pte, with headquarters in Singapore.

Michael J. Kasten was appointed product line manager of Standard Products and Parts of Svedala Industries Inc. Kasten will be responsible for the management of Svedala Pyro's rotary dryers, coolers, laboratory equipment, and replacement parts. Svedala also has announced the appointment of Todd W. Creager as district sales manager, Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

P. Jack O'Bryan, formerly executive vice president of operations at the Chicago-based USG, was named president and chief operating officer, succeeding William C. Foote, who will remain as USG's chairman and chief executive officer.

At a recent meeting of the Gypsum Association in Las Vegas, Nevada, John R. Haarlander was elected chairman of the board of directors, succeeding Alfred K. Mueller. James W. McNeer will become first vice-chairman and Gerard P. Carroll, second vice-president.

Rob Farnfield was appointed technical services manager for Exchem Explosives, a division of the UK-based Exchem plc. Previously a lecturer in Mining and Mineral Industry Environmental Engineering at the University of Leeds, Farnfield succeeds Terry White, who passed away at the end of 1996.

John W. "Jack" Oremus, 60, president of Prairie Material Sales, died in a car accident. Oremus also was chief executive officer of the company, one of the nation's largest producers of concrete, cement, and aggregate. Oremus was on the boards of directors of both the Northern Illinois Ready-Mix Association and the Portland Cement Association.

Philip Bruce was appointed chief executive of Rugby Cement, the UK cement arm of the Rugby Group plc. He will succeed David McAteer, who, as executive director-cement and lime, will devote more of his time to the international development of that division. Bruce was formerly regional general manager with ICI Polyester in Europe.

Alojzy Malczak was named president of Cementownia Nowiny cement plant, owned by German-based Dyckerhoff AG Cement. Malczak moved to his new position from the competing cement plant Nowa Huta following its recent buyout by Turkish company Rumeli.