Ron Poff has been hired as a full-time Assistant Professor of Practice. Ron has been working in the Department of Management as an adjunct faculty for a few years and has done a remarkable job in teaching, and more importantly in our publicity and social media efforts. Ron’s wide ranging experience and expertise as well as passion for social media make him uniquely qualified to teach a variety of courses and contribute to the department in many ways.

Ron has over 25 years of new product development and international business development experience including strong global marketing, purchasing and operations management skills. Most recently, Ron served as Industry Director and Director of Global Marketing for Mar-Bal, Inc., the leading integrated compounder and molder of thermoset composites. Based in Blacksburg at Mar-Bal’s Global Marketing Office, Ron was responsible for corporate marketing activities including communications, brand development and product management. In addition, Ron led the global sales, new business development and strategic acquisitions within Mar-Bal’s proprietary product lines and key OEM accounts in electrical, construction, industrial and rail markets.

Prior to joining Mar-Bal in 2008, Ron led global sourcing activities in support of new product development and innovation at Pfizer, Spectrum Brands and Newell-Rubbermaid. Serving as an entrepreneur and small business owner, Ron is the Co-Founder and Advising Partner for The PRIME Factory, a marketing and public relations agency, based in Blacksburg at The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. Over the past 5 years, Ron has served as a Professional Vice-President and Secretary on the National Council for Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE), the only national co-ed professional fraternity in the fields of sales, marketing and management; since 2019, he has served on the Advisory Board for the Business Leadership Center at the Pamplin College of Business. He is also member of Rotary International, Sales Marketing Executives International (SMEI) and the Academy of Management. 

Ron holds an M.S. in Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University and is a veteran of the US Navy and Reserves (1989-1999). A Roanoke native, Ron resides in Christiansburg.