Martin Marietta Materials Chairman and CEO Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. will retire mid-year 2010 after leading the company for over 27 years. C. Howard (Ward) Nye will become CEO effective Jan. 1, 2010 and has been elected to the board of directors. Zelnak will continue as executive chairman of the board until his retirement and then become non-executive chairman.

Zelnak joined Martin Marietta as vice president of planning and business development in 1981. In 1982 he was appointed president of the newly constituted Aggregates Division, and in 1987 he was elected an officer of the parent corporation. In 1994 Zelnak led the initial public offering of Martin Marietta Materials stock and again in 1996 led the offering of the remaining stock held by Lockheed Martin, as Martin Marietta became a fully independent public company. In 1997 he was elected chairman of the board in addition to his role as CEO.

Zelnak also has been active with civic and industry organizations and educational institutions, having chaired the boards of eight organizations including the North Carolina Chamber, Peace College, and the National Stone Sand & Gravel Association. In 1999, Zelnak was the first recipient of the MBA Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Alabama—Birmingham and in 2008 he was selected to the Hall of Fame at the Georgia Tech College of Management.

Ward Nye joined Martin Marietta as president and COO in 2006 with over 20 years of experience in the construction materials industry. Before joining Martin Marietta, Nye's previous 13 years had been spent with Hanson PLC, where he had most recently held the position of executive vice president for that company's North American aggregates business. Immediately prior to his executive vice president role, Nye was responsible for profit center operations with revenue exceeding $500 million annually. Earlier in his career, Nye also was responsible for merger and acquisition activities for the construction materials business and managed Hanson's eastern United States legal, human resources, safety and environmental functions.

Nye currently is a member of NSSGA's boards of directors and its executive committee, The American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Ravenscroft School, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, and the Duke University Alumni Association. He was previously appointed by Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., to the North Carolina Mining Commission.

Nye received his bachelor's degree with honors from Duke University in 1984. He also received a juris doctorate degree from Wake Forest University in 1987.