CI staff wants to acknowledge members that go above and beyond in their commitment to CI’s mission. Every month, through the Insider, CI website, and social media, a member who is highly engaged and has consistently contributed to the Institute’s mission through various efforts will be highlighted.
Chidinma Ihezue - Alexandria City High School - CI Intern
Local Alexandria City High School senior, Chidinma Ihezue, spent two weeks as an intern at CI’s offices in Arlington, Virginia. Chidinma will be majoring in chemical engineering at Hampton University on an academic scholarship in the fall.
Read the full article here.
Joe Perez - Union Tank Car Compay
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do.
I am the Vice President of Fleet Engineering at Union Tank Car Company and I’m responsible for the qualification, maintenance and repair standards for the tank car and hopper fleet. I am coming upon a career of 25 years with Union Tank Car, and I’ve worked in several areas, from new manufacturing, R&D, and fleet engineering. I am a member of the RSI technical committee of tank cars and I’m a representative of the AAR Mechanical Committee. Prior to Union Tank Car Company, I worked at Inland Steel Company for 10 years as a CoOp engineer and Maintenance Engineer for the coke plant, blast furnace and sinter plant. I’m a graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Read the full article here.
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Tom Stevens - The Greenbrier Companies
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do.
I am a Mechanical Engineer with The Greenbrier Companies. I started out in 2010 as a Project Engineer within the Tank Car Engineering group and I am currently the Project Engineering Supervisor for this same group in St. Charles, MO. The best aspect of my career is being able to work with customers to solve challenges they have and deliver a product that exceeds those expectations.
Read the full article here.
Manny Cunha - Kuehne Chemical Company, Inc.
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do.
I was born and raised in a village surrounded by green slopes and snowcapped peaks of the mountain range. I served in the army special forces as a lieutenant and platoon commander. The discipline, effectiveness and teamwork learned and practiced while there, were applied throughout my professional life. The Art of War, applied in management. I’m a graduate of New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) with a Bachelor's in Engineering and a Master’s in Management.
Read the full article here.
Dwayne Delancey - The Chemours Company
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do.
I have been on the Delisle site for 22 years. All those have been in the training department. I have been training the Delisle Emergency Brigade for 16 of those years. I’m a 40hr Hazmat Technician, CPR Instructor and Fire Safety Resource / Auditor. I’m also the Maintenance Training Lead for the Delisle Chemours Titanium Technologies (TT) site.
Read the full article here.
John Brenon - Occidental Chemical Corporation
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do.
I have spent all 30 years of my career in OxyChem Manufacturing. I began my career in 1992 in Ingleside, TX as a Project Engineer. I progressed through various roles in Ingleside including Process Supervisor, Production Superintendent, and Production Manager. My first Plant Manager role was at their Convent, LA site in 2006. I then relocated to Wichita, KS in 2008 at the Plant Manager, and then again to Houston in 2010 as the Assistant Plant Manager of the VCM sites. I have been in Dallas since 2010. Most of that time has been as Director of Manufacturing until my current role as of October 2020.
Read the full article here.
Mark Fucich - Descote SAS
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do.
In 1985 I received a call from friends/clients working for the Chlorine Producers PPG, Oxy and Dow. Each client said we met a French man named Jean-Pierre Richer who has developed “the valve” that our industry needs for isolation and control of dry liquid and gas chlorine. My partners and I were on a plane two weeks later for the purpose of becoming Descote’s partner in North America. For a thirty-seven-year period I’ve maintained an affiliation with Descote Valves in many roles including, direct and indirect, servicing CI mission chemical producers and consumers in North America. I received my bachelor's degree in Business Administration - Marketing from Louisiana State University in 1981. I am currently the Director and President of Descote Inc.
Read the full article here.
Jennifer Fan - Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do.
I majored in both Biology and Electrical Engineering at UCLA and then got a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Stanford (long story of why I ended up with these different majors). I have a PE in Civil Engineering. After graduation I worked for a private environmental engineering consulting firm. I then switched to working for a public agency, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, where I am now a senior engineer on the Treatment Plant Design Team.
Read the full article here.
Greg Namoff - Allied Universal Corporation
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do.
I graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Sports Marketing and Management. I have my MBA from Nova Southeastern University. I have been at Allied Universal for over 11 years, working in various areas of the organization. I spent time in operations at the plant level for the first couple years. After that I worked in sales, eventually becoming the Regional Manager for the State of Florida. As a Risk Manager I worked throughout the company to further enhance the safety culture. My current role is Assistant VP of Operations.
Read the full article here.
Brian Dailey - The Chemours Company
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) as a Chemical Engineer in the late 1970's. I have been in the industry for 44 years working in the chemical industry starting with phthalic anhydride, plasticizers, PVC Resins and PVC compounds for about 27 years and then chlor-alkali and phosphates. I started in production, technical projects, and HSE positions and later made a complete change to the administrative areas: Supply Chain and Commercial (current position), I have always respected chlorine and therefore I have been involved with the processes of security, from production to delivery.
Read the full article here.
Hector Guevara - Orbia - Vestolit (formerly Mexichem)
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) as a Chemical Engineer in the late 1970's. I have been in the industry for 44 years working in the chemical industry starting with phthalic anhydride, plasticizers, PVC Resins and PVC compounds for about 27 years and then chlor-alkali and phosphates. I started in production, technical projects, and HSE positions and later made a complete change to the administrative areas: Supply Chain and Commercial (current position), I have always respected chlorine and therefore I have been involved with the processes of security, from production to delivery.
Read the full article here.
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Lloyd Moore - Kemira Chemicals, Inc.
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I have been working in the transportation sector for almost 48 years, 22 years with Kemira. During my tenure with Kemira, I have managed logistics operations and roles within our EHSQ Group. I am now part of our Global EHSQ Team and currently manage Transportation Safety for the Americas for all modes. Prior to Kemira, I worked in a family business that involved trucking, construction, and aggregate quarry operations.
Read the full article here.
Brent Hardman - Powell
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
My career with Powell, and in the chlor-alkali industry, began 25 years ago when I was a high school co-op. During my 25 years, I worked under Duane Powell, soaking in as much knowledge as possible while earning my Professional Engineer (PE) license and MBA. When Duane passed away in 2016, I became CEO and part owner. I’ve learned a lot over my years at Powell and continue to learn something new each day!
Read the full article here.
Dave Johnson - HASA, Inc.
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1989. I have spent the last 23 years working for Hasa, Inc. in various positions. I am currently the Vice President of Engineering and Regulatory Affairs. I have held the position of Plant Manager and spent twelve years as the Health, Environment, Safety, and Security Director for Hasa. Prior to working at Hasa, I held positions in Engineering with Eaton’s Semiconductor Division and Boeing’s Commercial Aerospace Division, working in the 747 Flight Controls Group.
Read the full article here.
J.J. Hiemenz - K2 Pure Solutions NoCal LP
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1979. My chemical engineering career began at Dow Chemical, where I worked for over 34 years. Started out in the light hydrocarbon and aromatics production at Dow Chemical in Plaquemine, Louisiana. From there I moved on to hold production leadership positions in propylene oxide manufacturing, environmental operations & chlorine manufacturing. After this, I spent over 13 years as a Technology Leader for Dow’s chlor-alkali business, where I was able to see and work with the many operations around the world. Overall, I had 18 years of chlor-alkali experience at Dow Chemical. In 2014, I joined K2 Pure Solutions in Pittsburg, California, where I current serve as the Technology Director. Still learning about chlorine operations after 25 years!
Read the full article here.
Ed Kazimir - De Nora Tech LLC
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I have a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, and have spent my entire 35+ year career with JCI Jones Chemicals. I have had numerous titles over my years at JCI and am currently an Executive Vice President overseeing Environmental Affairs, Risk Management, Insurance, and all Regulatory Compliance matters impacting JCI at all 11 of our chemical facilities. In addition to being actively involved in the Chlorine Institute, I am also actively involved in the American Chemistry Council and serve as JCI’s Responsible Care Coordinator.
Read the full article here.
Tim Gaffney - JCI Jones Chemicals
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I have a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, and have spent my entire 35+ year career with JCI Jones Chemicals. I have had numerous titles over my years at JCI and am currently an Executive Vice President overseeing Environmental Affairs, Risk Management, Insurance, and all Regulatory Compliance matters impacting JCI at all 11 of our chemical facilities. In addition to being actively involved in the Chlorine Institute, I am also actively involved in the American Chemistry Council and serve as JCI’s Responsible Care Coordinator.
Read the full article here.
Al Cowie - Univar Solutions
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I am currently in my 43rd year with Univar Solutions. I started as a Quality Control Chemist and then worked in Regulatory, Safety & Health and Operations and recently returned to Safety & Health with a focus on Process Safety Management.
Read the full article here.
Scott Wallace - Olin Corporation
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the early 1970s and later received an MBA from the University of Puget Sound. I have been in the Chlor-Alkali industry for almost 48 years working for Hooker/Occidental Chemical, DuPont, and Olin. I started in cell development with Hooker Chemical and have held process engineering positions in division and corporate engineering, provided process design, training, and commissioning for numerous cell room and membrane plants. I have almost 20 years in production roles and have been actively involved with process safety since 1990.
Read the full article here.
Mike Croke - JCI Jones Chemicals, Inc.
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
JCI Jones Chemicals hired me one day after getting out of the US Navy in the maintenance department. I was a pipe fitter/fabricator. I became the Branch Manager of our Milford, VA plant at 24 years old and have been with JCI for over (40) years. My specialty with the company has always been operations. I love what I do in the Chlor- Alkali Industry and have no regrets… that a handful of Tylenol won’t fix.
Read the full article here.
Chris Gibson - Hawkins, Inc.
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
My name is C. W. “Hoot” Gibson and I am a Senior Security/Compliance Analyst for Hawkins, Inc., a regional chemical distributor headquartered in Roseville, MN. I have over 35 years in the chemical distribution industry, and have served in regulatory, technical support and plant operations. I have been active in safety and security issues with the Chlorine Institute and the National Association of Chemical Distributors. I graduated from the University of Missouri – Rolla, with a degree in Chemical Engineering.
Read the full article here.
Vickie Ray - Olin Corporation
CI: Tell us a little about yourself, and what you do?
I have worked 40 plus years for Olin Corporation starting my career with Olin in Research and Development before becoming involved with the Olin Responsible Care Group as a Principal Environmental Specialist and now as a Product Compliance Manager and Product Steward. Working as an environmental specialist was a good fit for me as working in the regulatory arena, interacting with both industry and regulatory agencies to interpret and define regulatory requirements and write permits to ensure compliance, was both challenging and interesting.
Read the full article here.
Monica Hernandez - Formosa Plastics
Monica has her BS in Chemical Engineering from Texas A & M University Kingsville, and her MS in Environmental Engineering from Texas A&M University, Kingsville. She received her Master’s degree while being a full time parent of two toddlers. In 2007, she became a Chlorine Area Engineer at Formosa Plastics. Her responsibilities included bleach production area startup, expansion and optimization and hydrochloric acid production expansion.
Read the full article here.
Dr. Matthew Krebs - Occidental Chemical Corporation
CI: Can you share a few highlights of your career with us?
I followed an unusual path from college to industry. My undergraduate degree was in chemistry, and after medical school I pursued an internship in general surgery. I quickly found that left little time for my family and was introduced to public health during my Air Force service at a missile base in Wyoming. Experience in Desert Storm led to the US Air Force Residency in Aerospace and Occupational Medicine. From there I spent 7 years at an organic chemical manufacturing company and have now been with OxyChem almost 17 years.
Read the full article here.
Tracy Clark - United Professional Services, Ltd.
CI: Can you share a few highlights of your career with us?
“I have had the privilege of working and training with many in the Chlor-Alkali Industry including the Chlorine punctured tankcar derailment in Alberton, MT that was the catalyst for the need, design, and implementation of the Liquid Chlorine Pump along with its attachments that belongs to the member companies.”
CI: When did you first become involved at CI?
“I first became involved with CI in the planning and development of the Liquid Chlorine Pump in 1998, that lead into the initial testing at Mercury, NV in 2000.”
Read the full article here.
Manny Correia - Kuehne Chemical Company
“This is genuinely a privilege and one that I don’t take lightly. Having been considered amongst the extreme talent throughout our industry is a considerable achievement in itself.”
CI: Tell us a little bit about your career journey at Kuehne.
“I have worked for Kuehne Company now for 28 years. During this timeframe, I have experienced challenges from repackaging and transporting chlorine to the management of the New Jersey chlor-alkali facility.”
Read the full article here.
Larry Loman - AllTranstek
Larry has been in the rail tank car industry for 22 years. He is the Director of Engineering at AllTranstek, a position he has held for the past 15 years and prior to that was a Project Engineer at Union Tank Car for 7 years.
A member of the Chlorine Institute since 2005, Larry has been mostly involved with the Transportation Issue Team, of which he is now the Vice Chair. He has served on (and chaired) several CI task groups, as well as AAR Tank Car Committee task forces, over the years.
Read the full article here.
David Garner - Brenntag
This month’s spotlight goes to Mr. David Garner, with Brenntag, who officially entered retirement at the end of May. We would not only like to highlight him as a dedicated member, but also wish him the best as he transitions into retirement.
David worked at Brenntag for over 36 years, starting as a chlorine repackaging plant supervisor and moving up to become Brenntag North America’s first Senior Vice President Operations. Among his accomplishments there, the North American team was able to reduce Brenntag’s lost time incident rate (LTIR) by over 90%. David then served as the Chairman of their Global Safety Team and was able to improve Brenntag’s global lost time results by 82% over a 10-year period.
Read the full article here.
Matthew (Matt) Fridley - Brenntag North America
Mr. Matthew (Matt) Fridley is the Director of Safety and Security for Brenntag North America. He is responsible for all Brenntag North America’s facilities compliance to The Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program.
Mr. Fridley is the immediate past Chair of the U.S. Chemical Sector Coordinating Council (CSCC), member of the U.S delegation for chemical security at the G7 Summit, member of the Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats, and member of INTERPOL’s Global Advisory Group on chemical security.
Read the full article here.
Jeanne Kochevar - ASHTA Chemicals Inc.
CI: Tell us a little bit about your yourself. How long have you been with ASHTA? What do you like to do outside of work?
“I have worked at ASHTA Chemicals for 26 years. I started in the Quality Department but have worked in multiple departments throughout the years including Sales & Marketing, Process Improvement and Operations (Inspector Shipper Dept.). For the past 11 years, I have been the Distribution Manager. My team is responsible for all functions of the rail car fleet management, trucking and inventory management at production sites, warehouses and terminals.
My husband, Charles, and I have been married for 30 years and have three adult daughters. I enjoy the beach, repurposing/painting furniture and being with my family.”
Read the full article here.
Folashade (Sade) Healy - New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP)
Sade Healy has worked for the New York Department of Environmental Protection (NYDEP) for 10 years. She oversees the Risk Management Program responsible for the management, implementation and maintenance of an effective and strong EPA Risk Management Program (RMP), OSHA Process Safety Management Program (PSM) at three water treatment facilities. She is also the Respiratory Program Administrator for Water Treatment Operations facilities.
Sade has been involved with the Chlorine Institute since 2010 and has been a member of the Product Stewardship Issue Team (PSIT) since 2016. She has chaired various task groups and is currently the task group chair for Pamphlet 155) Water and Wastewater Operators Chlorine Handbook review. She has participated in regulatory reviews and member checklist updates and other tasks to promote the goals of the Chlorine Institute.
Read the full article here.
Matt Bond – Westlake Chemical Corporation
Since he began his career in the chlor-alkali industry in 2004, Matt has had experience in everything from transportation, loading, shipping, customer service, tank car repair, and Hazmat/CHLOREP response. Matt has been an active member participant of The Chlorine Institute since he started in the chlor-alkali industry, and says he finds it extremely valuable on both a professional and personal level, for multiple reasons.
Read the full article here.
Jim Dolan – Occidental Chemical Corporation
Jim Dolan has been involved with the Chlorine Institute since 2012. In the past eight years, he has been extremely engaged as a member of the Product Stewardship Issue Team, of which he’s currently the Vice Chair, specifically with the Responsible Care activities in the water sector area. He regularly attends water sector conferences such as the Ontario Water and Wastewater Conference and Trade Show, the TechNations – First Nations of Ontario Water Symposium, and the Canadian Pool & Spa Expo on the Institute’s behalf and utilizes CI resources in the Ambassador Packages at these conferences.
Read the full article here.
Ulises Saldaña – IQUISA-CYDSA
Ulises Saldaña was selected for this month’s Member Spotlight in recognition of his many contributions to CI. Since he became a member in the year 2000, Ulises (on behalf of IQUISA) has:
Read the full article here.
Randy Rowe – ERCO Worldwide
Randy started working at BASF Wyandotte, a chlorine producing facility in Port Edwards, Wisconsin, in August of 1979 as a Plant Service Technician responsible for loading and repairing tank cars. The plant was purchased in 1980 by Vulcan Chemicals and then by ERCO Worldwide in 2005.
With the purchase of the plant in 2005, Randy was given the opportunity to represent ERCO at the Chlorine Institute. He says this opportunity was “one of the most unique and rewarding experiences of [his] career.”
Read the full article here.
