2023 SOCMA Summit & Annual Meeting

Ray Vermillion
Asset Integrity & Reliability Engineering Manager
Ashland

Over 30 years of experience in the Corrosion Engineering, Mechanical Integrity and Materials/Metallurgical Engineering fields, 20 of which are currently as a senior engineering resource. Abilities include solving and consulting on corrosion and materials engineering problems, performing complex failure analysis and performing risk-based fitness-for-service assessments on equipment. Additional abilities have included managing technical and non-technical personnel, mentoring junior engineers, meeting various budgetary goals, and working both individually and within a team-orientated environment to meet various safety, technical and performance goals.

Wesley McSwain
HSSE Director
South Coast Terminals LLC

My goal is to develop the strongest understanding of the oil and gas industry, from every possible angle. I have worked in Inspection to loading/unloading operations to process operations. I now find my path leading me into Safety. I believe it will be a rewarding education as I may broaden my knowledge and become more of an asset to my company and be an important part in helping each and every employee get home safely, while achieving company goals.

Paul Ameis
Vice President
WTS, Inc.

30+ years of experience in chemical plant and manufacturing operations, which currently serving as VP for WTS Environmental Consultants, 22 years with Van De Mark Chemical and eight years with Occidental Chemical Corporation. Successful VP, COO, general manager, operations superintendent and process engineer in both large and small corporations. Experience with managing all facets of a manufacturing facility including daily operations, customer service and sales, maintenance, purchasing, finance, and domestic and international logistics. Successful developing new products, launching plant start-ups, closing non-profitable operations, developing management teams, and working effectively with all levels of management. Versatile, hands on individual with exceptional leadership, interpersonal, communication, and technical skills.

Jason Roe
Plant Manager
Milliken

My career to date includes Manufacturing Leadership, Process Engineering, Change Leadership and Continuous Improvement experience in batch and continuous unit operations at experienced plants and new start ups with unionized and union free workforces.

Tom Willis
Director, Health, Environmental & Safety
ChemDesign, Inc.

Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) By The American Board Of Industrial Hygiene And A Certified Safety Professional (CSP) By The Board Of Certified Safety Professionals. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Rapid Lean and Mistake Proofing Certified.

Alan Dyke
VP, Business Development & Marketing
ProChem, Inc.

Alan joined Boulder Scientific as Chief Technology Officer in September 2020. In this role, he oversees the company’s R&D team, kilo laboratory, pilot plant, process safety, quality management team and analytical labs. Although technically focused, he is also involved in business development and strategic planning. He is directly responsible for step change growth initiative and for agreements with external partner companies.

Before joining Boulder Scientific, Alan worked for Johnson Matthey in a number of technical and commercial roles, which most recently involved New Business Development of Advanced Precursors and Organometallic Products for applications in the micro-electronics industry, in collaboration with the Boulder Scientific team.

He graduated from the University of Bristol in the UK with a Ph.D. in Chemistry focused on Catalysis and Ligand Design.

Bob Stang
Partner
Husch Blackwell LLP

Bob focuses his practice on customs and international trade law.

He brings 30 years of experience to a wide range of issues that affect inbound and outbound goods, including tariff classification, valuation, country of origin marking matters, free trade agreements, and special trade programs. He also has extensive customs compliance experience and regularly assists importers facing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) audits, penalties, seizures, redelivery notices and other agency enforcement activities.

Jeffrey S. Neeley
Senior Council
Husch Blackwell LLP

Jeffrey has more than 25 years of experience representing private parties in international trade remedies disputes in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions.

He guides clients in matters including antidumping investigations, countervailing duties, subsidies, intellectual property disputes as well as related customs, export control, and other import/export issues. With a particular emphasis on Asia, Jeffrey has counseled and defended clients worldwide. He has experience with litigation before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and at North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) proceedings.

Jeffrey has extensive experience appearing before the U.S. Court of International Trade, handling complex cases involving emerging issues on the overlap of customs and antidumping law. He has won antidumping cases for Chinese companies in cases involving citric acid, steel wire rope and blast furnace coke by obtaining findings of "no injury."

Before entering private practice, Jeffrey was an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).

Devin Barry
Partner
Thompson Hine LLP

Devin is a partner in the firm’s Environmental and Climate Change and Sustainable Business Solutions groups. He prides himself on providing holistic and practical legal counsel that aligns legal requirements with clients’ business strategies.

Devin provides compliance counseling to large manufacturing clients on issues arising from air, water, waste and chemical regulations. These issues include counseling in emergency response situations such as spills of hazardous substances, accidents, or malfunctioning equipment, as well as proactive counseling through environmental audits, changes in regulated operations, or assisting in the allocation of environmental liabilities in business transactions. Devin regularly defends clients against enforcement actions by federal and state regulatory agencies and defends clients against private and public CERCLA cost recovery and contribution litigation.

While Devin maintains a broad practice in most areas of environmental law, he has a strong focus on Clean Air Act compliance. He regularly provides Clean Air Act compliance counseling to clients with major (Title V and PSD) and minor sources, counsels on air permitting requirements for the construction of new or existing facilities and has defended numerous clients against enforcement actions brought by state environmental agencies, EPA or DOJ. Additionally, in the evolving climate change regulatory landscape, Devin provides insight and guidance to various clients on understanding and planning for greenhouse gas regulations.

Sandy Cernick
President and COO
Pressure Chemical Co.

Sandy joined Pressure Chemical in 2021 as President & COO with more than 25 years of industry experience. She has held executive-level positions across a variety of API, specialty and fine chemical segments for global companies including TEVA API, Siegfried USA LLC, Callery LLC, and LANXESS (formerly Bayer Corporation).

Prior to joining Pressure Chemical, Sandy was Chief Commercial Officer of Ascensus Specialties Callery LLC, from 2018-2021. She began her career at Siegfried in 2009, serving as Head of US Exclusives Custom Synthesis Business for the North America Sales & Marketing division.
Sandy has B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biology from La Roche College and Masters degrees in Environmental Science and Business Administration from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.

Adam Pingel
VP, Manufacturing Operations
Monument Chemical

As Vice President of Manufacturing, Adam leads all global manufacturing activities, including Health, Safety, Environment & Security, Quality, Production Operations, Engineering & Capital Planning. Adam joined Monument in 2009 and has held a range of positions, including Operations Manager and Site Leader at various facilities.

Prior to joining Monument, Adam worked for a private technology company that partnered with several businesses and municipalities across the U.S. In this role, Adam held a variety of positions within R&D, engineering design, wastewater treatment technologies and project management.

In the earliest days of his career, Adam was an active-duty member of the U.S. Navy; he was stationed on the USS Frederick in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His service spanned areas of the South Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Adam holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, and he also completed the Enterprise Executive Program at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Ross Gale
Director of Acquisitions
International Process Plant and Equipment - IPPE

Results-driven entrepreneurial "people person". Business leader with experience in distressed industrial asset valuation, acquisition, and operations management, focusing on the acquisition and sale of industrial process/manufacturing plants globally in the chemical, petrochemical, pharma/biopharma fertilizer/agrichemical oil & gas refining and processing, paper, plastics, mining, and power generation industries, recycling one company's under-performing liability into another's asset. Experience in purchasing such assets on a distressed or conventional rationalization basis, from major manufacturers to smaller entrepreneurial and family manufacturing businesses globally.

Though his experiences, Ross has achieved extensive "firefighting" experience, using bootstrapping and critical thinking methods to overcome commercial and technical operating challenges throughout the vertical and horizontal chains of the industrial manufacturing industry.

Kate Hampford Donahue
President & CEO
Hampford Research, Inc.

Kate H. Donahue is President and CEO of Hampford Research, Inc., which is a family owned, custom chemical manufacturing firm. It specializes in hi-purity specialty chemicals used in the electronics, dental, cosmetics, engineered materials and printing/lithography industries, and is located in Stratford, CT.

Shaun Ensor
President
PB Engineering Services Limited

With over 35 years of experience in the engineering and lubricants industries, I am a seasoned and versatile President at PB ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED, a company that provides product development, process improvement, root cause analysis, and integrated process automation solutions for various sectors, including lubricants, grease and oil, medical device, and bio/pharma. I hold a postgraduate certificate in artificial intelligence from MIT, a PhD and an MS in chemical engineering from NYU-Polytechnic School of Engineering, and an MBA in engineering/industrial management from University of New Haven.

As the President, I lead the strategic direction, planning, and execution of the company's production technology, pilot plant services, tolling manufacturing, and quality and regulatory compliance. I have a track record of identifying and capitalizing on new innovative products and applications, implementing standards and processes to build highly successful operations, and engaging and collaborating with global customers, partners, and executives. I have a passion for solving complex technical problems, enhancing product integrity and performance, and optimizing manufacturing efficiency and capacity. My goal is to leverage my expertise in AI and engineering to deliver cutting-edge solutions that meet the needs and challenges of the evolving markets.

Mini Kapoor
Partner
Haynes and Boone, LLP

Mini Kapoor is a partner in the Occupational Safety and Health and Litigation practice groups in the firm’s Houston office. Mini has handled OSHA compliance matters and OSHA administrative trials in several states across the country for clients in multiple industry sectors including, supply-chain, retail, telecommunications, healthcare, and manufacturing. On the compliance side, her experience includes process safety, industrial hygiene, PPE, fall protection, material handling & storage, record-keeping, electrical, and machine guarding. She has successfully defended clients in OSHA administrative trials, including trials on PPE in California, powered industrial trucks in Utah, recordkeeping in Iowa, and other regulatory matters in other trials in California. Mini is certified in OSHA standards for industrial hygiene, respiratory protection, and electrical standards.

Heather Errigo, CFA, CFP
Managing Director
Lynx Investment Advisory

Mrs. Errigo advises institutional accounts and high-net worth clients for Lynx. She manages the entire investment process including asset allocation, manager selection and performance review. Mrs. Errigo has more than 20 years of experience in the money management industry.

Prior to joining Lynx, Mrs. Errigo was Vice President of ASB Capital Management, Inc. where she advised corporations, endowments, foundations, associations and unions on investment management strategies and asset allocation policy. Prior to that, she worked at CIGNA Healthcare and BlueCross BlueShield.

Mrs. Errigo holds a CFA Charter (Chartered Financial Analyst) and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. She holds a BS degree in International Business from State University of New York and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Washington, D.C.

Vipin Sahijwani, CFA, FRM
CEO and Chief Investment Officer
Lynx Investment Advisory

Mr. Sahijwani is CEO and Chief Investment Officer at Lynx. In his role as CIO, he chairs the Lynx Investment Committee and leads the manager selection efforts. He also manages the Lynx Global Real Asset Fund. Mr. Sahijwani has over 18 years of experience in portfolio management, investment modeling, market analysis and econometrics. Prior to joining Lynx, Mr. Sahijwani was a Portfolio Manager at Arithmetrics, LLC, a hedge fund. Previously, Mr. Sahijwani was a Senior Investment Analyst at Riggs Investment Advisors where he was a key member of the portfolio management team, managing a top quartile small-cap equity portfolio. Earlier in his financial career, Mr. Sahijwani was a Market Analyst with Samtel Display Devices (a venture with Mitsubishi) in India.

Rachel Coffman
President
Coffman Collaborative LLC

Rachel Coffman is the President and Founder of Coffman Collaborative LLC. With over a decade experience in public relations and public policy strategic execution, Rachel has proven deliver results. Named the 2022 PR Practitioner of the Year by the PRSA West Virginia Chapter, she serves the needs of the firm’s clients ranging from multi-national companies, trade associations, and nonprofits using her several years of political and communications experience focusing on policy development, state legislative affairs, integrated campaign development, crisis communications, reputation management, media relations, social media planning, photography, and graphic design implementation.

Jose Maria Bermudez
Chief Executive Officer
VIAKEM

Jose Maria Bermudez is the Chief Executive Officer of Viakem, a global player in the fine chemicals sector serving the custom manufacturing needs in the Agrochemical industry, headquartered in Monterrey, NL Mexico.

Bermudez has served in a variety of senior leadership roles with Dow Chemical (and previously Rohm and Haas) for more than 32 years. His professional career includes roles in Operations, Human Resources, Geographic leadership and Business Management in a diverse group of markets like Agrochemicals, Coatings & Construction, Personal Care, Mining, Oil & Gas, and Paper throughout the Americas.

Before his current role, Bermudez was President, General Manager for Dow Mexico and during that time also took the responsibility as Chairman of the Board of ANIQ, Mexico Chemical Industry Association (2017-2019).

Bermudez holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University, a MS in Quality Management from Tampa College and a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Las Americas Puebla Mexico. He has also completed Executive programs at Wharton School (Marketing) and Cornell University (HR). Bermudez currently serves on the Board of Directors of United Way Latin America, American Society of Mexico AC as well as in the advisory board of ANIQ.

Bob Girton
Partner
Edgewater Capital Partners

Bob Girton is a managing partner at Edgewater Capital, a private equity firm dedicated to unlocking potential in smaller performance materials companies in four target sectors: specialty chemicals, life science, advanced materials, and engineered components. Day-to-day, Girton works on originating, executing, and managing Edgewater’s investment opportunities and is currently on the board of Neograf Solutions, Pure Wafer Solutions, Prolytix, GL Chemtech, and Evantic Performance Materials.

Additionally, he chairs the firm's DEI program, encompassing both Edgewater and its portfolio. He is committed to a workplace culture that celebrates both positive change and healthy conflict, and that Edgewater and its portfolio companies are places where our teams feel valued, empowered, and knows the potential impact of their work. 

He has a B.S. in Corporate Finance from the University of Akron, an MBA from Case Western Reserve University, and a master’s degree in Positive Organizational Development & Change from Case Western Reserve University.

Kevin Yttre
President and Managing Director
Grace Matthews, Inc.

Kevin Yttre, President and Managing Director, heads day-to-day management at Grace Matthews and leads execution of buy-side, sell-side, and complex corporate carve-outs across all sectors of the specialty materials and chemical industry. A chemical engineer, Kevin held a number of engineering and management positions in chemicals businesses in the U.S. and the Netherlands prior to joining Grace Matthews. At ICI’s Uniqema Specialty Chemicals Business, Kevin was part of the team that was responsible for designing and implementing process improvements and control systems, including the design and commissioning of a four-reactor chemicals facility in New Castle, Delaware. He subsequently held a marketing role at Uniqema’s Gouda, Netherlands site, and ultimately was the Plant Production Manager at the New Castle facility, where he was responsible for the production of over 90 specialty chemical products.

Yair Holtzman
Partner
Anchin

Yair Holtzman, CPA, MBA, MS, CGMA is a Partner at Anchin where he is the Leader of the firm’s Research & Development (R&D) Tax Credits Group, Life Sciences Industry Group and Chemicals and Energy Industry Group, as well as Co-Practice Leader of the Tax Credits & Incentives Group. He has more than 25 years of experience with national public accounting and management consulting firms, focusing on federal tax consulting issues and consulting with senior executives on their tax credits and other strategy development and implementation. In his former role at a Big 4 accounting firm, Yair also served as the national subject matter expert for the chemicals and life sciences industries. Yair’s clients range in size from startup to Fortune 500 companies.

Alessandra Mediago
Vice President
Charter Brokerage

Alessandra Mediago is a Vice President of drawback operations and a licensed customs broker at Charter Brokerage LLC. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and later secured a master’s degree in international trade law and conflict negotiation from Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations.

Since joining Charter Brokerage LLC in 2004, Ms. Mediago has helped launch and manage almost every aspect of Charter’s operations, including foreign trade zones, bulk & containerized imports, land border, post summary and business development groups prior to joining Charter’s duty drawback team. During her tenure at Charter Brokerage LLC, Ms. Mediago has developed a comprehensive understanding of all customs laws, rules and regulations and has a particular expertise in duty drawback, imports and exports. She is an expert in the practical application of compliance with the law and risk avoidance.

Ms. Mediago works closely with corporate clients and industry groups, as well as with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to identify solutions in the ever changing landscape of international trade and supply chain. Where Ms. Mediago finds the most enjoyment is when she is asked to speak, or present, on customs and trade related topics. Her enthusiasm in this area can also be seen through her time spent teaching International Trade courses at local colleges in the NY / NJ area.

Li Hong Yu
President
PHT International

Founder and Chairwoman of PHT International, Lihong Yu established PHT in 1993 to provide exemplary service and products to the chemical industry. Originally from Ningbo, China, Lihong holds Bachelor degrees in both English Literature and American Culture & Society from Beijing Foreign Languages University. After spending many years as a sales manager at Sinochem, she founded PHT International. As a well-respected leader in the chemical industry, Lihong’s vision sets the path for PHT.

Matt Loebbaka
Custom Manufacturing Business Development
CHEM Group Inc.

Chemical engineer by degree and proven sales professional. Strong work ethic and desire to win while providing clients with superior consultative services to meet their needs. A consistent performer with a proven track record of sales growth and client retention who looks to meet challenges head on and conquer them. Significant sales experience in new account generation within budding territories or targeted markets.

Sedra Beckman
Health Safety Environmental Specialist
CJB Industries

I have a vast amount of EHS related knowledge which has allowed me to work my way up into the positions I hold within this field. With the military and private sector, I have gained a wide range of knowledge and skills in health, safety, operations, maintenance and emergency response procedures as well as Occupational Health and environmental management. I have formed key networks inside these sectors developing good working relationships contacts in regulatory agencies and trade associations.

Amy Wachs
Partner
Husch Blackwell

Over 25 years of law practice, primarily concentrated in the field of environmental and health & safety law. Areas of expertise include compliance counseling on environmental, occupational safety & health, hazardous materials transportation and chemical safety security regulations. Substantial experience in representing parties in transactions involving contaminated property, including major Brownfields redevelopment projects for former manufacturing sites. Represents owners and former owners at numerous environmental cleanup sites.

Kristen Donnelly
Founder and President
Abbey Research

Kristen Donnelly (MSW, M.Div, PhD) is an award winning, four time TEDx speaker, international empathy educator, and researcher with two decades of experience in helping people understand the beauty in difference, and the power in inclusivity.

Erin Hinson
Vice President
Abbey Research

Erin Hinson (MA, PhD) is a researcher, educator, and tea enthusiast with over a decade of experience in cultivating curiosity in herself and others. Erin advocates for inclusion, equity, and understanding through conversation, connection, and empathy.

Kristen and Erin are the recent authors of the book "The Culture of Burnout" published by Kardia House Publishing and available on Amazon.

Ken Zriebec
SVP, Manufacturing Operations
Veranova

Ken has over 20 years of experience in plant management, manufacturing, supply chain, and project management with a strong technical background in pharmaceutical drug substance (API) and specialty fine chemicals.

In his current role at Veranova, Ken is the head of global operations responsible for EHS, API manufacturing, CAPEX, Supply Chain, and Operational Excellence for five manufacturing sites in the US and Scotland. He is also a member of the Veranova Executive Team.

Ken has been an active member of SOCMA’s Board of Governors over multiple terms since June 2018. In 2020, Ken served as Secretary on SOCMA’s Executive Committee.

Ken has a BSChE and MBA from the University of Delaware.

Brian Bourgeois
Human Resources and Employee Development Manager
ChemDesign, Inc.

Brian Bourgeois leads the professional development, recruiting, community relations, and training initiatives with ChemDesign Products, Inc. With over 35 years of experience in the chemical and gas industries, Brian has held key positions in chemical operations, HS&E, planning, and HR. His expertise includes professional development, employee recruitment/retention, process safety/equipment training, policy development, and worker’s compensation. He has advanced knowledge of regulatory compliance, ISO-9002, and SOCMA ChemStewards®.

Sarah Williams
Senior Manager, Technical & Safety
SOCMA

Sarah Williams has 12+ years of experience in the chemical industry including R&D, process engineering and HSE&Q. Her knowledge base includes process development, PSM, TSCA, RMP, RCRA, regulatory reporting, training, OSHA, ISO QMS, etc. She’s faced various environmental and safety related challenges over the past couple of years including those related to Covid-19. Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and currently lives in Lugoff, South Carolina with her husband and three children.

Tom Ambrose
Partner
Black Bay Energy Capital

Tom is a Partner at Black Bay, where he serves on the firm’s Investment Committee and oversees Black Bay’s efforts in sourcing investments, executing transactions, monitoring active portfolio companies and strategy. Prior to co-founding Black Bay, Tom was a Vice President at NGP ETP, where he was responsible for sourcing investments, transaction analysis and execution, and monitoring portfolio companies in the oilfield service and technology sector. Prior to joining NGP ETP in 2011, Tom served as the Senior Analyst for Halliburton Company’s in-house M&A and Corporate Development group. While at Halliburton, Tom worked on a number of strategic acquisitions and transactions across the range of Halliburton’s product and service offerings, as well as corporate strategy projects sponsored by the executive team. Tom holds a B.S.M. in Finance and Economics from Tulane University, where he graduated magna cum laude and was a Distinguished Scholar’s recipient, along with an Energy Specialization from the Tulane Energy Institute.
 

Jimmy Jett
President and Chief Executive Officer
Integrity BioChem

James “Jimmy” Jett is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Integrity BioChem. He has almost 20 years of experience growing and building chemical businesses.

After graduating from the University of Tulsa in 2000, Mr. Jett was stationed in Germany as an Infantry Sergeant in the United States Army. His time in the Army and two deployments to Iraq were instrumental in his development as a leader. After returning to Texas in 2004, he accepted a role in Business Development for Magnablend. Working alongside a phenomenal team, Mr. Jett helped grow the business into an industry leading chemical blending and technology company. He ended his career at Magnablend as the EVP of Business Development.

Mr. Jett became a managing member of CarbonQuest before taking a role as the EVP of Sales and Marketing for HPPE. Integrity BioChem was later spun off from HPPE, aiming to provide the energy and industrial markets with new, cutting-edge technologies. After 4 years of substantial growth, he continues to support an amazing team as they continue to bring new and sustainable technologies into multiple markets.

David Topping
Environmental Partner
Phelps Dunbar LLP

Environmental attorney serving clients nationwide in three key practice areas: transactional support, regulatory compliance and litigation. My transactional experience includes providing due diligence and drafting opinion memoranda on permitting and environmental issues in support of major client divestitures, acquisitions and financing transactions, including the financing and acquisition of industrial and marine facilities. I also regularly handle environmental real estate due diligence matters related to Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, CERCLA and state liability defenses, and issues regarding the lease and purchase of contaminated properties. I routinely advise clients on contractual matters, including environmental indemnity issues, representations and warranties, and disclosure requirements.