J. Gregg Holcomb

**** **** **** *****

Gray, Tennessee 37615

832-***-****

acuok1@r.postjobfree.com

OBJECTIVE: Production/Business Management, where extensive manufacturing and commercial experience, combined with a technical and business education, will contribute to an organization’s profitability through improved safety and environmental performance, reliability, efficiency, contracting, value pricing, and strategic use of capital and resources.

EDUCATION:

M.B.A., Management and Marketing (1987)

University of Houston - Clear Lake, Houston, Texas

B.S., Chemical Engineering (1981)

Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

BACKGROUND SUMMARY:

20 years’ experience in chemical production plants in an OSHA PSM, Lean Manufacturing, ISO 9001, cGMP, continuous improvement environment leading daily operations and process troubleshooting, safety performance and environmental compliance, budgeting and cost reduction, creative examination of processes to identify potential improvements, plant construction and commissioning, project implementation and start-up, and staff supervision and development.

13 years’ experience in commodity petrochemicals commercial management with responsibilities for contract negotiations and administration, product management and pricing, business and site development, acquisition proposals and analyses, financial budgeting and forecasting, business analysis and reporting, sales and production planning, inventory control, logistics coordination, and customer/supplier relations.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

Eastman Chemical Company - Kingsport, Tennessee

(Eastman Chemical Company acquired Sterling Chemicals, Inc. in 2012. I was retained by Eastman.)

Global Product and Pricing Manager, 6/2012 - 8/2014

Held P&L responsibility for a portfolio of commodity petrochemicals with annual revenue of $300 – 350 million and EFO of $100 - 150 million. Managed global pricing and regional volume allocations for OXO products (i/n-butyraldehyde, i/n-butanol, 2-ethylhexanol, 2-ethylhexaldehyde, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, propionaldehyde, and propionic acid) manufactured at Longview, Texas; Kingsport, Tennessee; and Singapore, balancing capacity aldehydes production with internal usage for downstream derivatives and available sales volumes. Developed and implemented Tactical Competitive Response Plans to maintain desired customer base and ensure optimal pricing. Developed and implemented a sales contract strategy, negotiated and administered major sales contracts, and hedged margins through a mix of market and raw-material-indexed pricing to base-load and maximize earnings. Provided monthly 24-month volume and revenue forecasts to senior management and reconciled variances. Supported Inside and Outside Sales Representatives with current global market conditions and production information.

Sterling Chemicals, Inc. - Houston, Texas

Vice President - Commercial, 11/2009 - 5/2012

Proposed, examined and analyzed strategic acquisition targets and potential joint ventures. Directed business development opportunities from concept through start-up including negotiation of commercial terms, financial analysis, agreement development and execution, and contract administration. Highlights included negotiation of a new crude oil terminaling agreement, negotiation of a new methanol terminaling agreement, and re-negotiation of an existing ammonia terminaling contract.

Director of Corporate Alliances, 2/2005 - 10/2009

Managed ongoing long-term commercial relationships with Sterling’s business partners (BP Chemicals, BASF, DuPont, Solutia, and Praxair) and administered major production and supply agreements. Highlights included negotiation of a 15-year contract extension for acetic acid production including an improved profit-sharing arrangement, negotiation of an amended carbon monoxide supply contract including a capacity expansion, and negotiation of a new plasticizers tolling agreement with a long-term business partner.

Manager of Safety, Health and Security, 3/2003 - 1/2005

Led a team of six professionals responsible for safety, health, emergency response, and security at a 290-acre, 300-employee plant site covered by OSHA PSM and U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Developed and implemented safety programs in a union environment following OSHA VPP standards improving safety from third quartile to first quartile performance. Wrote and implemented a Facility Security Plan considered exemplary by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Nitriles Product Manager & Demand Chain Team Leader, 5/1999 - 2/2003

Directed sales and production planning for the Nitriles Business Unit, including acrylonitrile (760 Mlbs./year), sodium cyanide (75 Mlbs./year), tertiary butylamine (21 Mlbs./year), and DSIDA (90 Mlbs./year). Acted as the primary point of contact between the production units and Sterling’s business partners, working closely with manufacturing leadership. Developed budgets and financial forecasts, evaluated plant operations to ensure the optimal use of byproduct cyanide, and administered contracts with customers, suppliers and business partners (including BP Chemicals, DuPont, Flexsys, and Monsanto). Directly supervised the Demand Chain Team of six employees including Customer Service, Marine Logistics, and Raw Materials Procurement.

Manufacturing Team Leader (Plant Superintendent), 4/1998 - 4/1999

Led the operation of manufacturing units producing 150 million gallons per year of methanol and 770 million pounds per year of glacial acetic acid (including food and Kosher grades) with an annual manufacturing budget of $90 million in a joint venture relationship with BP Chemicals. Responsible for safety, PSM, cGMP and environmental compliance, quality, operations, maintenance, budgeting and costs, capital projects implementation, supplier contract administration, and customer satisfaction. Directly supervised 29 employees, including technical, professional, supervisory, clerical and unionized hourly operators. Indirectly supervised approximately 80 support function employees at this 300-employee site. Directed major turnarounds utilizing approximately 250 maintenance contractors.

Various Manufacturing Leadership and Technical Engineering positions of increasing responsibility, 3/1988 - 3/1998

Responsible for chemical manufacturing in a continuous process plant producing 770 million pounds per year of acetic acid utilizing highly hazardous materials such as methanol and carbon monoxide. Responsibilities included daily plant operations and troubleshooting, production and shutdown planning, job safety and training, environmental compliance and reporting, OSHA PSM and VPP status implementation, customer relations, budgeting and cost control, reliability improvement, and supervision of 19 unionized operators and two foremen. Led a team for the consolidation of acetic acid and methanol operations including operator cross-training. Led manufacturing in the development, installation, and start-up of a $36 million debottlenecking project which increased acetic acid unit production capacity by twenty percent and included a conversion to DCS controls. Participated in the installation and start-up of a new $87 million methanol production plant utilizing an existing natural gas reformer.

Led a cross-functional team that developed and implemented an ISO 9001 program across all operating units at the Texas City facility, achieving registration during the first audit.

Responsible for barge receipts, storage (30,000 MT capacity), and pipeline supply of ammonia for Sterling’s Texas City acrylonitrile plant and Monsanto’s Chocolate Bayou acrylonitrile plant.

Led the commissioning and start-up of a $25 million enclosed tank biological waste treatment facility for process wastewater containing benzene. Directed the development of DCS programming for the operation of the sequential batch reactors, wrote the unit start-up and operating procedures, trained the operations staff, and supervised the operation of the facility. Developed the fugitive emissions monitoring and environmental reporting programs.

Responsible for chemical manufacturing in continuous process plants producing 1.5 billion pounds of styrene monomer per year and 1.8 billion pounds of ethylbenzene per year. Process areas included ethylbenzene alkylation, styrene dehydrogenation, and product distillation. This process included highly hazardous materials such as benzene, ethylene, and anhydrous hydrogen chloride. Duties included daily plant monitoring and troubleshooting, production scheduling, directing maintenance and shutdown planning, job safety and training, environmental compliance, indirect supervision of foremen and unionized operators, and implementation of small capital projects. Represented manufacturing in the conversion to a DCS control system.

Dow Chemical, U.S.A. - Freeport, Texas

Various Technical Engineering positions of increasing responsibility, 6/1981 - 11/1987

Responsible for all phases of capital projects with an annual capital budget of over $1 million. Assessed plant needs, estimated project costs and returns, specified technical design, approved detailed engineering, and supervised project installation including labor contract administration.

Served as the Production Engineer for the commissioning, start-up, and operation of a copolymer polyol plant involving the reaction of acrylonitrile and styrene to produce a polyol used in specialty polyurethanes. Led the design and construction of a capital project to operate the copolymer reactor under vacuum to remove and incinerate highly hazardous impurities from the product. This plant was the first to implement a DCS control system at Dow’s Freeport site.

Responsible for the operation of polyol (batch process) and toluene diisocyanate (continuous process) production plants utilizing highly hazardous materials such as ethylene oxide, toluene diamine, chlorine gas, carbon monoxide and phosgene (lethal service). Duties included daily plant operations and troubleshooting, safety and environmental compliance, production planning, and implementation of small capital projects.

References Available Upon Request

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