VP of Commercialization at Urethane Sciences (2018-03 – Present)
- Responsible for the commercialization of multiple pillow systems, leading to $15 million in revenue over the last two years.
- Responsible for reviewing all R&D for new products, doing additional experiments, and trialing new products.
- Developed and led Quality Control program.
- Responsible for determining quality specifications for all products as well as reviewing all incoming and outgoing COAs.
- Responsible for the entire facility and all maintenance.
- Responsible for all assets in the facility, as well as being involved with developing and reviewing all specifications for new equipment.
- Assist in forecast planning of raw materials.
- Responsible for maintaining and tracking the yearly budget.
- Responsible for developing and maintaining quality assurance documents and procedures.
- Responsible for maintaining all VOC logs.
- Responsible for $2 million worth of inventory over 4 different locations.
Chemical Engineer at Grand Rapids Foam Technologies (2014-01 – 2018-12)
- Responsible for chemical blending operation at all three plants.
- Responsible for making new or adjusting all formulations for process improvements.
- Responsible for reworking off-spec material into $200,000 worth of good parts.
- Responsible for making process improvements to reduce scrap and avoid unnecessary process changes.
- Developed best practices for evaluating chemical blends at all three facilities.
- Responsible for documenting and reporting all VOC data to the EPA.
- Responsible for updating and maintaining the electronic SDS system.
- Implemented additional safety measures to protect employees and the company.
- Investigated, trialed, and implemented new integral skin systems to comply with the new HFC regulation.
Pourline Supervisor / Process Engineer at Tempur-Pedic (2012-01 – 2014-12)
Reported to the Manufacturing Technical Manager and supervised a workforce of 8 skilled chemical operators in a fast-paced slab stock foaming environment for ISO 9001-2000 certified chemical process
- Maintained a 1% or less reject rate per year for all foam produced.
- Along with the Technical Manager, designed a new trough that saved $500,000 per year in reject foam plates.
- Completed a Six Sigma Green Belt project on molded office chair pillows that reduced the reject rate from 50% down to 4%.
- Performed lab experiments to improve foam properties and then scaled up work to the slab line.
- Worked in conjunction with R&D on scaling up new foam formulations and bringing new technology to the company.
- Improved block profiles, therefore improving block yields, saving chemical and scrap costs.
- Implemented a weekly pm schedule for the slab line to reduce unscheduled shutdowns.
Principal Engineer, Research and Development at FXI Foamex Innovations (2008-12 – 2011-12)
Reported to the Vice President of Research and Development, and was an integral member of a small technical team charged with developing several lines of replacement medical mattresses that increased pressure redistribution and comfort, targeting the reduction of pressure ulcers.
- Led numerous projects that created new foam formulations, improved existing projects, analyzed quality, and/or reduced manufacturing costs
- Developed a patent, #7886388 B2, an improved medical mattress to support heavyweight individuals
- Played a key support role in achieving FDA certification for the manufacturing of medical mattresses
- Led numerous projects and teams that performed analytical testing on raw materials and finished goods, and conducted lab-scale and pilot-scale experiments with new formulations
- Coordinated trials at the ISO 9000/QS9000 variable pressure slab stock foam manufacturing plants
- Interacted with critical customers on new products and applications, and provided troubleshooting support to customers and manufacturing facilities
- Served on numerous teams that engaged in the creative idea generation process, which contributed to a variety of programs that improved business processes
Associate Chemist/Production Supervisor at FXI Foamex Innovations (2006-01 – 2008-12)
Reported to the Corporate Technical Director and supervised a workforce of 8 skilled union chemical operators in a fast-paced slab stock foaming environment for ISO 9001-2000 certified chemical process
- Played a key role in a continuous improvement program that resulted in a 5% yield improvement and reduction in scrap and quality-related credits
- Successfully managed the departmental safety programs, resulting in no injuries for over one calendar year
- Acquired knowledge of chemical formulations, reactivity, and chemical processing equipment (e.g. pumps, mixers, tanks, compressors, and heat exchangers)
- Monitored tank farm chemicals and other small stream chemicals
- Served as a member of the Hazmat emergency response team
Analytical Chemist at McNeil Pharmaceuticals (2005-01 – 2006-12)
- Responsible for preparing solutions, analyzing test data, and managing other chemical processes in support of the research and development of various medicines and products
- Monitored product quality in the production environment, identified deviations, and made recommendations for corrective action to senior staff
- Responsible for preparing assay, content uniformity, dissolution, and standard solutions
- Troubleshot HPLC systems and other chromatography equipment
- Performed various analyses using FTIR, HPLC, and UV
- Developed a thorough knowledge of GMP
Assistant Engineer at Midwest Research Institute (2004-01 – 2005-12)
- Responsible for design, fabrication, and modifications of environmental samplers.
- Tested the efficiency of environmental samplers and prepared all reports regarding samplers, including communicating with the requester and sponsor
- Developed considerable experience with spectrometers, fluorometers, and manometers
Lab Technician – An Intern at Ocean Spray
Position while attending college; was responsible for calibration and testing related to the processing of grapefruit into concentrate, extracting aroma, essence, peel oil, and processing all byproducts into feed pellets
- Tracked all test results in parallel with a USDA lab and completed HACCP reports, including checking positive release forms for HACCP
Lab Technician at Concord Beverage
- Responsible for quality control functions related to all aspects of the soda-making process and correcting discrepancies, working closely with appropriate staff and distributors
