Joe Venner, a native of Ontario, Canada, is a 22-year veteran of BASF Corp. In his current post, Venner is responsible for directing product management and product technology for all lines in the chemical company´s North American engineering plastics business. This includes its Ultramid- and Nypel-brand nylons, as well as its polyesters, acetals and high-temperature polymers.
Based at the unit´s headquarters in Wyandotte, Mich., Venner began his career in carbon fiber research and production management in 1984. Nine years later he became technical manager for engineering plastics and in 1997 was named product marketing manager for that business. BASF in 2001 appointed him business director for its Ultraform-brand acetals, and two years later promoted him to his current post.
Venner earned undergraduate and master´s degrees in materials engineering, along with an MBA from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.