Age: 27.
Education: Bachelor's in business administration, University of Louisiana at Monroe. Associate's degree in applied sciences, occupational safety, San Juan College. Pursuing a master's in occupational safety from Columbia Southern University.
Also certified as a safety and health official through Texas A&M Engineering Extension.
Family: Wife Kasey, a registered nurse, and two dogs, Jiggy and Bella.
First plastics job? As a college student, I worked as a temporary hire in the quality department, testing raw and finished materials. I became interested in improving the efficiency of production processes.
I soon realized that people are the wildcard in production and a company cannot increase efficiency without well-trained, safe employees. My interest began to shift to safety.
Biggest failure and what it taught you? In my field, the biggest failure occurs when an employee is injured. Any incident that happens, I take personally. I make it my mission to find the root cause and prevent it from re-occurring in the future.
We strive to shift focus toward leading indicators, such as near misses and first aids. By devoting time and resources in this area, we can prevent more serious problems in the future.
As I share with our teams, “All employees have a direct impact on the success of the business. It takes everyone working together for the same goal to establish a world-class process, but only one bad judgment or unsafe action from one person to ruin it.”
What emerging technology interests you? I was just reading the other day about a process that converts discarded plastic into fuel.
What about the plastics industry surprises you? Products and processes are far-reaching. It is a bit mind boggling to think about all of the issues/markets that can be filled with plastic products.
Best advice you've received? The grass isn't always greener on the other side, its greener where you water it.
Advice to a person considering a career in plastics? Look around and make a note of everything you see made of plastic. This is a great industry with a bright future. Find a reputable company with a sustainable outlook and strong business values.
If you were CEO, what would you do first? Surround myself with people who know more than I do.
Who is your mentor, or someone you look up to? My grandfather, Benny, was never afraid of getting his hands dirty. I remember many days after school I would go to his house to find him working in the yard, on his tractor, or some other task after getting home from a 12-hour shift. I learned tremendous life lessons by helping him and strive to model my work ethic after his.
What job do you really want to have in the future? I want my work ethic and commitment to precede me so I may be considered for any new challenge that may arise. Wherever that takes me, I'm willing to go.
What do you do to relax? I love being outdoors. Mountain biking, going to the river, scuba diving, swimming and traveling.
