WILLIAM E. STURDEVANT, PE

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BACKGROUND SUMMARY:

*    Extensive experience in all aspects of the manufacture of specialty chemicals, from product conception and process development, to plant design, construction and start-up, process engineering, project, process and people management, cost and quality control. 

*    Experience in technical service and sales of ion exchange resins and reverse osmosis membranes in the water treatment market for North America , involving equipment start-up, trouble-shooting, training of operating personnel, product development, and technical sales support.

AREAS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Midland Engineering:

*    Licensed Professional Engineer by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers.

*    Designed, engineered, managed construction and start-up of a 42 M gpd seawater RO system for use on off-shore oil platforms.

*    Obtained a U.S. Patent for seawater RO system noted above.

*    Lead process control engineer for ten MET implementation projects for Thermal Heat Recovery                 Oxidizer (THROX) units at a major Gulf Coast Chemical plant.

Environmental Operations:

*    Managed $15 MM capital program.

*    Managed $1.7 MM bio-reactor header project that reduced oxygen usage by 45% while increasing reactor capacity by 60%.

*    Evaluated Best Available Technology (BAT) for solids waste disposal, calculated long term economic impact, and obtained authorization for capital spending to implement it.

*    Managed $2.7 MM hazardous waste landfill project through engineering phase.

*    Managed $5.5 MM wastewater pipeline project into construction phase.

Dowex Ion Exchange and FilmTec:

*    Developed economic evaluation computer program to assist sales effort.  Achieved 20% increase in sales revenues 1994 over 1993, and 25% increase 1995 over 1994.

*    Developed UPW-grade resin product line for semi-conductor industry.  Product launch in 4^th quarter, 1996.

      *    Trained five new field sellers in the technical aspects of the water treatment market.

      *    Presented over fifty customer and regional technical seminars.

      *    Led research/manufacturing effort to improve physical stability of a weak base anion product.

Ion Exchange Resin:

*    Led project to reduce 99.9% of the air emissions from the cation manufacturing plant by re-designing the recovery system.

*    Led project to rewire the cation control room junction boxes, update wiring documentation, and reprogram the process control computers.

*    Directed 20-member production team.  Reduced batch cycle time in cation plant by an average of 25% through the continuous improvement process.

*    Developed preventative maintenance program that reduced equipment down-time by 20%.

*    Developed and implemented recipe and process changes to improve physical stability of a high-profit cation resin product for the power utilities market.

*    Engineered, installed, and started-up processing equipment to manufacture a new, high profit, cation resin product for the sugar separation market.

*    Engineered, programmed, installed, and started-up new process control computer system for the styrene/DVB copolymer plant.

*    Contributed to the team that researched and implemented process changes that improved the yield in the Monosphere* process by 30% for macroporous products.

Acetylsalicylic Acid:

      *    Engineered $550 M capital project for solids handling system in new aspirin production facility.

      *    Updated Current Good Manufacturing Procedures (CGMP) for new salicylic acid/aspirin complex.

      *    Started up new salicylic acid/aspirin production plants.

*    Directed daily activities of the 16-member aspirin production team, setting production and quality records in 1988.

Separan and Drytech Manufacturing:

*    Directed 6-member production team for a liquid polymer product, achieving production and quality records, and attaining a 100% supply position with a major customer.

*    Represented manufacturing on a multi-functional team that developed the recipe and process for a new super-absorbent polymer. 

*    Engineered $2 MM in small capital projects to convert the old process to make new polymer for market development. 

*    Manufacturing representative on new plant design/construction team.  Started up new $40 MM polymer manufacturing plant.

S/B Latex Manufacturing:

      *    Member of a capital project team that installed new reactors, increasing the plant capacity by 25%.

*    Led project team that improved oil recovery system, reducing water emissions by 40% and improving plant yields by 5% by installing new separation equipment and reprogramming the process control computer logic.

*    Led 12-member maintenance team.  Developed preventative maintenance program that reduced process downtime by 25%, and reduced direct maintenance costs by 10%.

PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE:

Midland Engineering, Ltd.,

*    Engineering and consulting services for the chemical, pharmaceutical,                     1997-Present

agricultural, and water treatment industries.  (Vice President, water treatment)               

The Dow Chemical Company, Midland , Michigan , and Freeport , Texas                       1981 – 1997

EDUCATION:

*BS           Chemical Engineering Michigan Technological University                           1981