In Short

I’ve spent 45 years in specialty papers, focused on production, product improvement, plant efficiency, project engineering, scientific problem solving, and mill maintenance.

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Wise Words

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."

- C. Swindoll

Absolute Axiom

"You Can't Change One Thing."

Inherent with every potential solution is change!

Inherent in every change is risk.

Therefore every change has some to-be-determined impact on another variable somewhere in the system or process.

This interrelationship requires anticipation during the problem solving/decision making process in order to predict those variables affected and plan accordingly.

Anticipating and balancing risk/benefit relationships is one of my greatest strengths.

Specialty Papermaking Consultant

My Bio

Following High School graduation I operated my father's dairy farm. Realizing that small scale dairy farming was not a satisfactory long term career and intending to capitalize on my agricultural background, I applied to SUNY Agricultural and Technical College at Morrisville, New York to study Agronomy. Later I expanded my focus and added Science Laboratory Technology: Chemistry to my studies. I then became the first student to graduate Morrisville with a dual degree.

Upon transferring to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse I was awarded a Syracuse Pulp and Paper Foundation scholarship and the Allied Paper Merchants Scholarship. Two years later I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Paper Science and Engineering.

Over my many years in the Paper Industry I found that my time spent farming proved a distinct advantage! Farming is a tough life with constant struggles against the elements and the market. It gave me plenty of hands-on experience solving problems using extremely limited financial resources. I also learned to work hard and quickly, to be decisive, and to be independent.

But I am a papermaker at heart. I love the paper machines, the products, and the challenge of technical problem solving. My entire career has been spent in specialty paper/paperboard manufacturing. The basis weight of these grades ranged from 6-8 pound pattern papers to 1200 pound gasket (24"x36"x500) with sheet densities from 28 to over 100 pounds/cubic foot. Products include specialty tissue, specialty paperboard, saturation grades, high value-added latex reinforced products, C1S, C2S, and highly filled sheets. These materials utilize all types of natural and synthetic materials.

My expertise includes: fourdrinier and cylinder paper machine operations, extensive and complicated stock preparation, stock refining, stock screening, stock cleaning, hi-consistency pulping as well as converting functions of laminating, coating, curing, and trademarking.

This thorough understanding of all aspects of the papermaking process allows me the ability to be creative when developing practical solutions to complex papermaking problems that contribute toward making older, smaller machines effective in specialty niche markets.

My Strengths

One of my greatest skills is problem solving. This is also where papermaking gets fun. To facilitate problem solving and be successful, requires working effectively with operators and plant leadership.

I do it by being accessible, willing to listen and respond, and genuinely respectful of their abilities.

On the employees' part, they respond positively to my knowledge, enthusiasm, confidence, optimistic outlook, and high energy level. I am also widely respected for my ability to anticipate potential problems and to devise effective operating plans to keep facilities running, while always using a hands-on approach that is designed to impart training and knowledge to co-workers.