Larry Spickard Joins Columbian Chemicals As Senior Vice President, Operations

Columbian Chemicals Company today announced that Larry Spickard has joined the company as Senior Vice President, Operations. He will have responsibility for Columbian`s manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, customer service and quality assurance process groups.

Mr. Spickard comes to Columbian with more than 22 years of experience at chemical manufacturer Monsanto. For the past three years, he has served as Director - Manufacturing Operations, Industrial Products. In that capacity, Mr. Spickard was responsible for the global manufacturing and supply chain divisions of Solutia, a specialty chemical unit of Monsanto with $450 million in annual revenue.

His well-rounded career with Monsanto also included assignments as Business Director, Total Quality Manager, Sales Specialist, Manufacturing Supervisor and Chemical Process Engineer.

“I am confident that we have found the right candidate -- and the best candidate -- to align the various parts of the Operations group and drive our quest to become the industry leader in manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply assurance and customer service,” said Columbian President James P. Berresse.

“What impresses me most about Larry -- even more than his vast operations experience and background in specialty chemicals -- is that he shares our commitment to safety and he believes in open communications and teamwork,” Mr. Berresse added. “In fact, if you look at his résumé, the very first accomplishment listed is that he reduced total recordable injury rate by achieving a high level of employee involvement in near-miss investigations, proactive auditing and behavioral-based safety process.”

Mr. Spickard holds a bachelor`s degree in chemical engineering and a master`s in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis.

Columbian Chemicals is one of the world`s leading producers of carbon black – an engineered material that improves the strength, durability and overall performance of a range of products including tires and other mechanical rubber goods, as well as inks, paints, plastics and coatings.

Based in Marietta, Georgia, Columbian Chemicals is a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corporation, the world`s second-largest copper company. Columbian Chemicals owns and operates 12 carbon black manufacturing facilities in Brazil, Canada, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Korea, Spain and the United States.

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