About the author: James daSilva
James daSilva is senior editor at SmartBrief. He edits SmartBrief on Leadership, SmartBrief on Sustainability, as well as publications covering the chemical industry and other sectors. Before joining SmartBrief, he was copy desk chief at a daily newspaper in New York. You can find him on Twitter discussing all business matters sustainable and green @SB_GreenBiz.
Spotlight on Association Leadership: American Cleaning Institute President and CEO Ernie Rosenberg
Ernie Rosenberg is president and CEO of the American Cleaning Institute, which represents producers of household, industrial and institutional cleaning products, their ingredients and finished packaging; oleochemical producers; and chemical distributors to the cleaning product industry. ACI’s The 2012 ACI Annual Meeting & Industry Convention is Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 in Orlando, Fla. Rosenberg [...]
Q-and-A: James Epstein-Reeves discusses corporate sustainability
James Epstein-Reeves, president of Do Well Do Good, is a Chicago-based expert on corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, and cause marketing. A corporate philanthropy veteran and author, Epstein-Reeves and his company guide leaders in for-profit and non-profit organizations and recently reported on consumer trends in cause marketing and climate change. I recently spoke with him about [...]
Live from CPI: Who had the year’s top innovation?
I attended — and tweeted from — the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry’s Technical Conference in Nashville, Tenn. One of the highlights of the annual event is the presentation of the Polyurethane Innovation Award, which helped close the conference Wednesday. Of 14 entrants, three finalists emerged, with Albemarle winning. Polyurethane is by nature a flexible [...]
Live from CPI: Sustainability’s slow, subtle march
I’m reporting — and tweeting — from the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry’s Technical Conference in Nashville, Tenn. A major component of CPI’s annual event is the 60-plus technical papers showcasing polyurethane-related products and research. This post focuses on some of the “greener” advancements and where they fit in a wider business context. “Sustainability” can [...]
Live from CPI: Jim Carroll on not being scared to innovate
I’m reporting from the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry’s Technical Conference in Nashville, Tenn. The event’s keynote speaker Monday morning was Jim Carroll, a leading futurist and strategic consultant to Fortune 1000 companies and professional organizations, who discussed the perils of ignoring innovation during an economic downturn and the role polyurethane can play in innovation [...]
What polyurethanes and innovative success have in common
I recently spoke with Lee Salamone, the director of the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry, which is part of the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division. We discussed the state of the polyurethanes industry and what to expect at CPI’s annual conference, which I’ll be attending today through Wednesday. Polyurethanes is unlikely to be the first [...]
Q-and-A: Randy Speight, on CHEMTREC’s role in chemical-transportation safety
G. R. “Randy” Speight is managing director of the Chemical Transportation Emergency Center, or CHEMTREC, which provides “a broad range of critical resources that can help emergency responders mitigate incidents involving hazardous materials” and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Here, he discusses CHEMTREC’s mission, what lies ahead and the key to the organization’s [...]
Dow Chemical’s Carol Williams, on leadership and innovation
How do corporate leaders get employee buy-in, promote innovation, and improve U.S. industry and manufacturing? To find out, I recently spoke with Carol Williams, a Dow Chemical group senior vice president and president of the chemicals and energy division, and a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Our discussion repeatedly came back to [...]
