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A. Schulman Appoints Dennis Smith Director of New Business Applications

26 Aug 2009 - A. Schulman, Inc. announced that Dennis Smith has been appointed to the newly created position of Director of New Business Applications.
 
"As we move forward with the implementation of our global growth strategy, the development of new businesses and identification of new applications for our products will play a significant role in our Company’s future,” said Joseph M. Gingo, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Dennis is a proven innovator, a valuable member of our management team and highly qualified to lead our efforts in this important area. He has outstanding technical expertise, knowledge of our products and a strong commitment, which we all share, to unlock the full potential of A. Schulman’s technology through the development of new opportunities.”
 
In his new role, reporting to Paul Boulier, A. Schulman’s Chief Marketing Officer, Smith will continue to lead the development of A. Schulman’s Invision sheet resins business and will coordinate its activities with the leaders of the Company’s sales, marketing, production and development efforts in North America and Europe. In addition, he will evaluate growth opportunities in new businesses and applications such as Rotomolding, which the Company has identified as one of its global growth priorities. Smith will work with the entire Rotomolding team to identify and evaluate new materials, compounds, applications, markets and other opportunities for this business.
 
Smith has been Director of Technology and General Manager for the Invision sheet business since 2005. He began his career at A. Schulman in 1984 as a product development technician. He was a product development chemist from 1990 to 2005, along with product manager from 1993 to 2005, during which time he led the development and launch of a number of products for A. Schulman, including the launch of the Clarix brand ionomer products.
 
In 2002, Smith was awarded a patent for a novel thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) ionomer composition which is now marketed within the Invision TPE product portfolio. He has received innovation awards from the Society of Plastics Engineers for his work in exterior automotive components, and has patents pending for application and composition inventions related to A. Schulman’s newly launched Invision enhanced polyolefin resins supporting the sheet extrusion and thermoforming industry. He graduated cum laude earning a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing technology from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.