Walker assumes new responsibilities, Hockstra named Texas Operations Site Leader
Freeport, TX - November 29, 2007
Bob Walker, vice president and site director of The Dow Chemical Company’s Texas Operations, has been named Manufacturing and Engineering (M&E) vice president; Gary Hockstra, currently Business Manufacturing leader for Engineering Polymers, will assume the role of Texas Operations VP and site director.
“Gary is a great people leader who understands the fundamentals of manufacturing extremely well,” said Mike Gambrell, executive vice president of M&E, and Basic Plastics and Chemicals. “Over the years he has played a leadership role in the development of several key M&E-led initiatives with the most recent being the function’s revised organizational design philosophy on span of control.”
In his new role, Walker will continue as leader of the recently formed Site Leader Network. He will ensure the co-ordination and prioritization of M&E initiatives across Dow’s largest global manufacturing sites. He will continue to sit on the M&E Operating Committee.
Walker also will assume functional responsibility for key M&E issues and plans associated with Dow’s transformational strategy. Working closely with the Merger and Acquisition (M&A) Technology Center, he will represent the M&E function in the negotiations, due diligence and implementation planning phases of the M&A process. Walker will relocate to Midland and will continue to report to Gambrell.
“Bob’s diverse experience across multiple technologies and sites makes him ideally suited to play this key leadership role within M&E as we execute Dow’s transformational strategy,” said Gambrell. “Bob has been a truly great Site Leader for Texas Operations and I know he’ll continue to deliver exceptional value to Dow in this next phase of his career.
Walker joined Dow Texas Operations in 1970 as a production engineer after receiving a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University. He has held a number of senior leadership positions for the company over his 37 year career including Business Director for the Adhesives and Barrier business, major manager of Plastics, Monomers and Occupational Health at Michigan Division, Business Manufacturing Leader for the Global Polystyrene Business, Vice President and Operations Director for Dow’s Eastern Canada Operations, Seadrift Operations and St. Charles Operations. Walker was named to the Texas Operations role in 2004.
Hockstra, also appointed to the M&E Operating Committee, joined Dow in 1980 after earning a degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University. He started in Research and Development (R&D) in Midland, Mich. where he supported various areas including Ion Exchange, Latex and Pharmaceuticals; in 1985 he relocated to Italy to work on the Garessio pharmaceutical plant. He later relocated to Terneuzen, The Netherlands, where he worked on the Operator Station system for the Styron/Tyril plant and in 1994 he was made production leader for Light Hydrocarbon 1 (LHC-1). In 1996 Hockstra moved to Texas to be the LHC Technology leader and in 2000 assumed the additional responsibility of LHC R&D director. In late 2002 he was named Manufacturing Director of Engineering Plastics and in 2004 he assumed the role of Manufacturing Director for Engineering Polymers.
The site leader transition is expected to be completed within the first quarter, 2008.
For Editorial Information:
Tracie Copeland
The Dow Chemical Company
1-979-238-3792
