Letter from the Site Leader

Letter from the Site Leader — Nawzer Parakh

Nawzer Parakh, St. Charles
Operations Site Leader

On behalf of St. Charles Operations’ employees and contract employees, I am pleased to present our 2005 Public Report. The report provides community members a site-wide look at our environmental, economic and social responsibility performance during the past year.

In 2005, St. Charles Operations and our employees faced one of our greatest challenges in South Louisiana – dealing with the impact and aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The far-reaching effects of these storms challenged us in mind and spirit. I am proud to say that St. Charles Operations employees have been recognized and applauded by our company, our customers and our community for our recovery and community outreach efforts (see web site for more information).

Along with these challenges, high energy and raw materials costs again challenged many businesses, including Dow. These higher costs are evident to everyone in our community as we bring our personal vehicles to the gas pumps. High energy and natural gas costs are causing the U.S. chemical industry to become uncompetitive and vulnerable to imported materials. Dow is addressing this issue and doing its best to remain competitive through energy conservation and new technologies, but everyone can help by encouraging our government officials to support legislative action that creates a comprehensive and balanced energy policy.

Despite these continued tough economic times, there are great things happening both within our facility and around our community. Here are a few examples:

Our economic impact in the community continues to be strong, and is most evident through payroll, our local purchasing and tax payments, and the site’s contributions to the community. Additionally in 2005, Dow constructed a new latex plant – a project that represents a more than $100 million investment. The site also recently announced the construction of two new facilities and an expansion of a current facility. This is great news for St. Charles Operations, and proof that we are a competitive site, thanks in great part to our integrated facility and talented employees.
The Occupational, Safety and Health Administration has recognized our site as one of the safest workplaces in the entire nation. Creating and sustaining an environment where employees and contract employees can return home from work safely each day is critical. In this public report, you can see that we are continuing to make progress toward our ultimate goal – a vision of zero injuries.
Employee volunteerism and community outreach reached an all-time high in 2005, with the highest percentage of employees in site history generously giving more of their time and resources to many worthy causes, including community and educational outreach projects. For example, during our United Way campaign, SCO and employees donated more than $325,000 – a $25,000 increase from last year! Actively supporting the Hurricane Relief efforts and United Way, going door-to-door to visit near neighbors, lending a hand at Household Hazardous Materials Collection Days and LeBranche Wetland Watchers program events, and volunteering to instruct classes in the Process Technology program are just a few ways in which our employees are working to make a difference in our community.

In this 2005 Public Report you will find more detailed information regarding SCO’s economic and social contributions to our local community and the state. You’ll learn more about our commitment to employees and our investment in their well-being. And, perhaps most important, we will give you an extensive look at our site’s environment, health and safety performance.

Dow is committed to operating its facility safely and responsibly, and living up to its obligations to the community. This public report is presented as a report card on our performance. We hope you will see a strong, vibrant company that is a good employer, a responsible neighbor, and a conscientious supporter of the community for long-term, mutual growth.

Nawzer Parakh
Site Leader, St. Charles Operations


Letter from the Site Leader 2015 Sustainability Goals About Us Economic Prosperity Environmental Stewardship Corporate Social Responsibility Dow Corporate Report 2005 Dow Public Reports from Around the World 2005 St. Charles Operations Public Report 2005		Letter from the Site Leader — Nawzer Parakh Nawzer Parakh, St. Charles Operations Site Leader On behalf of St. Charles Operations’ employees and contract employees, I am pleased to present our 2005 Public Report. The report provides community members a site-wide look at our environmental, economic and social responsibility performance during the past year. In 2005, St. Charles Operations and our employees faced one of our greatest challenges in South Louisiana – dealing with the impact and aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The far-reaching effects of these storms challenged us in mind and spirit. I am proud to say that St. Charles Operations employees have been recognized and applauded by our company, our customers and our community for our recovery and community outreach efforts (see web site for more information). Along with these challenges, high energy and raw materials costs again challenged many businesses, including Dow. These higher costs are evident to everyone in our community as we bring our personal vehicles to the gas pumps. High energy and natural gas costs are causing the U.S. chemical industry to become uncompetitive and vulnerable to imported materials. Dow is addressing this issue and doing its best to remain competitive through energy conservation and new technologies, but everyone can help by encouraging our government officials to support legislative action that creates a comprehensive and balanced energy policy. Despite these continued tough economic times, there are great things happening both within our facility and around our community. Here are a few examples: Our economic impact in the community continues to be strong, and is most evident through payroll, our local purchasing and tax payments, and the site’s contributions to the community. Additionally in 2005, Dow constructed a new latex plant – a project that represents a more than $100 million investment. The site also recently announced the construction of two new facilities and an expansion of a current facility. This is great news for St. Charles Operations, and proof that we are a competitive site, thanks in great part to our integrated facility and talented employees. The Occupational, Safety and Health Administration has recognized our site as one of the safest workplaces in the entire nation. Creating and sustaining an environment where employees and contract employees can return home from work safely each day is critical. In this public report, you can see that we are continuing to make progress toward our ultimate goal – a vision of zero injuries. Employee volunteerism and community outreach reached an all-time high in 2005, with the highest percentage of employees in site history generously giving more of their time and resources to many worthy causes, including community and educational outreach projects. For example, during our United Way campaign, SCO and employees donated more than $325,000 – a $25,000 increase from last year! Actively supporting the Hurricane Relief efforts and United Way, going door-to-door to visit near neighbors, lending a hand at Household Hazardous Materials Collection Days and LeBranche Wetland Watchers program events, and volunteering to instruct classes in the Process Technology program are just a few ways in which our employees are working to make a difference in our community. In this 2005 Public Report you will find more detailed information regarding SCO’s economic and social contributions to our local community and the state. You’ll learn more about our commitment to employees and our investment in their well-being. And, perhaps most important, we will give you an extensive look at our site’s environment, health and safety performance. Dow is committed to operating its facility safely and responsibly, and living up to its obligations to the community. This public report is presented as a report card on our performance. We hope you will see a strong, vibrant company that is a good employer, a responsible neighbor, and a conscientious supporter of the community for long-term, mutual growth. Nawzer Parakh Site Leader, St. Charles Operations
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