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PHILADELPHIA, PA—14 February 2008—The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) and the Founders Club has announced that Peter R. Huntsman and Dave C. Swalm will be corecipients of the twelfth annual Petrochemical Heritage Award. Huntsman is the president and CEO of Huntsman Corporation. Swalm is founder and former chairman and CEO of Texas Olefins Company. The award will be presented on Sunday, 30 March, at the annual Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, held as part of the 33rd National Petrochemical Refiners Association (NRPA) International Petrochemical Conference.
“Two men of different generations with very different backgrounds share this year's award,” said Thomas Tritton, president and CEO of CHF. “Dave Swalm used his family's $6,000 to found a new company. Three decades later he sold it for $500 million. Peter Huntsman took over from his famous father on the eve of the worst downturn in the history of the chemical industry. Under his leadership the company not only survived, but grew and thrived to become one of the leading chemical makers in the world."
About Peter Huntsman
Peter R. Huntsman is president and CEO of the Huntsman Company, a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and commodity chemicals. Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging, and later for rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman today has 15,000 employees at 78 operations in 24 countries.
After attending the University of Utah, Huntsman began his professional career in 1983 with Olympus Oil Corporation and in 1986 was named the company’s president. He joined Huntsman Polypropylene Corporation, a subsidiary of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, as vice president in 1987. In 1992 he became a senior vice president and general manager of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, assisting in directing global manufacturing, marketing, and sales for Huntsman Chemical and its affiliated companies. In 1996 Huntsman became president and chief operating officer of Huntsman, and in 2000 he was named the company’s CEO, replacing his father, Jon Huntsman.
In addition to his duties at the Huntsman Company, Peter Huntsman helps direct a number of domestic and international humanitarian projects. He is also actively involved in civic affairs.
About Dave C. Swalm
Dave C. Swalm is the founder of Texas Petrochemicals Company. He received a degree in chemical engineering from Mississippi State University. After graduation Swalm worked for The Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, Texas. He subsequently worked for Texas Butadiene & Chemical Corporation as a process engineer and then as regional petrochemical sales manager. He next worked for Steuber Company as a chemical broker.
In 1968 Swalm resigned from Steuber and founded Texas Olefins Company using $6,000 in personal savings. In 1984 Texas Olefins purchased Tenneco Chemical's Petro-Tex plant. Renamed Texas Petrochemicals Company, the plant had a sales level of 500 million pounds per year when purchased. Under Swalm’s leadership, plant output grew to 2,700 million pounds by 1992.
In 1979 Swalm set up the Swalm Foundation, which, over a period of 26 years, made 2,500 grants to a wide variety of organizations, mostly in the social services area. Swalm has personally contributed to many educational institutions, including Mississippi State University, Brookhaven secondary schools, and Jackson State University.
The Petrochemical Heritage Award
CHF and the Founders Club established the Petrochemical Heritage Award in 1997 to recognize individuals who made outstanding contributions to the petrochemical community; to inspire achievement; and to promote public understanding of the modern sciences, industries, and economies. Past recipients of the award are Dan L. Duncan, founder and chairman of Enterprise Products Partners L.P.; J. Virgil Waggoner, president and CEO, Sterling Chemicals; T. T. Chao, founder of Westlake Chemicals; William A. McMinn, Jr., former president of Cain Chemical; Harold A. Sorgenti, former president and CEO of ARCO Chemical Company; Herbert D. “Ted” Doan, former chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company; Jon M. Huntsman, founder of Huntsman Corporation; Gordon Cain, well-known chemical engineer and business entrepreneur; John T. Files, founder and chairman of the Merichem Company; John R. Hall, chemical engineer and former president, chairman, and CEO of Ashland; and Ralph Landau, cofounder of Halcon/Scientific Design Group.
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Chemical Heritage Foundation serves the community of the chemical and molecular sciences, and the wider public, by treasuring the past, educating the present, and inspiring the future. CHF carries out a program of outreach and interpretation in order to advance an understanding of the role of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries in shaping society; maintains a world-class collection of materials that document the history and heritage of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries; and encourages research in its collections.
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