'Customers are always going to say, oh, the reason that we don't do business with you is your price. That’s BS. Price is not the reason. It’s a good excuse. It’s your job to find the real reason." A question that has come up recently: “Why are we the last choice for a specific customer? They call us when they’re in crisis and we help them out. Then, nothing. How do we move to being a first-choice or regular supplier?” In this episode of The Chemical Show, host Victoria Meyer explores why some co...
Jun 08, 2023•13 min•Ep. 101
“There's a huge opportunity for B2B companies to enter podcasting. People get personally connected to you and your brand, and its a great opportunity for storytelling.” On this episode of The Chemical Show, host Victoria Meyer celebrates the podcast's 100th episode. And, in a role-reversal, is the interviewee instead of the interviewer. Today’s guest interviewer is Madeline Meyer, a summer intern at Progressio Global and computer science major at Texas State University. They discuss Victoria’s j...
Jun 06, 2023•16 min•Ep. 100
AI is a tool. It's obviously a very powerful tool... And so I think there is value in having some kind of framework for helping evaluate these things and looking at allowing people to make wise choices." - Ethan Mirsky In this episode of The Chemical Show, we explore how NobleAI is revolutionizing the chemical industry by using science-based AI. As we learned, traditional AI approaches didn't work for this problem, so Noble's team focused on incorporating scientific laws, design constraints, and...
May 30, 2023•28 min•Ep. 99
On this episode of The Chemical Show, Victoria Meyer takes us through the world of business transformation and the key factors that lead to success. With a staggering 70% of transformations failing to meet their objectives, Victoria believes that a clear vision and a customer-centric approach are critical. She breaks down different lenses, including the "easy to do business with" lens, and how feedback from stakeholders should be considered. Furthermore, Victoria Meyer emphasizes the importance ...
May 23, 2023•17 min•Ep. 98
“There are great entry points to talk about, to educate, to talk about where stuff is coming from and where it goes. That's what I'm really trying to do in the Column.” - Darius Mortazavi. Darius is the founder of The Column , an email newsletter that provides context and commentary on events in the industry at large—it’s an endeavor that he hopes will unite different sectors of the industry, and foster an online community. In this episode, Victoria and Darius talk about some invaluable insights...
May 16, 2023•27 min•Ep. 97
In recent years, the demand for biotechnology in cleaning has been on the rise due to its effectiveness in providing eco-friendly and sustainable solutions to the cleaning industry. Biotechnology involves the use of biological agents or living organisms to create useful products and services, and in cleaning, it has shown significant potential in improving the efficiency and safety of cleaning processes. Victoria Meyer chats with Rashda Khan, Sr. Director of Product Innovation for Barentz, a mem...
May 09, 2023•28 min•Ep. 96
Adaptability is crucial in navigating today's unpredictable global economy, which can experience economic chaos through market volatility, political instability, natural disasters, or unexpected pandemics. In this week's episode, Karl Maier, author of Surfing Economic Chaos, shares his expertise on seizing opportunities amidst such chaos. With over 25 years of experience in managing and advising lower middle-market companies, Karl offers profit improvement workshops and CEO peer advisory roundta...
May 02, 2023•34 min•Ep. 95
Partnering for plastics circularity refers to the collaborative efforts of stakeholders across the plastics value chain to create a more sustainable and circular approach to plastic production, consumption, and disposal. With increasing concerns about plastic pollution and its impact on the environment, there is a growing need for companies, governments, and individuals to work together toward a circular economy that promotes the reuse, recycling, and responsible disposal of plastics. In this we...
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 94
An Employee Value Proposition is essentially the set of benefits and rewards that a company offers to its employees in exchange for their skills, knowledge, and experience. It's the total package of what an employee gets out of working for a particular company. So with that, in this week’s podcast episode, The Chemical Show welcomes Jaycie Bradshaw as the quest, who is Human Resources Director at Palmer Holland, Inc. Palmer Holland is an Employee-Owned organization in this Specialty Chemical ind...
Apr 18, 2023•32 min•Ep. 93
In the last week of March, Victoria Meyer attended the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers or AFPM International Petrochemical Conference, which was held in San Antonio. So in this week's episode, she will share her insights and reflections from that conference. There were thousands of attendees and people were there for meetings with business partners, suppliers, customers, and many other activities going on at that event. Topics discussed this week: The chemical industry is in the pr...
Apr 11, 2023•20 min•Ep. 92
The chemical industry plays a crucial role in modern society. The ability to leverage innovation, the ability to meet a customer's needs, the ability to go ahead and leverage at a global scale, and the capabilities to meet the world's needs are all very prominent today and vital to industrial gases and chemicals. In this podcast episode, Victoria Meyer speaks with Michael J. Graff, Chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings and EVP of the Air Liquide Group. Mike shares leadership, learnin...
Apr 04, 2023•37 min•Ep. 91
Sustainability and innovation are transforming the chemical industry. Central to that transformation is leveraging customer and consumer insights, to ensure that new, innovative products are meeting customer needs. In this week’s podcast episode, I speak with Juliana Pantalena, who is the Marketing Head of Surfactants for CEPSA Química based in Madrid. She's brings a global perspective, having working in Brazil, US and Spain. And, a keen focus on customer experience and driving value in establis...
Mar 28, 2023•32 min•Ep. 90
The increasing awareness of environmental issues and the need for sustainable development has led to a growing interest in bio-based chemicals. Finding new applications for these chemicals is becoming increasingly important as we seek to replace traditional petroleum-based products with more environmentally friendly alternatives. In this podcast episode, we have the opportunity of speaking with Anton Zhloba, who's an Application Technology Center Leader with Jungbunzlauer. His focus is developin...
Mar 21, 2023•22 min•Ep. 89
An inclusive culture is one that celebrates and embraces the uniqueness and differences of everyone. There is evidence that companies or organizations with an inclusive culture tend to have people who are highly motivated, engaged, and productive at whatever they do. Listen to this week’s podcast episode as Victoria Meyer and Dr. Lauran Star, who is known for transforming leadership and organizational culture, talk about building an inclusive culture and what benefits it can give to all people i...
Mar 07, 2023•53 min•Ep. 88
Excellence is a quality that is highly valued and sought after in both personal and professional settings. As a company owner, being excellent can lead to increased customer satisfaction, improved employee morale and productivity, and ultimately, increased profits. For individuals, striving for excellence can lead to personal growth and development, as well as increased satisfaction and fulfillment in life. At its core, excellence is about doing your best in everything you do, whether it's in yo...
Feb 28, 2023•41 min•Ep. 87
In early February, I attended the ever-popular American Cleaning Institute (ACI) Annual Conference. This week, I am sharing with you all some insights that I’ve learned from that conference. There are valuable insights coming from companies across the cleaning value chain. It's everything from ingredient suppliers, surfactants, enzymes, and fragrances to formulators and industrial consumer product companies. Topics discussed this week: Sustainability is a topic in every industry. Partnering is c...
Feb 21, 2023•16 min•Ep. 86
The energy sector is a category of companies that are responsible for extracting, refining, or supplying consumable fuels, like coal, oil, and gas. These companies are involved in the production and sale of energy and that includes fuel extraction, manufacturing, ref ining, and distribution. So in the upcoming years, with the continuous advancement of technology, we will see massive progression in engineering and innovation that will bring us inventions we can use, which are more sustainable and...
Feb 14, 2023•21 min•Ep. 85
Sustainability and carbon reduction are key focus areas of the chemical industry. Many countries and companies have Net Zero targets to support a more sustainable future, including decarbonization. Innovation is critical. One of the key innovators in decarbonization is Syzygy Plasmonics and its co-founder Trevor Best. In this episode, Victoria Meyer speaks with Trevor Best, CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics about the importance of decarbonization and the innovations that Syzygy is bringing to the chemica...
Feb 07, 2023•36 min•Ep. 84
Digital transformation is the process of integrating digital technology into all aspects or areas of your company or organization. In this episode, Victoria Meyer has a conversation with two experts in digital transformation. Christophe Cabarry is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of SpecialChem, who also brings more than 20 years of experience in strategic digital marketing in chemicals and materials. The second guest is Jay Bhatia, who is the Founder and CEO of Agilis Commerce, a technol...
Jan 31, 2023•40 min•Ep. 83
Companies across the chemical industry have some of the same drivers - a focus on value, process safety, product quality, customer excellence, and ultimately profitability. Yet, some companies and industries do it better than others. The difference? Operational excellence. Operational excellence is in a simple form, systematic problem-solving, and improvements. It allows people in business and its leadership to improve in decision-making, profitability, partner services, customer service, market...
Jan 24, 2023•33 min•Ep. 82
The year 2022 has ended and we are now in 2023 with so many things ahead of us in our industry. Join Victoria and Trey Hamblet, the Vice President of Research at Industrial Info Resources (IIR), as they talk about the 2023 outlook on chemical investment, how that affects the chemical industry, and what people are expecting this year. In this episode, he’s going to give us some insights into capital spending, economic outlook, and many other interesting topics that we should be dealing with. We k...
Jan 10, 2023•27 min•Ep. 81
A lot of the things that happened this year will define what the chemical industry will look like in 2023. Geopolitical and economic upheavals have had a significant impact on the industry on a global scale. In today’s episode, we take a look back at what happened this year and glean some useful insights and lessons as we move forward into the new year. The discussion goes from the relationship between Russia and Ukraine and the gas shortage to inflation, supply chain issues, digitization, and m...
Dec 20, 2022•19 min•Ep. 80
When it comes to chemical prices, the China market has a big role to play. Their economy is at a halt, and no one really knows how long it will stay that way. Join Victoria Meyer as she talks John Richardson , a Senior Consultant at ICIS . Find out how China's Zero COVID Policy and the ongoing demand destruction are damaging the entire chemical market. Take a deep dive into the state of polymers across the continents of Asia and Europe, specifically Polyethylene and Polypropylene. Love the show?...
Dec 13, 2022•38 min•Ep. 79
There are changes in what matters to the customers in the chemical industry. Kevin Huntsman, President of Mastio & Company, shares these trends and how businesses must respond to these insights into the customer experience. Kevin specializes in survey design and data collection in the chemical and energy industries and does a lot of work in transportation and logistics. He has been helping provide data-based insights into customer value for over two decades. In this episode, he openly shares...
Dec 06, 2022•28 min•Ep. 78
Current technology and the power of the internet gave birth to an interconnected world. In this age of globalization, there are countless opportunities to build a global enterprise – only if you know the right strategies to do so. Victoria Meyer sits down with Yubo Li, who talks about transforming Jiahua Chemicals from a Chinese private company into a global enterprise group through a systematic global synergetic lean management. He discusses how they pulled this off while navigating a major mar...
Nov 29, 2022•18 min•Ep. 77
Boron is the second strongest material in the elemental chart, only second to diamonds. Given its incredible resistance, it is found in almost everything: fiberglass, insulation, batteries, motors, and even carpets. Despite these applications, Boron usually sits in the background and is rarely used. But for J.T. Starzecki and their entire team at 5E Advanced Materials , it could be the next lithium. Joining Victoria Meyer, he talks about their sustainable mining operations integrated with a boro...
Nov 22, 2022•28 min•Ep. 76
All industries are challenging, especially the manufacturing industry. There’s a growing skill gap, a decline in effective leadership, and a growing challenge of how to approach the market. So what are the secrets of industry winners like AdvanSix, the fully integrated manufacturer of Nylon 6 resin, chemical intermediates, and ammonium sulfate fertilizer, in actually thriving in the market? Join us in this episode as Sarah Waller, the Vice President and General Manager of Nylon Solutions at Adva...
Nov 15, 2022•23 min•Ep. 75
The pandemic has forced the hand of several industries to speed up their development and move forward with digitalization. But how has this move impacted the “marketing DNA” of these organizations? Here to dissect the topic is Jonathan Copulsky . Jonathan is a Professor at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management , serving as the academic director for business marketing strategy as part of their executive education program, and has been in the marketing industry for over 40 years. I...
Nov 08, 2022•26 min•Ep. 74
Are you looking for a commerce platform where sourcing raw materials are simple, from search to logistics? In this episode of The Chemical Show , Scott Barrows , the CEO of BluePallet shares how they are building digital commerce solutions for the chemical industry. Scott also shares that they are studying what's happened in the past, not only the platforms in the chemical industry that have come and gone but also how technology digitization of commerce has affected other industries that have ma...
Nov 01, 2022•36 min•Ep. 73
Pilot Chemical Company has been a successful, family-owned enterprise for 70 years and they continue to grow and innovate. How do they do it? What differentiates Pilot from other chemical companies? Learn all the answers in today's episode. Join Victoria Meyer as she talks to the Vice President of Technology & Innovation/Corporate Development at Pilot Chemical Company, Glynn Goertzen . Learn why Pilot values their customer experience so they can create trust with their customer. Find out how...
Oct 25, 2022•26 min•Ep. 72
