Western Carolina University

Lead Chemist at Ecolab

This position has the responsibility of multi-million dollar global innovation project management, formulation development, product maintenance/reformulations, and statistically sound test method development for the Global Quick Serve Restaurants (QSR) and Global Food Retail Services (FRS) divisions. This includes innovation support for our Small Business Solutions (SBS) and SSDC businesses as well as our & C-Stores (Convenience Stores) Division. 

My product expertise falls under the Global Planks & Core Program segment of RD&E, which includes:
•	Degreasers, Fryers, Oven & Grill Cleaners 							    
•	Floor Programs
•	Tools, Drains, and Delimers
•	Glass & Multi-surface Cleaners
•	Beverage, Laundry, Restrooms and Specialty Products

Ecolab

Staff Scientist

In this position I had oversight the functionality of Quality Assurance / Control from the lab to the 24/7 ISO 9001:2008 certified facility. I built a team of as many as eight Lab Technicians, managed their talent development, side projects, schedules, and daily tasks. Other key responsibilities included the review, auditing, and editing of GMP production records for FDA & EPA regulated products as well as training the Lab Technicians on new ISO Tier II & III SOPs. Maintaining lab supply stock, annual calibrations for the equipment, and validations for all test methods were required of this role. It was vital for this position to be able to trouble shoot manufactured products that did not conform to their specifications by understanding their formulae and bringing them back into spec. The ability to perform root cause analysis followed by corrective / preventative actions for non-conformances was critical to this role.

Quality Laboratory Supervisor

Responsibility for the formulation development, project management (commercialization of products/programs), product maintenance/reformulations, and statistically sound test method development for the Global Quick Serve Restaurants (QSR) Divisional Core product platforms.  I get to work very close with a cross functional network including Corporate Technologies, Shared Services, Marketing, Regulatory, Procurement, Technical Accounts, Engineering, suppliers, & Quality on an international basis which has been critical to the success of my positions at Ecolab.

Lead Chemist, Principal Chemist, Sr. Chemist

In this role I conducted both lab bench and scale up synthesis consisting of polymerizations, esterifications, aminations, amidations, oxidations, phosphations, and quaternizations for use in various industries including I&I and Consumer / Personal Care.  I also performed a multitude of quality control analyses using various lab techniques and instrumentation. This position also required shipping of chemicals (some hazardous), proper disposal of chemicals, data input, database creation, problem solving, and various forms of documentation.  Other responsibilities included analyzing the company’s waste water system and waste created for new products before start up to ensure quality standards were met.  Maintaining customer contact was another crucial role for this position.

Jeremy Finison