CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING
NEWS OF THE WEEK DECEMBER 12. 2005 - EDITED BY WILLIAM G. SCHULZ & MELISSA KUHNELL
CHEMICAL
INDUSTRY
sentia^ public outreach campaign that was launched in September. Television advertising started im mediately, and print ads are about to roll out, he says. A C C will later conduct an evaluation of the campaign's success in improving public awareness of the in dustry's contribution and general advocacy positions. to modern life. Forty-one jobs will be elimi Three major com nated out of 265 across ACC, in panies—Huntsman cluding those offivesenior staffers Corp., Chevron Phil that were previously announced (C&EN, Dec. 5, page 35). Some of ips Chemical, and Lyondell Chemical—left the cuts will come from integrating the association during the Chlorine Chemistry Council LebedeVs tenure, and and the American Plastics Coun Gerard says he is com cil, whose heads are both leaving, mitted to getting them more closely into ACC. back while also recruit In addition, Gerard says he is ing new members. Al ESSENTIAL The multi-millionconsidering relocating the group's ready he says, one-time dollar essential, public outreach headquarters from Arlington, Va., members Velsicol and campaign was launched in to Capitol Hill in Washington, Texas Petrochemicals September. D.C., a move he made at the min have returned to the ing association. "As an advocacy association and a third company is organization, we want to be in the in the process of rejoining. thick of things," he says. Don H . Olsen, a senior vice According to Gerard, ACC will focus on six issues in 2006: natu president at Huntsral gas, plant security, health and m ~Z+Z~ man, calls the reregulation, the environment, < • ^ structuring a step in rail competition, and legal φ 4 • the right direction. One ^ reason Huntsman left, he * says, was ACC's failure to * take the same belt-tightening steps taken by the industry it serves. "The other main reason we left was advocacy, or the lack thereof," Olsen says. "The jury is still out on that one." reform. He won't identify areas in Olsen says Gerard is a "terrific which the association is cutting guy who has the best chance ever back but notes that the member of making the ACC an effective companies themselves are best trade association." In this era of suited to carry out certain day-to high costsfornatural gas and other day activities. "We will provide a forms of energy, however, he cau collective effort where the whole is tions that Gerard will have a dif greater than the sum of the parts," ficult time leading an association he says. whose members include energy Gerard says he is enthusiastic producers as well as energy con about ACC's other big ongoing sumers.—MICHAEL MCCOY Gerard project: the multi-million-dollar es
ACC LAUNCHES A REVAMPING
American Chemistry Council to eliminate 41 jobs and focus on selected issues
T
HE AMERICAN CHEMISTRY
Council is embarking on restructuring intended to strengthen its capability as an ad vocacy organization. The chang es, which come five months into the tenure ofJack N . Gerard as CEO, include the elimination of more than 40 jobs and a focusing of the association on a group of core issues. Gerard joined ACC, the U.S. chemical industry's primary trade association, from the National Mining Association. His predeces sor at ACC, Gregori Lebedev, left the post after less than two years amid criticism and defections from the association. Gerard says the restructuring is being undertaken with input from ACC staff and member com panies. "Since joining ACC five months ago, IVe had the chance to understand the industry's concerns and prioΓities,,, he says. "I am now aligning our organization to meet these goals." ACC will reorganize from a group with 13 vice presidents to one with five who will oversee what Gerard calls its core func tions: general advocacy, including government and regulatory af fairs; the ChemStar program of product-specific advocacy, public communications; finance and in formation technology, and indus try performance, including Re sponsible Care and the industry's Long-Range Research Initia tive. ACC is searching for execu tives to fill the communications WWW.CEN-0NLINE.ORG
essentnMffe
American V Chemistry Council
C&EN
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