ASPI is pleased to announce the 2012 Speakers.

 

Dennis Askew graduated from NC State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He was hired in 1986 by Weyerhaeuser Company. He has been employed at the Plymouth mill (now Domtar) for 26 years. He began his career as an Engineer and has held various positions including Maintenance Planner, Reliability Engineer, Area Maintenance Superintendent, Safety Manager, Engineering Manager and his current position of VP/Mill Manager for the past 3 ½ years.

Dennis has been involved in many special projects over the years. He was a QIS facilitator for the mill in 1990. In 2001, he led the MPS/FI SAP Project and in 2006 he led the Domtar Maintenance and Engineering Functional Team.   Just recently he was a part of a team developing Leading Safety Indicators for Domtar.

Dennis resides in Plymouth, N.C. with his wife Lisa and twin sons Chance and Hunter.

Allan Bohn graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio University and a BS in Business Management from Ohio Dominion College. He began his career in 1990 with Mead Fine Papers in Chillicothe, Ohio as a Mechanical Engineering CO-OP and in 1993 was hired as a Modernization Capital Project Engineer. From 1996 until 2001, he held various maintenance supervisory/planning/engineering positions with Mead; Fine Papers Coated Division in Chillicothe, Ohio. From 2002 to 2005, Allan was Fiberline/Utilities/Maintenance Superintendent with Mead-Westvaco Carbonless Mill in Chillicothe. In 2005 he joined the Plymouth, NC Weyerhaeuser mill. He has been employed at the Plymouth mill (now Domtar) for 7 years holding various positions: Beginning as the Power and Recovery Maintenance Superintendent, then as the Power and Recovery Manager, and his current position of Maintenance and Engineering Manager for the last 4 years.

Allan resides in Washington, N.C. with his-- wife Brenda and two children Emily and Christopher.

Pascal Bossé has been Vice-President, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations of Domtar since May of 2009. Mr. Bossé has responsibility for the development and implementation of Domtar’s corporate communications and investor relations programs. He is also the Company’s official spokesperson.

Mr. Bossé has more than 14 years of experience in finance and communications-related functions. Prior to joining Domtar, he served as equity derivatives floor trader for Lévesque Beaubien Geoffrion that became National Bank Financial, one of Canada’s largest brokerage firms. Mr. Bossé began his career at the Montreal Exchange in 1998, where he held various positions in market surveillance and derivatives trading.

In 2002, he joined Domtar’s Investor Relations team where he helped build the company’s investor relations program and increase its visibility in the financial community.

Mr. Bossé graduated from the University of Sherbrooke with an undergraduate degree in Economics and a Master’s of Science in Finance. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Roger H. Brear has been Senior Vice-President, Operations Support since 2011. Mr. Brear has management oversight and responsibility for optimizing and advancing the operational excellence of our entire pulp and paper manufacturing system which includes Central Engineering, Research and Development, as well as several other areas of optimization.

Mr. Brear has more than 40 years of experience in fine paper manufacturing. He joined Domtar in 2001, following the acquisition of four U.S. paper mills from Georgia-Pacific Corporation where is had held various senior manufacturing positions. In 2004, he was appointed Senior Vice-President, Paper Manufacturing of Domtar Inc. where he oversaw facilities across Canada and the United States.

Mr. Brear holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Mr. Brear is a member of the Paper Industry Management Association, the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI). He has previously been a member of the board of TAPPI, Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, the Wadley Regional Medical Center Foundation and the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council.

Bill Edwards is Mill Manager/VP of the Domtar Marlboro Mill in Bennettsville, SC. Bill began his career in the paper industry in 1990 at the Domtar Plymouth, NC mill (former Weyerhaeuser mill). Prior to that, Bill worked for a private engineering firm. During his 16 years at the Plymouth Mill, he progressed through various roles such as Project Engineering; Assistant Linerboard Superintendent; Linerboard, Fluff Pulp & Recycled Operations Superintendents; Fine Paper Operations Manager; and Mill Paper Manufacturing Manager. Bill joined the Marlboro Mill as General Manager in October 2006.

Committed to community service, Bill serves as member of the Bennettsville Rotary Club, Board Member for Marlboro County Economic Development Partnership, 2010 and 2012 member of the American Heart Association Pee Dee Heart Walk Executive Leadership Team and in-between those years, the 2011 American Heart Association Pee Dee Heart Walk Executive Leadership Team Chairman. Bill is actively involved in his local church where he and his wife teach Sunday school to youth as well as co-lead a weekly adult Bible study.

In addition to his current community services and accolades, Bill serves annually as a volunteer for the Salvation Army’s “Ringing of the Bell” program since 2009. He was recognized and awarded the 2011 South Carolina Economic Ambassador of the Year, representing Marlboro County and recently received the 2012 TAPPI PIMA Ray H. Cross award for his contribution to community service.

Bill received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering graduating Summa Cum Laude from NC State University in 1988.

Bill lives in Florence, SC with his wife, Kathryn, and their two daughters.

 

He is responsible for all pulp and paper manufacturing as well as converting operations. Mr. Edwards was previously Vice-President, Fine Paper Manufacturing at Weyerhaeuser Company. He joined Weyerhaeuser in 1994, where he held various management positions in pulp and paper operations, after working 11 years at Domtar Inc. His career in the pulp and paper industry spans over 48 years. Mr. Edwards holds an Advanced City & Guilds Diploma in Pulp & Paper Technology, an Electrical Engineering Certificate from Napier College, as well as, a Scottish Higher National Diploma in Business Studies from the University of Aberdeen. He also has a post-graduate C.N.A.A. degree in Management Studies from London.

Mr. Edwards has previously been Chairman of the North Carolina External Affairs Council (2001-2007), a member of the board of the North Carolina State Pulp and Paper Foundation (2002-2009), and the Governor’s Business Council of North Carolina for Management and Development. In the early 1990s, he was Chairman and Director of the Ontario Pulp and Paper Makers Association.

Mr. Fagan joined Domtar September of 2011 as a result of Domtar acquiring Attends Healthcare Products incorporated. Mr. Fagan joined Attends in 1999 as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing before being promoted to Chief Executive Officer in April of 2006 thru Domtar's acquisition in 2011. Prior to joining Attends, he served as Vice President of Sales for GOJO Industries. From 1986 through 1996, he held numerous positions with P&G, including key sales development roles with Attends. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics/Political Science in 1983 from Ursinus College.

Currently Michael serves on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina State Chamber of Commerce, and has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina.

David joined Domtar in January, 2012 as Vice President for Sustainability. David oversees Domtar's effort to enhance long-term shareholder value by optimizing the company's commitments to certified fiber procurement, environmental management, customer satisfaction, workplace quality, and community relationships. He is a member of and works through Domtar's Sustainability Committee.

David came to Domtar with a variety of experiences in government and industry. He began his career at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He served as Chief of Staff to the President's Council on Environmental Quality in the first Bush Administration. He was the Environmental Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and he was Florida's Environmental Secretary.

David has also worked as a management consultant in the U.S. and Canadian electric utility industry. He was Vice President for Environment, Health & Safety and Sustainability at International Paper for six years (2004 & 2009). He was also part of the founding management team of the Silicon Valley software company, C3, which provides efficiency optimization solutions to utilities and industry.

A graduate of Winthrop University with a BS degree in Business administration, Jim has 32 years of Purchasing experience, all within the Pulp and Paper Industry. He organized and has led the overall Purchasing and Materials management function at the "New Domtar" since it was formed 5 years ago after the merger with Weyerhaeuser's Fine Paper Division. His Department is responsible for managing approximately 1.7B of in scope expenditures in all categories including energy, chemicals, MRO, indirect spend, services and supplies.

Prior to this most recent assignment, he spent 27 years at several mills including Bowater in Catawba SC, Union Camp in Eastover SC and Willamette in Bennettsville SC and progressed in various Procurement roles, responsibilities and assignments. In 2002 After Weyerhaeuser's acquisition of Willamette Industries, he was a regional Procurement Manager for the Southeast US until 2007.

These extended mill experiences led directly to the development of a Domtar Procurement model that depends on a technically competent, center led, field driven, credible approach to produce measurable results in all facets of spend management. These results are delivered with a small and streamlined staff that has a manufacturing focus in all of their activities. Jim will be sharing his unique Purchasing philosophies and participating in this year's procurement discussions at PaperCon.

 

Kathy Wholley is Director of Advertising and Communications for at Domtar.

In this role, she is responsible for the marketing communications and advertising functions of Domtar's pulp & paper business. Additionally, she manages environmental communications on behalf of the business, which includes the Domtar EarthChoice

Kathy is also responsible for Domtar's paper advocacy campaign known as "Paper Because," which was launched in 2010 and was meant to demonstrate paper's value to businesses and people that use paper every day.

Kathy has 21 years of experience in the paper industry in a variety of sales and marketing positions with Willamette Industries, Weyerhaeuser and Domtar. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Clemson University.