MANAGEMENT BIOGRAPHIES
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Dan Pikula
Technical Manager, Pressure Sensitive Adhesives
Franklin Adhesives & Polymers, a division of Franklin International
Mr. Pikula has more than 25 years experience in the adhesives industry, including 18 years at Dow Chemical and 11 at Franklin International. He spent his years at Dow in various R&D and Technical Service and Development positions covering several product lines. He joined Franklin in 1997 and has held technical management positions in market and product development, technical service and applications development.
At Franklin, Mr. Pikula managed the development and launch of a line of polyurethane reactive hot melts for assembly and panel lamination applications as well as a number of wood, specialty and pressure sensitive adhesives. He currently manages the Polymer and Specialty Adhesives’ labs, works with customers designing adhesive dispensing equipment and is a member of the division’s business management team.
Mr. Pikula has published numerous technical papers for trade associations, magazines and journals, including one on polyurethane reactive hot melts that appeared in Modern Woodworking. He also has several patents to his credit.
Mr. Pikula earned his bachelor of science in chemistry from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio.
Danielle Milam
Vice President, Latin America
Ms. Milam is an expert in the millwork furniture adhesives and flooring bond industries in Latin America and has cultivated a deep knowledge of the Latin American markets. She also is knowledgeable in a wide variety of Latin American wood species and gluing methods.
Ms. Milam joined Franklin International nearly two decades ago, shortly after the company established its International Division (now, part of Franklin Adhesives & Polymers). She has played a key role in developing, expanding and managing Franklin’s business in Latin America and now is vice president of that market. She has demonstrated a remarkable ability to build relationships and has a penchant for perfection that our customers and our distributors have come to depend on.
She also brings experience as a corporate language instructor for multinational corporations in the Columbus, Ohio market. Her experience includes a post-graduate internship project at the State of Ohio International Trade Office, focusing on trade with Latin America.
Ms. Milam graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with degrees in international business, Spanish and foreign policy. As part of her international studies, she also attended LaUniversidad de Sevilla, Spain, where she studied foreign trade and Spanish.
Don McCloskey
Vice President, International
Mr. McCloskey honed his expertise in international business, industrial woodworking and the China market over three decades working in a number of key positions at Franklin International.
Mr. McCloskey launched his 31-year career at Franklin International as a chemist, working first in the construction adhesives laboratory and, later, in the polymer laboratory. In 1983, he became a technical service manager in Franklin’s fledgling International Division (now, part of the Franklin Adhesives & Polymers). Four years later, he moved into business management in this division. He held this position for more than a decade before becoming divisional vice president.
Under Mr. McCloskey’s management, Franklin’s international business has become the fastest-growing division at Franklin International. He has played a major role in taking Franklin International across the globe, into 60 countries, on six continents. Mr. McCloskey helps Franklin bring adhesive solutions to the UK, China, and Australia.
Mr. McCloskey holds a bachelor’s in chemistry from Washington & Jefferson College and a master’s in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.
Jaye Schroeder
Vice President, Wood Adhesives Market Development, North America
Mr. Schroeder is widely considered an expert in industry regulations regarding performance testing and environmental standards for adhesives for the industrial woodworking market. He is well-versed in CARB and LEED standards as well as guidelines for VOC and formaldehyde emissions.
Mr. Schroeder joined Franklin International is 1998 as the millwork business manager and now is vice president of wood market development at Franklin Adhesives & Polymers. He is credited with building the wood business into the division’s leading market, through a keen understanding of customer needs and market trends. Under his direction, the product department has more aggressively pursued research and development, launching four to five viable products annually.
Mr. Schroeder represents our division and our company with integrity while tenaciously competing with the top adhesive companies in the world. His participation in organizations and committees such as HPVA, WDMA, CARB, APA,TPI, WWPA and KCMA are all examples of how deeply Jaye has penetrated this market. Our recent expansion into the domestic plywood market and gains in window and door markets are a direct result of his efforts.
Mr. Schroeder earned his bachelor of science in marketing from the University Wisconsin, La Crosse; and his master’s in business administration from University St. Thomas, in St. Paul, Minn.
Larry Owen
Senior Vice President, Franklin Adhesives & Polymers Division
Mr. Owen has 27 years of experience in the adhesive industry with Franklin International. He has held several key management positions for the company. Initially, he served as business unit director for Franklin International’s Polymer Division, which is responsible for the research and development of polymers for a wide range of products. He later assumed the role of vice president, Global Business Development. In this position, he oversaw the Franklin (Guangzhou) Adhesives Co., Ltd. project, opening the company’s first plant outside of the U.S., in the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District, in China.
Mr. Owen recently became the senior vice president of Franklin Adhesives & Polymers, a division of Franklin International. In this role, he is charged with leading the continued domestic and global growth of the division, which provides assembly glues, edge and face glues, laminating glues, veneering and finger jointing glues to the domestic and global furniture, millwork and engineered-lamination markets; and pressure-sensitive adhesives for office products and food packaging markets.
Mr. Owen is a past board member of the Adhesive Manufacturers Association and past chairman of the board of directors for the Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC). He currently serves onthe board of directors for ASC.
Mr. Owen holds a bachelor’s in business education from Bowling Green State University.
Michelle Tobbe
Technical Director, Wood Adhesives
As the technical director, wood adhesives, at Franklin Adhesives & Polymers, Ms. Tobbe is the leading expert in the development and application of products in the wood market.
Ms. Tobbe launched her career at Franklin in 1994 and has dedicated the 14 years since to the development of high-performance wood adhesives. She joined the company as aproduct development chemist and quickly moved to the position of senior product development chemist. In 2004, she became technical manager of wood adhesives, managing product development and all technical support laboratory functions. She is an invaluable resource for major customers, providing product trials and guidance on product usage.
Under Michelle’s leadership, the development lab has successfully introduced or supported the development of many new products such as Multibond 5002, 5005, One Component D4, Bio-MX90, Multibond 4000 FF – the list goes on. Our technical service chemists and technicians bring a level of expertise and trust which continues to set the standard for our industry.
Michelle holds a bachelor’s degreein chemistry from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio; and a master’s in business administration from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
Mike Witte
Manager, Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Business
Franklin Adhesives & Polymers, A Division of Franklin International
Mike Witte launched his career at Franklin International more than three decades ago and has gained broad knowledge in industrial products through positions in product formulation, technical support, sales and business management.
Mr. Witte joined the company in 1977 as a plant chemist and quality control supervisor for construction products and four years later moved to technical support for industrial products, providing customer support and troubleshooting in elastomeric and woodworking adhesives; and working on product development.
One decade ago, Mr. Witte moved from technical support into sales, selling industrial wood products – including products he helped develop – in a tri-state region. He took his sales abilities into pressure sensitive adhesives in 2003 and, three years later, assumed business management responsibility for all PSA products.
Mr. Witte earned his bachelor’s of science in microbiology from The Ohio State University.
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