RICK ASHCRAFT

1225 Stone Mountain Parkway Phone: (972) 347-3039

Savannah, Texas 76227 ashcraftr@cebridge.net Mobile: (940) 230-1485

WATER TREATMENT CHEMIST

Dynamic, personable water treatment scientist. Extensive experience in chemical research including product development,
production process improvement, business plan implementation, technical service, and sales management. Strengths and
expertise include:

• Customer service and sales management • Budgeting and cost control

• New customer transition and retention
• Water treatment product development
• Presentation of projects to VP level
• Knowledge of industry trends and products
• Label and MSDS requirements
• Cost savings through reformulation and manufacturing
improvement
• Product costing and profit calculations
• Pilot unit design, construction, and operation
• Batch and continuous chemical manufacturing
• Supervision of professional chemists
• ROI calculations for capital laboratory equipment
• Analytical laboratory method development

WATER TREATMENT EXPERIENCE

CROWN SOLUTIONS, Vandalia, Ohio 2007-2011

Area Manager
• Responsible for $1MM in water treatment customers and new business development for Texas-Louisiana
territory
• Supervision of two water management specialists
• Transition manager for new customers

ASHLAND SPECIALTY CHEMICALS, Dallas, Texas 2005-2007

Technical Sales Representative
• Writing proposals for $800,000 in new annual business for water treatment in electric power generation
• Service and consultation for $600,000 (annually) in current business
• New project development in water pre- and post-treatment

CASCADE WATER SERVICES, Richardson, Texas 2004-2005

District Manager, Texas
• Manager of sales and technical service for all Texas water treatment accounts.
• Restored confidence of customers in the company’s capabilities and service.
• Developed sales leads in the Dallas area with business potential of $100,000 in one month.

NCH CORPORATION, Irving, Texas 1996-2003

Manager, Water Treatment Research and Development
• Developed 20 new and 60 reformulated industrial water treatment products, including incorporation of four
acquired companies’ product lines.
• Designed, constructed, and brought online two computer-controlled laboratory pilot cooling tower systems
on-time and under budget.
• Reduced customer complaints by 90% while increasing sample throughput and testing accuracy by 25% in the
Technical Analysis Laboratory. Overall laboratory budget reduced 25% while increasing productivity 50%
• Supervised staff of 12 in two laboratories.
• Researched ROI data and justification for purchase of more than $200,000 in new analytical equipment.
• Developed ISO 9001 quality assurance methods and procedures for two laboratories that led to certification.
Rick Ashcraft Page 2
CHEMTREAT, INC., Richmond, Virginia 1991-1996
Manager, Research and Development
• Developed 12 new and 25 reformulated water treatment products.
• Invented a chemical treatment program with $11 million in potential sales (patent applied for).
• Increased laboratory pilot testing capacity by 300%.
• Implemented raw material specifications and testing procedures for ISO 9002 certification.

BAYER CORPORATION, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1981-1991

Product Manager, Organic Chemicals Department (Pittsburgh, 1990-1991)
• Exceeded sales budget by 10% in the first year.
• Directed sales effort for a new catalytic ion exchange resin with $4 million in new business.
• Successfully negotiated allocations in high-demand period and increased customer satisfaction.
Manager, Technical Service, Inorganic Chemicals Division (Pittsburgh, 1987-1990)
• Built water treatment phosphonate business to $2 million in U.S. sales.
• Provided technical service in water treatment and industrial cleaning industries.
• Served as technical and marketing liaison with peers at the parent company in Germany.
• Supervised laboratory staff and trained technical sales force.
Process Chemist, Inorganic Chemicals Division (Baytown, Texas, 1983-1987)
• Created a statistical process control system for hydrazine and thionyl chloride units (10 million and 2 million
pounds annual capacity, respectively) that increased yields by 5% and resulted in 100% customer audit success.
• Designed and supervised construction of a $500,000 process control laboratory that was completed under
budget.
• Developed new automated analytical techniques for process control measurements to increase yields and
quality.
Senior Chemist, Technical Service, Inorganic Chemicals Division (Pittsburgh, 1981-1983)
• Technical service and laboratory support for process chemicals.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Associate Faculty, Collin County Community College, Plano, Texas 2002-2005

• Lecturer for Introduction to Chemistry, General Chemistry I, and General Chemistry II
• Laboratory instructor for associated chemistry courses
Associate Faculty, Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, Texas 2005
• Lecturer for Introduction to Chemistry, General Chemistry I, and General Chemistry II
• Laboratory instructor for associated chemistry courses

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas

Fulbright Scholar, solid-state synthesis and crystallography, Universität Giessen, Germany
B.S. Chemistry and Mathematics, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Chemical Society Cooling Technology Institute NACE International

PATENTS, PUBLICATIONS

Patents applied for in corrosion inhibition, product tracing, metal fixing in waste products, and water treatment delivery
methods.

OTHER SKILLS

Fluent in written and spoken German. Proficient in Visual Basic and object-oriented computer programming.