Meet our sustainability committee!

News|Plastics

January 6, 2023

Now more than ever, sustainability is at the forefront of our business. To meet the growing need, the Primex sustainability committee was established.

Why was the Primex Sustainability Committee created?

The sustainability committee is comprised of members from all business units of Primex and was created as an initiative by our President, Mike Cramer.

The goal of the sustainability committee is to participate and contribute to furthering sustainable, circular economy initiatives. Not just by looking for ways for Primex to be a responsible member of the plastics industry, but to actively participate via networks and associations and pursue Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP), evaluate business opportunities, and pursue continuous improvement throughout the enterprise. The overall desire is to be proactive, promote our industry and the qualities of materials & products we manufacture, and conserve and contribute responsibly while doing it.

Primex Sustainability Mission Statement:

The Primex family of companies is dedicated to meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. We believe that sustainability is a collaborative, interdisciplinary field to which all stakeholders contribute. Corporate, social and environmental responsibility are all equal and critical anchor points of our commitment.

We achieve a sustainable business by using energy-efficient technologies, expanding recycling efforts, reducing waste, and improving operational efficiencies. Primex collaborates with stakeholders across the product lifecycle to facilitate the integration of sustainability principles and practices. We aspire to be a leader in corporate sustainability and are committed to the journey as a business partner, employer, and community member.

Meet the team: 

Blake Pace, Sustainability Team Chair
Blake serves as Chairman of the Primex Sustainability Committee. He is also the GM of the Reedsburg, WI Sheet Extrusion Plant. Blake started from the ground up, with over 36 years at Primex Reedsburg. Blake enjoys spending spare time with family and friends and can most likely be found enjoying some type of outdoor activity; hiking, boating, cycling, snowmobiling, riding UTVs, traveling, or working on his latest home improvement project.

Theresa Vanna
Theresa is the Print Market Specialist for Primex. Theresa has over 30 years of plastics experience in both flexible and rigid plastic sheets and films. She has been serving the Graphic Arts Industry as a resource of printable materials for packaging, point of purchase, point of sales items, and In-store environment applications. Her passion for sustainability has allowed her the opportunity to serve as Biodegradable Product Specialist for several organizations and on the Executive Board of Directors of SGP (Sustainable Green Printing) Partnership.

Jarrod Neuman
Jarrod is responsible for the daily operations of the recycling facility in Richmond, IN along with the elevation of Primex’s ReCycled product offerings through innovative recycling processes and quality metrics of recycled raw materials. He has been with Primex since 2003. Plastics recycling is a challenging field. However, it is also extremely engaging utilizing creative, technical, and scientific skills to develop proficient and effective recycling processes. Jarrod looks forward to utilizing these skillsets in assisting Primex’s forward progression and expansion of plastics recycling for years to come.

Dan Purpura
Dan started at Primex in 2013 and is responsible for the development and implementation of engineering, design, and continuous process improvement programs within Primex. He has been in the industry for over 19 years. Dan enjoys spending time with his family, working around the house, and reading.

Tim Wilson
As Technical Manager for Primex European Division, Tim oversees the Quality Department and works closely with the Production Department on a daily basis. He leads the quality and technical innovation at Primex Plastics UK, instigating the development of new products and material testing. In his free time, Tim is a keen cyclist, golfer and trainee glider pilot.

Lee Pfaffle
Lee is the Product Manager at PCC&A. Lee joined PCC&A in June of 2015. He received his BS in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University in 1994 and has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing, technical, and business positions within the plastics industry. For Lee, sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.

Darin Dubbs
Darin is the Director of Human Resources for Primex and has been in HR for over 30 years. Darin is responsible for developing strategies to attract, motivate, develop, and retain human capital, or people within our organization. Darin spends his free time with family and friends and enjoys sports. He has been married for 29 years and has two daughters. Darin is an avid Ohio State fan and loves to play golf.

Rob Wells
An Indiana native with Tennessee roots, Rob graduated from Indiana University with a BS in Business in 1987. Rob began his working career at Sanyo Verbatim where he got his feet wet with ISO quality systems. Rob has been with Primex for over 24 years leading the Quality Group and participating in a variety of other activities. Rob has been married to Becky for 32 years and has 2 children and 1 grandchild.

Chris Helms
Chris started at Primex over 30 years ago. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of technical and engineering direction regarding material science, design concepts, and understanding of changing technologies in the industry for PD&F.

Kayla Clevenger
Kayla joined Primex in 2018 as an administrative assistant and was promoted to Digital Marketing Coordinator in 2021. Kayla enjoys creating digital content, video marketing, product promotions, e-commerce, recruitment advertising, and internal communications. Kayla lives in Indiana with her husband, toddler, and dachshund.