2008 Petrochemical Heritage Award Peter R. Huntsman
Dave C. Swalm

Peter R. Huntsman and Dave C. Swalm recieved the 12th annual Petrochemical Heritage Award on Sunday, 30 March 2008, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The award was presented at the annual Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, held as part of the 33rd National Petrochemical Refiners Association (NPRA) International Petrochemical Conference.

Peter R. Huntsman is president and CEO of the Huntsman Company, a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and commodity chemicals. Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging, and later for rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman today has 15,000 employees at 78 operations in 24 countries.

After attending the University of Utah, Huntsman began his professional career in 1983 with Olympus Oil Corporation and in 1986 was named the company’s president. He joined Huntsman Polypropylene Corporation, a subsidiary of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, as vice president in 1987. In 1992 he became a senior vice president and general manager of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, assisting in directing global manufacturing, marketing, and sales for Huntsman Chemical and its affiliated companies. In 1996 Huntsman became president and COO of Huntsman, and in 2000 he was named the company’s CEO, replacing his father, Jon Huntsman.

In addition to his duties at the Huntsman Company, Peter Huntsman helps direct a number of domestic and international humanitarian projects. He is also actively involved in civic affairs.

Dave C. Swalm is the founder of Texas Petrochemicals Company. He received a degree in chemical engineering from Mississippi State University.

After graduation Swalm worked for The Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, Texas. He subsequently worked for Texas Butadiene & Chemical Corporation as a process engineer and then as regional petrochemical sales manager. He next worked for Steuber Company as a chemical broker.

In 1968 Swalm resigned from Steuber and founded Texas Olefins Company, using $6,000 in personal savings. In 1984 Texas Olefins purchased Tenneco Chemical's Petro-Tex plant. Renamed Texas Petrochemicals Company, the plant had a sales level of 500 million pounds per year when purchased. Under Swalm’s leadership, plant output grew to 2,700 million pounds by 1992.

In 1979 Swalm set up the Swalm Foundation, which, over a period of 26 years, made 2,500 grants totaling more than $214 million to a wide variety of organizations, mostly in the social services area. Swalm has personally contributed to many educational institutions, including Mississippi State University, Brookhaven secondary schools, and Jackson State University.

About the Petrochemical Heritage Award
CHF and the Founders Club established the Petrochemical Heritage Award in 1997 to recognize individuals who made outstanding contributions to the petrochemical community; to inspire achievement; and to promote public understanding of the modern sciences, industries, and economies. Past recipients of the award are Dan L. Duncan, chairman, Enterprise Products partners; J. Virgil Waggoner, former president and CEO of Sterling Chemicals; Ting Tsung ("T. T.") Chao, founder of the Westlake Chemical Corporation; William A. McMinn, Jr., former president of Cain Chemical; Harold A. Sorgenti, former president and chief executive officer of ARCO Chemical Company; Herbert D. “Ted” Doan, former chairman and CEO of the Dow Chemical Company; Jon M. Huntsman, founder of Huntsman Corporation; Gordon Cain, well-known chemical engineer and business entrepreneur; John T. Files, founder and chairman of the Merichem Company; John R. Hall, chemical engineer and former president, chairman, and CEO of Ashland; and Ralph Landau, cofounder of Halcon/Scientific Design Group.

THE FOUNDERS CLUB was founded in 1981 by a group of petrochemical industry executives who participated in the establishment of the Petrochemical Committee of the NPRA and ultimately generated the International Petrochemicals Conference (IPC) as a separate identity within NPRA. The Founders Club today is a select group of individuals with a minimum of 25 years of distinguished service in the petrochemical industry. The club proudly advances the legacy inherited from these original "Founders" as contributing stewards of the petrochemical industry with a respect for the past (legacy), activities for the present (networking), and support for the future (recognition).

NPRA was established in 1961 as a result of the merger of the National Petroleum Association and the Western Petroleum Refiners Association. It is the oldest continuing oil-industry association in the United States, dating back to 1902, with the founding of the National Petroleum Association. NPRA represents virtually all refining and petrochemical producers in the United States and has a significant number of non-U.S. companies as members.

THE CHEMICAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION (CHF) serves the community of the chemical and molecular sciences, and the wider public, by treasuring the past, educating the present, and inspiring the future. CHF maintains a world-class collection of materials that document the history and heritage of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries; encourages research in CHF collections; and carries out a program of outreach and interpretation in order to advance an understanding of the role of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries in shaping society.