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PHILADELPHIA, PA—8 March 2006—Richard Bolte, Sr., founder and chairman of BDP International, will be the first recipient of the new Award for Supporting Industries from the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF). CHF will present the award annually to recognize outstanding contributions by a leader who provides products or services vital to the continuing growth and development of the chemical and molecular sciences community.
"Dick Bolte is a courageous and visionary leader who has pioneered in the development of international logistics services and complementing information systems, and thereby has enabled the global expansion of containerized chemical shipments," said Arnold Thackray, president of CHF. "Bolte is a true entrepreneur, creating opportunity and value to the benefit of all."
About Richard J. Bolte, Sr.
Bolte founded his own logistics firm in 1966, with a bachelor's degree in business administration earned through night classes at LaSalle University, brief experience in a small company, a young family, and unshakeable confidence that he was on the path to success. Forty years later Bolte's company, BDP International, is a leader in the global shipping industry it helped to revolutionize, with operations in 113 countries and annual sales of approximately $1 billion.
Bolte's and BDP's success has enabled the chemical industry to effectively extend the reach of its supply chains during a period of business globalization. Approximately 65% of BDP's global business represents the chemical industry, including clients such as Bayer, Rohm and Haas, DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Air Products. BDP also manages over 300,000 chemical shipments per year. Its solutions and services allow chemical companies to efficiently and economically address environmental safety and regulatory issues in transportation in ways that facilitate the global growth of the chemical industry.
BDP was formed from R.J. Bolte Company in 1972 through a series of mergers. Under Bolte's direction as chairman and CEO, BDP has grown to be one of the largest privately owned global logistics companies in North America. Bolte is still actively engaged in the business, which is likely to stay in the family: all seven of his sons and stepsons are involved in the company, with Richard Bolte, Jr., serving as BDP's president.
Bolte is also active in community affairs. He has been an owner and breeder of racehorses for almost 30 years. In 2004 Governor Edward Rendell appointed him one of three members of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission. Bolte has served on the board of Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland, which awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters and where he established a scholarship in memory of his grandson Ryan. He is also involved in his alma mater, Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia. Bolte is a connoisseur of art and has amassed a major collection of paintings by Andrew Wyeth.
About the CHF Award for Supporting Industries
The Board of Directors of the Chemical Heritage Foundation has created a new Award for Supporting Industries. The award will be presented annually by CHF to recognize outstanding contributions by a leader who provides products or services vital to the continuing growth and development of the chemical and molecular sciences community.
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation
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 its 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.
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