In April, ChBE alumnus, Ronald C. Lindsay, received the College of Engineering and Science’s highest honor, being inducted into the Thomas Green Clemson Academy. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering in 1980. Shortly thereafter he accepted a position with the Eastman Chemical Company.
Lindsay began his career as an entry-level process improvement engineer and has risen to the highest levels of the company. Throughout his career, Lindsay has shown great adaptability by serving, leading, and excelling in a very broad range of roles. For example, he has been a director of three different manufacturing divisions, had P&L responsibility for several business organizations, and has been the chief technology officer for the company. His latest position was the inaugural chief operating officer for Eastman Chemical Company, a Fortune 500 company with $10 billion in annual revenue.
Lindsay has been instrumental in leading the company through a transformation from a mostly commodities company to a specialty company, realizing six continuous years of earnings growth in very challenging times, and achieving this in the right way – ethically and safely. Eastman recently received the inaugural “top company” designation in the Specialty segment for “Advancing Excellence in Process Safety.” For the last three years Eastman has also received recognition as one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by Ethisphere and Glassdoor’s “Best Place to Work.”
Lindsay is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and served as chair of the Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson University.
He is a very active supporter of the United Way in Kingsport, Tennessee, and he has also served on the boards of the local American Red Cross and a local private school, Tri-Cities Christian School.
(Excerpts of article written by Paul Alongi, COES)