ILMA Compoundings - April 2021 - 44

PORTRAIT
Glenn Mazzamaro
Vice President, Petroleum Additives,
Vanderbilt Chemicals LLC
" My guiding principle in life has always been to
take action and not sit idle. This principle of
'carpe diem' (seize the day) was made famous
by the movie Dead Poets Society. The movie
was released in June 1989, during a time when
I was not completely satisfied with my career
track. In November 1989, I seized the day and
resigned from my first employer of 12 years. I
accepted a new assignment, which brought
me into the lubricant additives industry and
allowed me and my wife, Janice, to return to
Connecticut, where we both grew up, to raise
our family. "

BORN TO BE A CHEMIST
" My father majored in chemistry at UConn and started as a
quality control laboratory chemist with a small metal-finishing company in Waterbury, Connecticut. After a few years in
the business, he saw an opportunity to create supplemental
income by setting up a wet laboratory in a section of our
basement and taking on chemical manufacturing clients for
third-party quality control work. He trained me to perform
titrations and other tests when I was 10-12 years old and hung
the periodic table on one wall in my bedroom, so chemistry
has been in my blood since I was a child. I went on to become
a chemical engineer, and my two brothers also ended up in
the chemical industry. "

where we experienced our most memorable traveling experiences. Being centrally located in Europe, we were able to
travel as a family by car to France, Belgium, Germany, Austria
and Italy on several occasions. In five hours, we could be in five
different countries. During the international school breaks, we
took the opportunity to travel to Great Britain, Greece, Turkey
and Egypt. Our young children learned German and French
and were very prepared for their return to U.S. academics. "

A PASSION TO RELISH
" Cooking is a major passion that I share with Janice. I have always viewed a chef, creating a recipe to prepare an exotic dish,
and a chemist, creating a process to synthesize a new product,
as having much in common. Every September, when cherry
peppers come in season, I undertake a two-day culinary project to produce and package gallons and gallons of Mazz's
Relish, according to my proprietary recipe. It is a sweet and
spicy relish that goes well with hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, eggs, and with hummus and other savory dips. It is an
annual fall tradition that I hope one day will be passed on in
the family for generations to come. "

CREATING A CAREER
" While I was studying chemical engineering at Cornell University, I seized the opportunity to apply to their engineering
co-op program and landed a co-op assignment with Exxon
Chemical Co. in Linden, New Jersey. When I graduated, I was
hired by Exxon as a 'contact' (process) engineer and became
proficient in troubleshooting chemical processes, which I
enjoyed immensely. After about seven years in manufacturing
and tons of questions to my superiors about what happens
to all the products that we shipped from the plant, I was
appropriately offered an assignment as technical sales representative, which opened up the amazing world of customer
relationships. "

LIFE ABROAD
" During my tenure with Ciba Specialty Chemicals (now part
of BASF) in their process and lubricant additives business, I
seized the opportunity for an ex-pat assignment in their Basel,
Switzerland, headquarters. Janice and our three children
moved with me to Basel for two years, and it was from there

APRIL 2021

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ILMA Compoundings - April 2021

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