steering committee
Alex McGill
Vice President, McGill Hose & Coupling, Inc.
Alex McGill
Vice President, McGill Hose & Coupling, Inc.
Alex McGill has been working in the hose industry for nearly 20 years, graduating from Elon University in 1999. His first job was with a PTFE hose manufacturer and after gaining valuable experience, he returned to help grow the family business. Early on in his career, he was a volunteer for NAHAD and assisted in its efforts to develop and promote what is now the Hose Safety Institute (HSI). He also served on the board and served as president of NAHAD.
Azael Resendiz
Product Engineer, RYCO Hydraulics
Azael Resendiz
Product Engineer, RYCO Hydraulics
Azael S Resendiz has more than six years of experience in the fluid conveyance industry, specifically in the design and manufacturing of umblicals, cables and hoses. He currently holds the Product Engineer position at RYCO Hydraulics where he provides end-user, application and engineering support.
Bill Patrick
Piping Global Improvement Leader, Dow Chemical
Bill Patrick
Piping Global Improvement Leader, Dow Chemical
Bill Patrick is the leader of a team of global engineers, developing value initiatives in the area of piping technology and piping work processes. He is an experienced piping materials engineer with expertise in valve technology and their application in the chemical industry. Knowledge in ASME Section VIII Div. 1, ASME B31.1 and B31.3 as well as applicable MSS, ASTM, ASME and API standards. He is also experienced in piping stress and design of pressure containing piping components and vessels.
Chris Holder
Director – Operations, Singer Equities, Inc.
Chris Holder
Director – Operations, Singer Equities, Inc.
Chris Holder has over 20 years of industrial distribution and manufacturing experience in hose, gaskets and conveyor belting. Chris has held multiple leadership positions over his career, including leading Supply Chain, Operations and Manufacturing organizations across North America. Chris Holder joined Singer Equities in January of 2017 to lead the operational activities for the Company.
Debbie Mitchell
Standards Manager, NAHAD
Debbie Mitchell
Standards Manager, NAHAD
Debbie Mitchell is the Standards Manager for NAHAD, the Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution. She has had responsibility for managing the Hose Safety Institute since its inception in 2011, and has worked with NAHAD managing the Standards Committee since 2006. Prior to that she was a manager in the employee training organization of Hewlett Packard, working chiefly with technical personnel in the sales organization.
Eric Blazej
Industrial Distribution Sales Manager, Proco Products
Eric Blazej
Industrial Distribution Sales Manager, Proco Products
In his role as industrial Distribution Sales Manager, Eric Blazej increases product sales and knowledge through distributor training and end user surveys.
Fred Schweighardt
National Projects Leader, Airgas
Fred Schweighardt
National Projects Leader, Airgas
Fred Schweighardt is a National Project Leader and International Expert for Airgas an Air Liquide Company in Houston, TX. In this capacity, he is applying his extensive background in welding to the fields of industrial gas in fabricating and manufacturing. Prior to joining Air Liquide, he was employed as a pipe welder, heating plant engineer, and weld shop manager. Fred is the Chairman of the AWS A5S (shielding gas) committee and is also a voting member of ISO US TAG 44. Fred graduated from the University of Utah with a BS in Welding Engineering Technology, and is an AWS Certified Welding Inspector.
Gilbert Alonzo
Sr. Mechanical Engineer, BP Production and Exploration
Gilbert Alonzo
Sr. Mechanical Engineer, BP Production and Exploration
Gilbert Alonzo retired from Dow Chemical after 30 years of service in January 2012. He is now employed by BP Explorationand Production in the Gulf of Mexico Region.
Gobind Khiani
Consulting Fellow - Piping/Pipelines/Control Systems - Global Valve SME
Gobind Khiani
Consulting Fellow - Piping/Pipelines/Control Systems - Global Valve SME
Gobind Khiani is a Consulting Fellow - Piping/Pipelines/Control Systems for Global Valve SME.
Hailing An
Subsea Controls Engineer, Chevron
Hailing An
Subsea Controls Engineer, Chevron
Hailing An has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in Indiana, and joined Chevron in June 2007. She began her journey with the company as part of the Energy Technology Company (ETC) segment of the business, which is the internal consulting organization for all the business units and projects within the company.
John O'Donnell
President, IDCO
John O'Donnell
President, IDCO
John O’Donnell is President of IDCO, the Industrial Co-op for independent hose, fitting, rubber and gasket distributors. He manages a network that includes 66 North American member companies with over 180 locations, and 79 suppliers of manufactured goods and services. Before joining IDCO in 2016, John was COO of a plastics manufacturer, providing potable water and DWV pipe and fitting systems to the plumbing and mechanical distribution channel.
John Owens
Supervisor — Hydraulic Hose Technician, NACG
John Owens
Supervisor — Hydraulic Hose Technician, NACG
Based in Acheson, an industrial hub in the Greater Edmonton area of Alberta, Canada, John Owens supervises the assembly of hydraulic hoses for North American Construction Group (NACG), a leading provider of heavy construction and mining services in Canada. A hose failure SME (subject-matter expert) with over 38 years of experience in the hydraulic hose and fittings industry, Owens is a specialist in high pressure applications and a proven leader in his field.
Karina Robinson
Market Director—Industrial Hose for North America, ContiTech
Karina Robinson
Market Director—Industrial Hose for North America, ContiTech
Karina is N.A. Market Director, Industrial Hose & Industrial Fluid Solutions for ContiTech USA.
Kerry Millen
Lead Piping Engineer, Jacobs Engineering and Executive Director for the Society of Piping Engineers and Designers (SPED)
Kerry Millen
Lead Piping Engineer, Jacobs Engineering and Executive Director for the Society of Piping Engineers and Designers (SPED)
Kerry Millen has been working in the engineering contracting industry for 32 years, with experience in the materials and management engineering field for projects in the oil & gas, petrochemical and mining sectors. She has worked in United Kingdom, France, Malaysia, South Africa, Angola, Madagascar, Azerbaijan, Middle East and the United States.
Molly Alton Mullins
Executive Vice President, NAHAD
Molly Alton Mullins
Executive Vice President, NAHAD
Molly Alton Mullins joined NAHAD in 2015 and recently took over for Joseph Thompson as Executive Vice President of NAHAD. Her background is in association management.
Prashant Malik
Director of Engineering—Gulf Coast Division, Saulsbury Industries
Prashant Malik
Director of Engineering—Gulf Coast Division, Saulsbury Industries
Prashant Malik has over 19 years of experience in equipment engineering and consultataion for various rotating and non-rotating mechanical equipments in natural gas plants,air separation/cryogenic plants, oil & gas applications, chemical plants, refineries, polysilicon & polymer plants.His specialties include: rotating and non-rotating mechanical equipment, design and engineering of pressure vessels and heat exchangers, API, ASME, ISO and various other recognized industry codes and standards, and manufacturing process optimization.
Rick Pitman
Senior Vice President—Environment, Health, Safety and Transportation, HydroChemPSC
Rick Pitman
Senior Vice President—Environment, Health, Safety and Transportation, HydroChemPSC
Rick Pitman, CSP serves as HydroChemPSC Senior Vice President of Environmental, Health, Safety and Transportation. Prior to becoming SVP, Rick served as VP EHST for PSC. Rick began his career as a waterblast technician in 1995 and has worked in the Industrial Services field for over 20 years.
Over his career Rick has been an advocate for improving the tooling and processes for Hydroblast and Vacuum service lines. He has spoken at International and National safety forums such as WJTA, AFPM, NAHAD, and continues to be a leading voice to encourage automation and stronger mechanical integrity programs. He has been a primary contributor to two industry white papers as well as the best practice recommendations guidelines for the Hydroblast industry. He is currently a member of the Hose Safety Institute and recently completed a term on the Houston Area Safety Council Board of Directors.
Rick is a Certified Safety Professional, Six Sigma Black Belt and holds a B.A. degree in History from Texas Tech University. He and his family currently reside in Friendswood Texas.
Rob Lyons
President, TIPCO Technologies
Rob Lyons
President, TIPCO Technologies
With 32 years of Flexible Solutions experience Rob Lyons is currently President of TIPCO Technologies Inc., which operates 11 locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic. TIPCO technologies is celebrating our 130th year of independent distribution. Additional industry experience includes: NAHAD President (2010), extensive volunteer hours on NAHAD’s Hose Safety Institute (HSI), Eaton Distributor Advisory Council (EDAC) member and IDCO Board of Directors member.
Ron Merrick
Director—Piping Material, Fluor
Ron Merrick
Director—Piping Material, Fluor
Ron Merrick has had forty-three years of piping and valve specification experience with Fluor in Houston, and is a Fluor Senior Fellow. Primary responsibilities include maintaining the Fluor corporate master piping catalog and specifications, providing technical advice to Fluor projects and clients, and working with suppliers and manufacturers on quality and supply chain issues.
He is a former President of PVF Roundtable, and is also on the Valves and Piping Subgroup of
Susanna Vandenberg
Marketing Manager, Flexaust
Susanna Vandenberg
Marketing Manager, Flexaust
Susanna Vandenburg is a marketing leader with a successful track record building and leading strategic direction and tactical plans with expertise in multi-channel marketing, communications, branding, product positioning and new business development.