S P R I N G 2 012 • 1

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Greetings Friends and Neighbors!
As the weather warms, our thoughts turn to celebrating our nation’s history and our favorite pastime with family and friends. And, here in Louisiana we are doing just that!
But in between baseball games, we are celebrating a few amazing accomplishments of our own.
Dow recently announced plans to increase ethylene and propylene production on the Gulf Coast. This means in Louisiana we are looking forward to making facility improvements at the Louisiana Operations site in Plaquemine and restarting a facility at St. Charles Operations.
Out there in the community, Dow employees have a lot to be proud of, too. We continue to celebrate Dow’s rich history of community commitment through the many Dowsupported projects that positively impact our neighbors. For example, we continue to support educational opportunities for all ages (see stories on Teach For America and Hands-On Science on pages 6 and 7), and our financial support of the Louisiana
Community and Technical College System (page 9) is improving the accessibility of college courses for local students. Dow continues to sponsor community events such as
Paddle Bayou Lafourche (page 8) while our employees generously give their time and talents to a number of deserving community organizations. You can read about several of these dedicated employees on pages 14 and 15. Dow does all of this while keeping the safety of our employees and community the number one priority (see Safety Tailgate
Event photos page 13).
In 2012, as Dow continues to manage through the jagged economic recovery, we remain a vital member of this wonderful community of people and organizations dedicated to making Louisiana a great place to live, work and play. We, at Dow, are proud to be a part of this vibrant community of caring.
Public Affairs Leader
Dow in Louisiana
4 • l o u I S I a N a’ S d I a m o N d

g
Soon after taking over as the new site leader for Dow’s St. Charles Operations,
“We want the community to trust us,” Laura says. “We want neighbors to encourage their children to work for Dow, and we want them to be comfortable that we are protecting the environment.”
Laura Ambrose was driving from Baton
Rouge to the SCO site when she decided to try a new route. She came upon an unexpected fork in the road, and was forced to decide between veering right or veering left.
Laura has a chemical engineering degree from Iowa State
University. She began her Dow career in California in 1983 and has worked at sites in Michigan, Texas, and The Netherlands.
And the sign that guided her to the right fork in the road?
She found out later that it was for visitors to the nearby Laura
Plantation. Sometimes, you catch a break.
“On the side of the road I saw a small sign that said, ‘Laura g
’ encouraging me to take the right split,” Laura says.
So she went right, and it led her to SCO successfully.
Pointing people in the right direction is a key part of Laura’s job as SCO site director, and a fundamental component of her personal philosophy. She cites the book “The Principle of the Path” by Andy
Stanley and his belief that “your direction, not your intention, determines your destination.”
“It’s a principle I try to run my life by,” Laura says.
Ambrose has two priorities for SCO, employees and the community.
“I want our employees to be happy to work for The Dow
Chemical Company. I want them to have fulfilling careers and one day retire and play with their grandchildren,” she says.
For the St. Charles and Greater New Orleans communities, she wants to promote the partnership Dow has enjoyed with them over the years.
In March, Laura hosted two fish fry’s for the site to introduce herself to St. Charles Operations Employees.
S P R I N G 2 012 • 5

Each spring, America’s top college graduates have a wealth of options. They can move on to graduate school. They can join one of the high-paying corporations trying to recruit them. They can launch a dot-com startup in the hopes of becoming the next Bill
Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.
But rather than cash in, Anna Field chose to pitch in.
Anna joined more than 5,000 graduates in the 2011 class of
Teach For America (TFA). TFA is a nationwide nonprofit group that recruits and trains teachers for impoverished schools. Anna grew up in Illinois and attended DePauw University in Indiana, but she has spent the past eight months as a kindergarten teacher at St. Helena Central Elementary School in Greensburg, La.
And she couldn’t be happier.
“I love teaching kindergarten,” Anna says. “It is kind of a dream come true, being able to teach for such an early age, as the kids are just starting to learn about the world. I feel really lucky that I get to be their teacher.”
TFA began sending teachers to St. Helena in 2007, and
Dow’s Amerchol site began providing financial support the following year. This year,
Amerchol sponsors three TFA teachers in St. Helena.
The community is lucky to have Anna, as well as the nine other TFA teachers now serving at St. Helena
Elementary and St. Helena
Middle School, according to
Superintendent Kelli Joseph.
“They have been consistent with their willingness to implement district-wide initiatives, come to school prepared every day and have a positive attitude regarding the challenges within our school district,” Kelli says.
Helping districts with economic challenges is what TFA is all about, says Michael Tipton, TFA executive director for South
Louisiana.
“If you are a child who grows up in poverty, you have a one in 10 chance of graduating from college,” Michael says. “The achievement gap is our nation’s most critical issue.”
TFA gives its recruits special training, because most of them don’t have teaching degrees. The new teachers are hired and paid by the schools where they are assigned, and agree to stay on the job for two years. Many stay longer. In fact, Michael says, two-thirds of the teachers who have joined TFA since the program began 21 years ago have stayed in education.
“Education and training are critical to the success of Dow in
Louisiana,” says Sandy Holden, Amerchol site leader. “We are honored to help sponsor Teach for America corps members for
St. Helena Parish.”
Anna Field poses with her kindergarten students at St. Helena Elementary in Greensburg, La. Field is one of 10 teachers serving in St. Helena schools as a result of the Teach For America program, which arranges for top college graduates from across the country to become teachers at some of the nation’s most challenged schools.
6 • I m P a c t

Joy Hobbins taught science for 28 years, so she knows the kinds “My students look forward to the day when new science kits of things kids like.
Tadpoles are pretty high on the list.
The wiggly little critters are just part of what makes the Handson-Science program a popular and effective enhancement to the education offered at several area schools.
are delivered because they are excited to see what is in store for them,” says Loren McIntyre, a fourth-grade teacher at Iberville’s
Math, Science & Arts Academy. “As we are doing experiments, students are truly engaged in scientific inquiry — they are collaborating, helping each other out, working as a team and developing thoughtful scientific questions.”
When the lesson is done, Joy picks up the kits and gets them ready for the next class that needs them. About 80 percent of the science teachers at the schools Joy serves use Hands-on-Science, she says.
Joy was a teacher in the pilot program more than 10 years ago.
“When I went into middle school science I had friends at Dow, and I said, ‘What are you looking for? What can I teach in science that will help them when they come to ask you for a job some day?’ “ Joy recalls. “They said, ‘We want them to learn how to think creatively and how to think and work in a group, and to problem-solve.”
“The teacher is not sitting at the front of the class saying, ‘You know what, if you put baking soda in that beaker, it’s going to fizz up. Here’s a picture.’ (The kids) get to actually do it,” says
Joy, coordinator of the program serving West Baton Rouge and
Iberville public schools as well as parochial schools Holy Family and St. John.
Dow donated funding to get the program started and buy the first round of kits. Since then, the Company pays each year to have the kits refurbished. That means everything from new batteries to restocking kits that come with living animals.
The key to Hands-on-Science is a kit that includes everything necessary to teach a particular lesson. A class studying geology, for instance, can call Joy, and she’ll deliver “Earth Science” kits
– complete with actual fossils – for all the students, as well as a teacher’s guide, lesson instructions and perhaps even a video that shows how an experiment works.
Fourth grade students at Iberville’s Math, Science & Arts Academy work together to construct an “eco-column” using a Hands-on-Science kit.
S P R I N G / S u m m e R 2 012 • 7

Imagine hosting a lunch for about 100 hungry friends. And we’re not talking tough-morning-at-the-office hungry, we’re talking canoeing-all-morning hungry.
That’s the challenge that Heidi Mattingly faces each year during
Paddle Bayou Lafourche (PBL), a four-day, 52-mile canoe adventure from Donaldsonville to Lockport.
The 52-mile Paddle Bayou LaFourche canoe trip from Donaldsonville to
Lockport promotes awareness of the
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary.
“This is a pretty big event,” Heidi says.
Every year since 2005, Heidi has organized Dow’s contribution to PBL, hosting a lunch on the first day of the event.
“When we first started, it was just me and my family and some friends and a few Dow volunteers,” she says. “(Now) I have a lot of help. It runs like clockwork.”
Dow has about 30 employees and 15 contractors at the Grand
Bayou site, and Heidi recruits as many of them as possible to put on the lunch.
“By no means do I do it alone,” she says. “This is a team effort.”
A gracious Assumption Parish couple allows Dow to use their waterfront home to host the lunch. The property has a wide area that slopes down to the water, allowing canoeists easy access.
“We have sandwiches all ready for them, we have the Dow tent, we have a big ‘We Love Bayou Lafourche’ banner,” Heidi says.
“They rest and eat and talk, and everybody has a great time for an hour or an hour and a half.”
Then the paddlers head back out onto the bayou. The fleet continues on to Madewood Plantation in Napoleonville, where many canoeists camp out and enjoy entertainment provided by the event organizer, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary
Program. Then it’s more of the same for the next three days, stopping in various communities. Some participants take part only one day, some spend the weekend, others paddle the entire
52 miles.
And it’s more than a social event.
“It’s to promote awareness,” says Helen LaFleur, PBL event coordinator for the estuary program. “The estuary not only affects the wildlife and the fish and the trees, it affects the economy and the lifestyle of the people here.”
That makes it a great event for Dow to be involved in.
“It shows Dow’s commitment to the community,” Heidi says. “It’s a wonderful thing to show our appreciation of the bayou, and to help keep it clean.”
“Dow loves the bayou.”
Left to right: Dwayne Knapp, Heidi Mattingly, Kelli Moran, Crystal King,
Steve Troxclair volunteer at Paddle Bayou Lafourche.
8 • I m P a c t
Steve Troxclair, Brent Pipsair, Elray Breaux hand out lunches to the event participants.

Global travel, world studies. These are things most students just dream of. But the Louisiana Community and Technical College
System (LCTCS) is turning these dreams into reality
Since 2008, LCTCS has provided a unique opportunity for students to participate in a global leadership program, the
Salzburg (Austria) Global Seminar. This renowned international forum for world economics, politics and social issues, served as an opportunity to internationalize LCTCS campuses and provided students with exceptional life experiences.
“Our goal was to engage students in discussions about the world and our role in it,” says LCTCS President Joe May.
“Our institutions are very local and we wanted to broaden the perspective of our students so they could understand how
Louisiana is a part of the global economy, and what those international connections could represent.”
“By breaking out of traditional learning environments, students are provided with an experience that will expand and challenge their views and help them to compete globally,” says Dow’s
Ernest Green, site leader for Dow Performance Additive’s
Sterlington Site and LCTCS’ new board member. “I think for most it will be a life-changing experience, and I’m delighted to help in any way I can.”
LCTCS has 16 community and technical colleges and a mandate to enhance education by building a robust and uniquely global learning environment.
This responsibility is something Leah Goss, LCTCS vice president for System Advancement, takes seriously. So seriously that she works with all 16 colleges to shape and drive their fundraising activities to ensure each school can participate in a key leadership program in an on-going, self-sustaining way.
That dream will become reality in fall 2012 when Westside
Technical College opens, with help in part from Dow.
Dow’s $1 million donation was pivotal in moving the project from concept to reality. The largest donation ever received by the College Foundation, it closely aligns with Dow’s goal of contributing to community success.
As Bo Miller, president and executive director of The Dow
Chemical Company Foundation, noted at the time of the donation, providing technical education and training is important for the overall competitiveness of the United States, and therefore very much a priority for communities where Dow operates.
Westside Technical College, part of the LCTCS, will feature a number of technical training programs needed for residents to get quality jobs. In particular, the Industrial Maintenance Program is viewed as a key curriculum for the community because it will educate and train students and residents for jobs in the chemical industry.
“Students are challenged to move outside an American point of view and to see the world through the eyes of others – to step back and look at America the way other nations do,” says Goss.
For years, local educators in Iberville Parish have dreamed of having a place to provide post-secondary technical education.
2012 Salzburg Global Seminar students ready for departure at the Louis
Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
In the five years Dow’s ANGUS facility has been investing in the process technology program at Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe, enrollment has exploded. With only five students in 2006, college officials and Dow began a relationship to meet a critical need – a qualified workforce in northeast
Louisiana. Today, with 98 students and a new process technology lab, The Dow Chemical Company Industrial Lab, that shared vision has become a reality.
College Students Win
• Hands-on process technology experience
• Easier transition from college to work
• Increased local job opportunities
Northeast Louisiana and Dow Win
• Collaborative relationship between industry and education
• Trained workforce for the future
S P R I N G 2 012 • 9

Twelve years ago, Dow made a promise – a promise to care, to give back, to help our neighbors. The employee-led initiative,
Dow Promise, was born. Based on the ideals of America’s
Promise – the success of our young people depends on caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education and opportunities to help others – Dow Promise targets programs that emphasize education for African-American youth and adults in communities where Dow employees live and work.
their opportunities to learn after school. In late 2011, Dow provided much-needed funds for a portable computer lab. “Now,
Isonel says, “12 new laptops are powered up and helping more than 220 kids improve their computer skills, complete group projects, participate in tutoring sessions, prepare for state-wide standardized tests, and explore career options.” All this means a bright future for students.
New Beginnings Community Development Corporation is a nonprofit organization that works to improve life for the students and families of West Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana. With a passion for cultivating education and enrichment opportunities for youth, the staff and volunteers are busy providing daily after school programs. Their goal is to engage and motivate students at the three lowest-performing schools in the Parish.
According to Isonel Brown, executive director of New
Beginnings, the organization enriches students’ lives by expanding
The future is looking bright for students at St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans where Sister Jennie Jones has made incredible changes. A school principal for 27 years and a life-long advocate for education, Sr. Jones was faced with rebuilding St. Mary’s
Academy after the 2005 devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The school now also accommodates many students displaced by the hurricane.
With a new building and new students, Sr. Jones saw an opportunity for another fresh start – a chance to enhance math education. With advice from Mary Champagne, a project planner
Students at New Beginnings use computers purchased with funding from Dow Promise.
10 • I m P a c t

and scheduler at Dow’s St. Charles Operations, St. Mary’s
Academy applied for and received funding in 2010 to purchase
Math Mania, a program designed to build an understanding of mathematics.
Spring 2011:
• Southern university, center for energy and environmental Studies – camp ceeS
• Southern university, office of Research and Strategic Initiatives –
Summer transportation and energy Institute
• families and friends of louisiana’s Incarcerated children – Parents and leadership Project
• baker Police explorer cadet Program – Sleea Project
Sister Jennie Jones
Since then it has been full steam ahead. Sr. Jones continues to work tirelessly to provide her 400 middle and high school students with the grounding they need in mathematics. In January 2012,
Sr. Jones was recognized by the White House for her efforts, and characterized as an extraordinary individual who has made a significant impact on the students, families, and educators.
The efforts and passion of two educators at Woodlawn High
School in Baton Rouge has had a tremendous impact on students in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). How? Through the annual FIRST
Robotics Competition, created by Dean Kamen, the celebrated inventor of the portable insulin pump. The competition has evolved over two decades to become one of international participation and incredible opportunity for the kids.
Fall 2011:
• woodlawn high School – team Pantrobotics
• Pleasant Zion missionary baptist church – PZmbc Summer enrichment camp
• young leadership council – Power ties Program
• baton Rouge delta development corporation – the dr. betty Shabazz delta academy for Stem enhancement
• New beginnings community development corporation – dow mobile technology lab
Early this year, Jonathan Nester, a math teacher, and Daniel
Eiland, a social studies teacher, approached Dow’s Plaquemine site employee sponsor, Julie Russell, for a grant to field its 2012 team for FIRST Robotics. The 30-plus students who comprise
Team Pantrobotics have been enthusiastically preparing and competing in regional Robotics competitions ever since. But, even more promising, the student participation rate has nearly doubled since the event started three years ago. And, as Daniel notes, “Because of the Dow Promise funds, we are able to provide our students with a realistic hands-on learning environment. As a result, we’re seeing an increased interest in students about STEM fields because they get to experience the ‘cool factor’ of those subjects – to me that says it all.”
Team Pantrobobotics’ competition bot, Hot Shot.
Team Panthrobotics kicks off FIRST Robotics 2012 wearing the build season t-shirts, sold to support autism awareness.
S P R I N G / S u m m e R 2 012 • 11

Many of us don’t give much thought to where natural gas comes from – we just know that when it’s cold outside, our furnace kicks on. Industry, on the other hand, must carefully consider the availability and cost of energy needed to fuel production.
Dow recently announced plans to increase ethylene and propylene production on the Gulf Coast – a plan made possible by the availability of natural gas supplies from shale gas deposits in the
Marcellus Region of Pennsylvania. Dow’s ethylene production in Louisiana depends on a steady source of well-priced fuel
(feedstocks) to power the plants, and the long-term feedstock supply agreement now in place moves the expansion from possibility to reality.
The planned production increase means good news to Louisiana, too – the move could bring new jobs to the state.
“The improved outlook for U.S. natural gas supply from shale brings the prospect of competitively priced ethane and propane feedstocks to Dow – and the promise of new manufacturing jobs to America,” said Jim Fitterling, Dow executive vice president and president of Corporate Development & Hydrocarbons .
In Louisiana, Dow’s growth plan includes changes at both
Louisiana Operations and the St. Charles site:
• improving ethane feedstock flexibility for an existing ethylene plant at the Louisiana Operations site in Plaquemine
• re-starting an ethylene plant at the St. Charles Operations site near Hahnville by the end of this year
The largest producer of ethylene in North America, Dow has similar ethylene and propylene production changes slated for Texas facilities. These investments in production facilities combined with the new planned supply agreement will allow Dow to strengthen competitiveness in the Performance Plastics, Performance Products and Advanced Materials businesses.
Louisiana Operations.
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This past February, LAO employees and contractors were invited to the Dow Plantation
House to celebrate LAO’s best ever EH&S performance.
“I want to say thanks for the great turnout at our tailgate party in celebration of 2011 best ever
EH&S performance,” said Scott White, LAO
Responsible Care Leader. “It really motivated me to talk to so many people who are committed to
EH&S performance and that love working here at LAO.”
In 2011, LAO celebrated the best ever OSHA rate for the site.
• Platinum status in the living the vision hall of fame for reaching 2.8 million hours since the last recordable injury
• 400 days without a process safety incident
• 178 days between work-related injuries and illnesses
S P R I N G 2 012 • 13

From running a marathon to running a club, Dow employees give their time and talent to the local community. The iGive grant program, a component of DowGives – Dow’s Louisiana
Operations financial and volunteer support program – helps target giving and recognizing those volunteer efforts. iGive grants of
$500 encourage and support employees who contribute 25 hours or more of their time within the previous 12 months to a nonprofit organization.
“I am so happy that Dow is supporting me and the hospital through an iGive grant. I know the money is going to a good cause. And I’d encourage other Dow employees to apply for a grant like I did. Dow awards the grants quarterly so there are many opportunities to apply. It’s a great way to help the organizations you care about get needed funding.”
Detailed Production Scheduler, LAO
Holy Family School
Dow employees in Louisiana are using iGive grants in many ways to strengthen their local communities.
Process Technician, LAO
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
“I’ve been involved with the Holy Family School for nearly my whole life. I attended from kindergarten through 8th grade, and my five kids
– two have graduated – attend. Having willing volunteers is essential for our school to survive.
And so many people want to be involved. It makes my heart full!
“Dow’s iGive grants are a perk for employees and it’s definitely worth taking the time to apply. The grants make our volunteer efforts a little more beneficial to our local nonprofit organizations. For example, the iGive grant I applied for was used to purchase important classroom equipment, including 15 sets of headphones for the computer lab and a dry erase board for a math classroom.”
Joshua Hinton will be hitting the pavement to support St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital by running 26.2 miles. For the second year, he will be a St. Jude “Hero” through the Baton Rouge affiliate clinic, raising money for the hospital as he prepares for and participates in a marathon. Joshua raised $15,300 when he ran in the 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the first time he’d ever run a marathon. His goal this year is to raise $20,000, which will add to the satisfaction of running the St. Jude Memphis
Marathon in December.
“I am really motivated this year because the marathon will be in
Memphis, home of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I’m looking forward to visiting the hospital and learning more about the work they do to help kids. I have to admit that running the marathon in Chicago was the worst pain I’d ever felt. But I figure
I can sacrifice a little to help kids who face pain and fear every day as they battle cancer.
Activity Coordinator at Weeks Island
Autism Society of Acadiana
“The Autism Society of
Acadiana (ASAC) gives families affected by autism a place to meet others dealing with the same issues. Events
– such as support groups, conferences, family bowling night, movie nights, and family fun day – are organized especially with the special needs of our kids in mind. It’s a community of support and acceptance. By volunteering, I can have a positive impact on families just beginning the journey of living with autism.
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“Thanks to Dow’s help, my son and I have been second in fundraising for the ASAC’s ‘Walk for Hope’ for two years.
I’ve learned how critical it is for nonprofit organizations to get donations like the iGive grants because funding is hard to find.
Everyone at the ASAC was excited to get Dow’s donation. I’m sure it’s the same for other nonprofits.”
LHC-3 Process Automation Engineer, LAO
Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet Band Board
“Music is an important part of my daughter’s and her classmates’ lives. The board I volunteer for supports three middle school orchestral bands and one honors jazz band at the Sherwood
Middle Academic Magnet school. Some of the kids start without having ever read music before and, in just three years, they become excellent musicians. That’s a great source of pride for the students, parents, teachers, and school.
“Just recently I worked at a band fundraiser where my co-workers helped me by loaning equipment and delivering supplies. I saw firsthand that Dow people have a strong volunteer spirit. I’ve gained a lot of appreciation for the value of volunteering. And I’m proud that Dow helps me support local organizations.”
EOEG Coach, SCO
Parents Outreach Network for Youth (PONY)
“I strongly believe that
I have a responsibility to give back to my community with my time and talent. So volunteering and public service are important parts of my life. PONY is just one of the ways
I can give back.
PONY – a community organization that helps disadvantaged young people – seeks to build self-esteem and confidence by providing caring support, positive role models, and necessities like school supplies, uniforms, and personal hygiene items.
“PONY gives hope, direction, and a foundation to many kids in
St. Charles Parish and neighboring communities. With the iGive grant, we can reach even more kids and their families, showing them that people and companies like Dow do care.”
It was his time to shine.
After 18 years of competing, Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) retiree, Bill Elrod, just knew this was his year to break out of the “also ran” category. And, at the National Senior Games in
Houston, he did just that, taking home silver in the 5K race walk, bronze medals in the 1500M race walk and shuffleboard doubles and a ribbon in shuffleboard singles.
“It’s very motivating,” says Bill, who serves as Dow retiree health ambassador for the Eveready Carbide Retiree Group. “And it’s a lot of fun. I met World War II vets in their 80s and 90s who were competing!”
With more than 10,000 participants, the National Senior Games is the largest multi-sport event in the world for adult athletes at least
50 years of age, offering competition in 18 medal sports and two demonstration sports.
“The Games are not just for retirees. I would recommend it to anyone 50 and up – in fact, most track and field events are open to those 40 and above,” Bill says. “It’s a great motivation to keep active and improve your health.”
A number of Dow retirees participated in the Games last summer and were honored at a reception attended by local Dow and UCC retirees and Houston Dow Center employees.
Bill Elrod takes home a silver medal, two bronze medals and a ribbon in the 2011 National Senior Games.
S P R I N G / S u m m e R 2 012 • 15

Continuing its tradition of community involvement in the state, “Dow works with contractors every day who have a long history of investing in this foundation,” says Mike Albano, Louisiana
Operations Site Maintenance Leader.
Dow makes contributions to a number of Louisiana organizations each year, both large and small. Through support of the construction industry and contributions to several community building projects, Dow is helping to build better communities.
Dow and the YMCA have something in common – for decades both have contributed to the well-being of generations of families.
Shared goals, that’s what prompted Dow to donate $1 million to the construction of the Dow Westside YMCA five years ago. This year, Dow refreshed their support with an additional $25,000 contribution during the Y’s 5th birthday party on March 15. The goal: supporting healthy activities for generations to come.
Art Favre, president of Performance Contractors and president of
LCEF says, “Support from global industry leaders, such as The
Dow Chemical Company, is vital to the contractor community serving Dow in Louisiana. Because of this generous contribution from Dow, we are closer to reaching our goals of increasing the quantity and quality of training and educational initiatives.
Through partnerships such as this, we can make a greater impact on our community and the youth of Louisiana.”
To learn more about LCEF’s mission, vision and supporting partners, visit its website at http://lcef.info/.
With groundbreaking behind them, local officials and staff from
Dow’s St. Charles Operations are looking forward to the new St.
Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Hahnville opening in 2013. Dow pledged support of the new center last fall with a $870,000 donation toward the construction project.
With the pile-driving stage of construction recently completed, the project team has moved forward to work on the foundation. “We’re eagerly anticipating seeing the building’s footprint and getting our first chance to walk across what will soon be our new facility,” says Scott Whelchel, director of St. Charles Parish Emergency
Preparedness Department.
Gretchen LeBlanc, Dow’s North American Responsible Care leader and
Westside YMCA board member, announced Dow’s $25,000 contribution at the YMCA’s 5th birthday party celebration.
With a $25,000 donation to the Louisiana Construction
Education Foundation (LCEF)
Dow is the first industry partner to contribute to the endowment of the organization, to support the long-term efforts of upgrading construction education/training across the state. This investment in the industry’s future was announced April 16 at a Greater Baton
Rouge Industry Alliance (GBRIA) meeting.
Local officials and staff from Dow St. Charles Operation break ground for the new St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in
Hahnville.
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S P R I N G 2 012 • 17

country’s top universities, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and master’s degree in administration.
Eduardo Do Val
Sharon Cole
Louisiana Operations is one of Dow’s largest manufacturing hubs, with more than 3,000 employees and contract employees producing more than 50 products.
Running all that is a handful.
And now it’s in new hands.
The new Louisiana
Operations site director is Eduardo Do Val, who previously was the Supply
Chain Operations director for North America.
Do Val is a native of
Salvador, Brazil, where he attended one of the
“I chose to work for Dow because of Dow’s reputation in health, safety and environmental protection and strong commitment to developing its employees, giving them opportunities for growth,”
Eduardo says.
Do Val has held a number of positions within Dow. Eighteen of his 26 years with the company have been spent inside the United
States. He and his wife became U.S. citizens in 2007, and their two children both attend U.S. universities.
In all those years, Do Val has always been focused on health, safety and environmental protection, and his vision for Louisiana
Operations includes strengthening the existing excellence in those areas, employee engagement, broadening relationships with surrounding communities, and continuing to improve the site’s competitiveness.
“As a result, we would sustain the existing jobs while attracting new investments that could create additional jobs at the site,”
Eduardo says.
That would be very good for Dow and very good for Louisiana.
“Eduardo’s diverse background in manufacturing makes him an excellent fit for the job,” says Carol Williams, Dow’s executive vice president of Manufacturing and Engineering. “He will do a great job leading Louisiana Operations to new performance levels in a very competitive marketplace.”
Do Val replaces Sharon Cole, who retired from Dow in April after 30 years with the company. Cole is a Baton Rouge native who first attended Southeastern University in Hammond to be a nurse before changing schools – transferring to Louisiana State – and fields, switching to chemical engineering.
After graduating from LSU, Cole joined Dow’s Louisiana
Operations in the Chlor Alkali II plant in 1981. In the years that followed, she served in a variety of manufacturing roles, and her responsibilities quickly grew.
“I learned to think on my feet, to deal with the unexpected and to make decisions and act on them, skills that have served me well,”
Cole wrote in 2009 when she was inducted into the LSU College of Engineering’s Hall of Distinction. “I learned to respect the awesome power and capabilities of chemical engineering.”
After spending some time in Texas, Cole returned to her home state as site leader in Plaquemine in 2007.
“Sharon is one those people who is truly gifted in being able to get the job done,” says John Sampson, Dow vice president,
Manufacturing and Engineering, Chemical and Energy. “She has a passion for the development of people and has delivered incredible results for the company. We will miss her.”
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By Dow standards, the Amerchol Greensburg site in southern
Louisiana is quite small.
But in St. Helena Parish, it’s a big fish.
With 26 Dow employees and nine nested contractors, Greensburg produces a polymer that is used in home and personal care products such as shampoo and body wash. What they lack in numbers, the employees overcome with flexibility and dedication, says site leader Sandy Holden.
“They try to help each other out, and not have the attitude that,
‘Oh, that’s not my job,’ “ Sandy says.”There’s a lot of pride in making sure the plant is successful.”
Part of that attitude comes from the plant’s connection to the community. Amerchol is one of the top employers in the parish of about 11,000 people, generating $2 million in payroll and
$300,000 in state and local taxes each year.
“We’re a small, tightly-knit community,” Sandy says. “A lot of the employees live near the plant, they’ve grown up with each other, they know each other’s families.”
The plant produces several grades of cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose, which shows up on product labels as Polyquaternium-10 or Polyquaternium-67.
“I always check to see if it’s in there when I buy shampoo,” Sandy says.
Clockwise from left: Brad Watson and Tommy Bales, maintenance.
Operations folks (left to right) Matt Haven, Rontrell Chaney, Tony Leblanc, CJ Benoit, Alvin Porter.
Tania Boyd, lab tech.
Gerald Colona, quality coordinator.
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S P R I N G 2 012 • 21

Two years into its Olympic partnership, Dow has secured contracts and defined numerous opportunities that are already making a mark on the Games.
• Plan on watching the Games at home? Dow is helping to bring next summer’s Olympic Games to your TV, thanks to Dow product used in the cables powering the Olympic Broadcast
Center.
• DOWLEX™ Polyethylene Resins from Dow will be used for the artificial grass in all field hockey pitches at the London 2012
Olympic Games. DOWLEX makes the yarn component – the
“blades of grass” – of the artificial turf softer yet more resilient, providing a durable pitch for players to slide, tackle and fall on more safely.
• Dow provided high-strength insulation for the ‘Copper Box’ handball arena’s inverted roof and Dow’s FLOORMATE 500-A was installed beneath the heavy air-conditioning units to help meet high structural and energy efficiency demands.
• In preparation for the Rio 2016 Games, architects have specified
Dow technology to help triple the lifespan of bridges.
Dow’s Olympic partnership is opening doors throughout the sports world. As China moves forward with plans to build over 200 new sporting venues over the next 10 years, Dow China is well poised to increase sales, reputation and government relations – all thanks to leveraging the Olympic partnership. Dow leadership was warmly received in recent visits with the secretary general of the
Chinese Olympic Committee and the leadership of China Sports
Venues Association, further building business through the Olympic partnership.
Retirees and Dow friends around the world are sharing in the
Olympic spirit and celebrating Dow’s partnership with the Olympic movement through branded merchandise. Visit www.DowGear.com to purchase your Dow Olympic branded merchandise.
Our worldwide partnership allows us to highlight the depth and breadth of our specialty products and the important role chemistry plays in sports and everyday life, while pursuing significant new revenue opportunities.
2 2 • I m P a c t

• $59.5 million in state and local taxes
• $340 million payroll
• More than $400 million in purchases from Louisiana companies
Our people are our greatest asset with over 6,000 Dow and contract employees across Louisiana
• Integrated manufacturing operations in six locations, spanning
4,000 acres
• Manufacturing more than 100 basic and specialty chemicals that are shipped worldwide
• Our sites offer numerous convenient transportation options, including marine, rail, truck and pipeline
Dow facilities in Louisiana manufacture more than 100 basic and specialty chemicals that serve as building blocks for hundreds of everyday products. Our chemistry can be found in soaps, detergents, food additives, cosmetics, shampoos, pharmaceuticals, computers and electronic components, vehicle parts, adhesives, athletic shoes, disposable diapers and much, much more.
• At each of our Louisiana locations, Dow is a part of the surrounding community, seeking to balance economic, environmental and social responsibility as we invest in our communities and encourage them to invest in themselves
• Through DowGives, corporate & employee contributions, grants and volunteerism, we contribute more than $1 million annually to enhance our communities
• Committed to the principles of sustainability and Dow’s 2015
Sustainability Goals
Dow delivers a broad range of technology based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture.
In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in
36 countries.
Ernest Green aNGuS
Sandy Holden amerchol
Crystal King
Grand bayou operations
Eduardo Do Val louisiana operations
Laura Ambrose
St. charles operations
Darrell Shockley weeks Island
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