There was a definite buzz at head office as members of the Heartland Polymers leadership team shared key updates at the official Heartland Polymers virtual brand launch, and with good reason — North America’s first integrated propane dehydrogenation (PDH)/Polypropylene (PP) facility is closing in on shipping its first customer deliveries.

The Discover Heartland Polymers – VIP Virtual Event was held on November 30 with a live online audience.

The streaming event featured a panel discussion with David Chappell, Senior Vice-President of Petrochemical Development, who has been key to the vision behind the project from the very beginning; Jim Madro, Senior Vice President of Petrochemicals, who leads and oversees the commercial and operations teams that will ensure  our customers receive the PP they need when they need it; and Yonas Kebede, Director Polypropylene Sales and Marketing, who promoted the depth of talent and expertise on the customer focused sales team. 

“While we await the day when we can meet our customers in person, the event provided a great platform for us to share an inside look at our world-scale facility through video and photography, and to hear firsthand from our senior leaders about our exciting plans to lead the recyclable polymer industry forward,” said Ashley Marr, Director of Business Readiness with Heartland, who moderated the panel.
 

“We’re at such a pivot point in the project — after so many years of development and construction, it’s very exciting to be so close,” said Madro. “After an extremely safe, and effective construction program, we are shifting focus to commissioning and start-up, which is a significant transition for us and our customers because it means we’re in the home stretch to production.  In addition, I’m happy to say that we’re essentially fully staffed by a truly talented and experienced workforce, and the business and operations readiness programs are complete, which has been a huge lift by so many people.”

The team shared details on the crucial role that deliberate sustainability played during the design and build of the manufacturing facility to ultimately deliver a world-leading reduction in GHG emissions compared to similar plants. “Proving that better was possible was at the heart of every decision.” explained Chappell.

Each panelist took the opportunity to highlight the people who are helping bring the Heartland Polymers brand to life — especially given the challenges of a global pandemic.

“Keeping this project moving forward has been no small feat, and I wanted to take this time to thank all our employees and site workers for their perseverance, dedication, and hard work over the past few years, all while doing that work safely,” Madro said.