When Luca Balbo returned to Dow’s St. Charles Operations as senior site manufacturing director in 2021 it felt like a baptism by fire, reports 10/12 Industry Report in its latest issue. Just nine days after his arrival at the 2,000-employee plant, Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 hurricane, with the northeast corner of the eyewall—where the strongest winds typically occur—passing directly over the plant and causing widespread damage.
Leading up to the storm, however, he had no time for a lengthy transition into his new position. As a first step, he shipped his family off to Texas to live with friends and set up residence at the facility for several weeks. Despite the pressing need for hurricane preparations, Balbo felt there was a higher priority. Read more.
