Connecting with Soltex: Trade Shows In the Coming Weeks
We’re back! After an extended hiatus due to the pandemic, Soltex is excited to be a part of numerous in-person trade shows throughout 2022. These shows serve as valuable opportunities to connect with both companies and individuals across industries and spaces Soltex participates. Here’s a preview of the upcoming trade shows we are looking forward to attending with more to come later this year.
IEEE PES T&D
When: April 25-28
Where: New Orleans/Ernest N Morial Convention Center
Designed to “drive the future design and development of a reliable, resilient grid,” IEEE PES T&D returns this year in New Orleans. Along with the technical program, numerous exhibitors, and special features new this year like the smart cities pavilion, which will feature a variety of case study exhibits showcasing effective collaboration to make smarter cities a reality.
Learn more: IEEE PES T&D
STLE Exhibition
When: May 15-19
Where: Lake Buena Vista/Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort
The tribology and lubricants community will come together for the 76th STLE Annual Meeting & Exhibition this year in Orlando, FL. There will be industry-specific education courses offered, as well as application-based case studies, best practice reports, and discussion panels on technical and market trends that occur throughout the trade show.
Learn more: STLE 2022 Annual Meeting & Exhibition
Soltex is looking forward to attending each of the aforementioned trade shows this spring. Not only do they serve as an enormous opportunity for connection with other industry professionals, they also act as inspiration for our team to seek additional innovative solutions to better serve our customers. If you’re planning to attend any of these trade shows, we’d love to connect! Let us know by emailing us at marketing@soltexinc.com.
Meet the Team: Inside Sales
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Soltex did not have an Inside Sales model. Now, just a few years later, Inside Sales has become an integral part of Soltex’s continued growth and success in the chemical industry. Our Inside Sales team spend their days selling and promoting our innovative offerings as a chemical supplier remotely. This includes over the phone, online, or via video call, among other methods. The success of inside sales ultimately boils down to building relationships while delivering helpful and important information.
In our first employee profile blog, we introduce Celina Desvard and Matthew Massoud who both work in Inside Sales. Celina is an International Sales Rep who has worked at Soltex for 11 years. Matthew is an Account Manager and IT Software Development Manager and has been at Soltex for seven years.
Celina has been connected to the chemical industry since the very beginning of her career. Her role on the team directly manages and develops new business with international customers. Describing herself as service-oriented, Celina additionally spearheads maintaining and building upon relationships with existing customers and prospects through consistent communication including timely inquiry responses and order follow-ups. She mentions that developing an international presence for Soltex has been challenging but also equally rewarding, she has enjoyed being a part of the creation and growth of a new market for the company. Fluent in both English and Spanish, her language skills have been an asset in the international market. Describing her work experience with Soltex, she says it is “such a positive and open work environment with helpful employees from the bottom to the top of the company.” Based in Argentina, Celina has two young children, and credits her long-term partner Gaston for his unwavering support. In her spare time, she enjoys playing card games and cooking.
Like Celina, Matthew wears many hats within Soltex and shares the same passion for customer service and continuous improvement. A large part of his time goes to managing online inquiries and operating the website Live Chat. He also maintains multiple inside sales accounts and Software R&D and optimization. He explains that “Inside Sales gives us an edge when it comes to providing better service. Our Outside Sales Team is covering the majority of Soltex’s main accounts, so it helps having an Inside Sales team to focus on what can be managed in house.” Outside of work, Matthew enjoys fitness and sports (go Astros!) and dreams of one day exploring Norway. He also has two children, Maya (4) and Maddox (2).
Meet Our Team: Strong Operations Under Tough Conditions
During the winter ice storm our Soltex Warehouse team worked beyond the call of duty with our sales, customer service, technical to operation teams, we all pulled together in unison to ensure that this period would go over as smoothly as possible. Constant communication, critical thinking, gathering online, and listening to all departments created a very efficient and successful rebound.
When you lose a week of production during what is one of the busiest times of the year for Soltex it can cause a large number of product delays. With our team, we knew the task at hand and worked 7-day weeks for a month to help to get our production schedules back in line, have our inventories reach a healthy status, and in turn were able to service our customers sooner than many could.
“I struggle determining what our failures were during the winter storm, we have a strong team of talented individuals who understand what it takes to perform under pressure and under less-than-ideal circumstances. I would say our biggest success was in preparation. With all the site preparation that took place leading up to the winter storm, it kept nearly all our processes intact. We experienced minor damage relative to what we were hearing in the market and were fully operational within 2 days after the storm. We are very proud of the hard work and dedication our team put forth to persevere through such a difficult time.” – Bryan De La Rosa, VP of Operations
Meet Our Newest Team Member, Matthew Rayburn!
Soltex is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Rayburn as Assistant Controller. Matthew’s experience in the oil & gas field will allow him to make an impact immediately, and for years to come. Matthew is a highly motivated and hardworking individual, gaining his experience at some of the largest companies in the world, including Baker Hughes. He graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, and completed his Master’s Degree in Accounting from University of Houston-Downtown.
As the Assistant Controller, Matthew will oversee all day to day activities within the Accounting and Finance Department in our Corporate office and report to Ryan Davies, our Controller.
Welcome Matthew!
Reflections on Three Decades with Soltex
As Soltex celebrates our 30-year anniversary, we asked one of our longest-tenured team members to share her thoughts. These comments are from Susan Kovacs, Vice President of Sales.
“Thirty years ago, I embarked on my Soltex journey. To put it mildly, the early years were challenging. I remember a customer I had known for 12 years saying, ‘Susan, do you mean you want me to buy product from Soltex when you are only four people and a phone?’ When I told him we had TWO phones, his fears subsided. But with persistence, we survived. Today his company remains one of my largest accounts.
“I cherish time. Wasting it is not an option, so I wanted to focus my work on what I am passionate about. This was especially true when I spent much of my career traveling and missing time with my wonderful family. Soltex has been a labor of love and I have always been proud to be part of the organization. Our priorities are right where they should be—customer-centric but also placing great value on dedicated employees. This combination sets us above many larger companies who are inflexible in their rules. I will put our service up against anyone and we will outperform them any time.
“These successes don’t happen by chance but through the efforts of an owner who has always had a vision for the company. Tony Massoud [Soltex founder and Chief Executive Officer] has been a great leader and friend since 1980. I value this relationship. Many other talented professionals have contributed along the way, including Osvaldo Desvard, Dave Brandt, Ellie MacNair, Paul Spillman and Lynda Davies, to name a few. Soltex is thriving today because of all these people and I know we have a bright future with Glenn Bohny [Soltex President] at the helm. As for my career, I would not change a thing. Not many people can say that.”
Meet Our Newest Sales Team Member
Soltex is pleased to announce the appointment of Asa Diskin as Sales Representative. He joins Soltex after spending several years in the chemical industry increasing his roles of responsibility. His most recent role was Sales Manager for Chemlock Metals along with additional duty as International Logistics Manager. Asa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University and has certifications for D.O.T. Hazmat Employee and ISO 9001-2015 General Manager.
As Sales Representative, Asa will be responsible for managing and promoting all Soltex products with an emphasis on our Paint & Coatings products. Asa will work from his home office in Cincinnati, OH and will report to John Grimes, Director of Sales.
Please Welcome Asa to Soltex!
Soltex, Inc. Hires New Market Analyst
Soltex is happy to announce the appointment of Aklia Henson as Market Analyst. She joins Soltex after 5 years’ experience with increasing responsibility in marketing for Hempel Inc. Her most recent was Marketing Operations Lead. Aklia’s experience is enhanced by her Bachelor degree in Business Administration in Marketing with a minor in Management from Sam Houston State University. She also earned certifications for Lean Six Sigma, Leadership Development and Marketing.
As Market Analyst, Aklia will be responsible for analyzing Soltex key markets and products, utilizing eChempax to identify and develop key metrics for opportunity development and growth. Aklia will report to John Grimes, Director of Sales.
Please Welcome Aklia to Soltex!
Transformer Technology
What’s the state of the art for mineral insulating oils?
Ed Casserly, Senior Scientist at Ergon Refining, Inc. (a Soltex manufacturing partner) takes a deep dive into refining technologies and functional properties in his article, “Mineral Insulating Liquids – Where They Are From, Where They Are Going.”
Read the full article here.
You’ll gain a better understanding of the refining processes used to manufacture these liquids, as well as the specifications in the standards and how they relate to performance.
For more information on our complete line of products, see Transformer Liquids and HyVolt.
Soltex, Inc. Announces Appointment of Glenn Bohny as President
Soltex, Inc. announced that Glenn Bohny was recently appointed President of the company. Bohny has been with Soltex for five years, serving as Advisory Board member, Commercial Vice President, and Vice President & General Manager. He is based at Soltex’s headquarters in Houston, TX.
“Obviously, assuming this role during a global pandemic adds a new level of complexity to his job,“ said Soltex CEO Tony Massoud. “But Glenn is up to the challenge. His skills and knowledge have already provided steady leadership in this time and will continue to serve Soltex well as he directs our initiatives for growth, innovation, and customer service.”
Bohny is an industry veteran with 30 years of experience in business strategy development, negotiation, and chemical purchasing. He has successfully built and managed global sales and customer service teams that excel in meeting customer needs and adding value to their products.
Prior to joining Soltex, Bohny served as Global Sourcing Director for OMNOVA Solutions Inc. and as Vice President of TPC Group (formerly Texas Petrochemicals). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Texas Tech University.
Soltex Canada is ISO Certified
Soltex Canada is pleased to advise that our company has been granted registration to the globally recognized Internal Organization of Standardization – ISO 9001:2015 standard.
Soltex Canada has implemented an effective Quality Management System (QMS) that will help our company focus on the important areas of our business and to improve efficiency, productivity and profit. This in turn will improve our customer relationships as we can assure our business follows the highest quality standards.
Registration to the ISO 9001:2015 gives our customers the assurance in the quality of our products, provide opportunities and continual improvement for the future. As well as, working with customers dedicated to only working with companies registered to the ISO 9001 standard.
Some of the main benefits of ISO 9001:2015 Certification include:
- Address risks and opportunities
- Increase in efficiency, productivity and profit
- Improved customer retention and acquisition
- Better quality products and service with consistent outcomes
- Leadership
- Continual improvement
*Select the link below for our certificate.