THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE HERITAGE GROUP JUNE 2018
IN THIS ISSUE
T H E H E R I TA G E G R O U P | T H G R P. C O M
P2 O N E H E R I TA G E : DOT OUTREACH P3 M A C R O T R E N D S Q 2 : AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES Heritage Family, In my end of year note in December, I wrote about the results from our 2017 Companywide Employee Survey. Over the past several months we have been working hard to respond to your feedback with a simple mantra: “You Asked, We Listened.”
For example, we heard loud and clear that young leaders wanted a pathway to
professional and personal growth so we launched two new training programs:
P4 P E O P L E I N T H E S P O T L I G H T : CARALYN CLARK SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW HRG LIGHTER FLUID STUDY
Connect, Collaborate and Innovate and Leadership Exploration and Development.
We also heard that we needed to improve internal communications at The
Heritage Group. There was a thirst to better understand what The Heritage Group and our family of companies were doing. And were interested in finding ways to collaborate and innovate together.
We heard you loud and clear and have taken steps to improve communications
and stay better connected. This inaugural issue of the THG Quarterly newsletter is yet another example of our commitment to share information about The Heritage Group and to continue learning from each other. We will publish this newsletter on a quarterly basis and will ensure all employees receive it via email or at company facilities.
Beyond sharing news about THG and our people, this is also an opportunity to
create a dialogue. This newsletter is for you so please reach out and tell me on how we can improve this newsletter. Please also share your ideas on success stories we should highlight in future issues.
Thank you for your continued commitment to THG. 2018 has been an incredible
year, and the road ahead is filled with opportunities for THG, our business, and our people.
Amy
Be Safe.
AN UPDATE FROM AMY SCHUMACHER PRESIDENT OF THE HERITAGE GROUP
P5 B U S I N E S S U P D AT E : BIOSYNTHETIC TECHNOLOGIES ACQUIRED P6 C E N T E R S TA G E : UPDATES FROM THE CENTER
IT DEMONSTRATED HOW PROFESSIONAL, GIVING AND COMMITTED THG IS TO THE ROADBUILDING INDUSTRY.
STATE OUTREACH
DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION
Over the past several months, several
Valley and Asphalt Materials to provide
and committed THG is to the road-
Heritage Group companies have met
an excellent facility for the course.
building industry. Additionally, in April Champaign
have increased their outreach to the
The class typically attracts 60
Indiana and Illinois Departments of
students comprised of contractor,
Asphalt hosted approximately 10 Illinois
Transportation. This outreach deepens
consultant and INDOT technicians
Department of Transportation repre-
our existing relationships and creates
that are required to pass the class to
sentatives at The Center. In addition to
new opportunities for us to work together
become certified to test and approve
getting a tour of the facility, including
to enhance our local infrastructure.
HMA mixes used on DOT jobs. The class
the Heritage Group, the IDOT officials
included members of the THG team and
were also briefed on the wide array of
hosted the Indiana Department of
In January 2018, The Heritage Group
representatives from customers of U.S.
services and materials THG produces
Transportation/Asphalt Pavement
Aggregates and Asphalt Materials. This
and provides the entire industry.
Association of Indiana Certified QC/QA
enabled THG to showcase the new facility
Technican class at the Center. This was
to customers, agencies representatives
Champaign Asphalt is hopeful it can
an excellent opportunity for the Heritage
as well as competitors. In addition to
host more representatives from the
Research Group along with APAI members
being a great networking event, it also
IDOT over the next several months.
Milestone, Walsh and Kelly, Wabash
demonstrated how professional, giving
Š THE HERITAGE GROUP 2018 | THGRP.COM | J U N E 2 018 | PAGE 2
It was a productive visit and
MACROTRENDS Q2
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES Autonomous vehicles are slowly becoming a
30K
reality and will likely transform our transportation system, economy, and the way we work and live. While we are still decades away from a complete switch to fully autonomous vehicles, we have already begun to see partially autonomous vehicles on the road.
ROAD DEATHS EACH YEAR. THE LEADING CAUSE: HUMAN ERRORS
The numbers of these vehicles and their level of autonomy will increase as the technology becomes more sophisticated. Major automakers and tech giants such as Autonomous vehicles use a combination of
Google, Tesla, and Uber are investing billions
radar, optics, sonar, lidar (light detection and
of dollars to reach the goal of fully autono-
ranging), GPS, and infrared sensors to gather
mous fleets of vehicles. The major barrier is
data about their environment allowing the
the need for extensive testing to enable the
car to be driven without human intervention.
vehicles to make the right decisions on the
Partially autonomous vehicles are available
road. The decision making process of au-
today and provide functions such as lane
tonomous vehicles will be greatly enhanced
assist, keeping the car within the lanes of
as they become commonplace on the road
a highway, and crash avoidance features,
and we adapt our infrastructure to this
allowing the car to remain a safe distance
new level of transportation. This will allow
from other cars without the driver’s help.
autonomous vehicles to communicate with
120 BILLION
$
AMOUNT TRAFFIC CONGESTION COSTS THE U.S. EACH YEAR
other autonomous vehicles and interact with The potential impact of autonomous
technologies embedded in the infrastructure
vehicles extends far beyond the benefits
to share data and coordinate movements.
they will provide for personal transportation and freight. The technology has the
Autonomous vehicles will greatly impact
potential to save thousands of lives and
several of the industries The Heritage Group
add billions of dollars to the economy each
is involved in, and we are preparing for this
year. Autonomous vehicles will rid traffic
challenge. The Heritage Group is leading an
of most human errors, the largest cause of
effort to create the intelligent highways of
the 30,000 deaths each year on the road.
the future with passive and active sensors
Further, roads filled with connected, auton-
built into the infrastructure of the road.
omous vehicles will significantly reduce
This and other efforts will help us turn the
traffic congestion, which currently costs
challenge of autonomous vehicles into an
the U.S. around $120 billion a year.
opportunity for future growth.
Š THE HERITAGE GROUP 2018 | THGRP.COM | J U N E 2 018 | PAGE 3
FUTURE
OF ROADS THG PROJECT THAT EXAMINES IMPACT OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW FUN SCIENCE: HRG LIGHTER FLUID STUDY HRG held a BBQ at The Center to compare two new and eco-friendly Calumet lighter fluids with popular competitors. Participants not only provided valuable feedback, but were also treated to chicken, burgers, shrimp and veggies.
N C A R A LY
CLARK
PEOPLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT After 27 years at The Heritage Group,
She made hundreds of acetate presentations,
Caralyn Clark retired in May 2018. Caralyn
took thousands of messages, and helped
was an institution at The Heritage Group
ensure HRG scientists could focus on
and spent the majority of her career at
research and innovation by ensuring
the Heritage Research Group.
administrative operations ran smoothly.
She began her career in The Heritage
But more importantly, Caralyn brought
Group’s Word Processing Department in
folks together. She loved HRG and helped
1991 during a time when most employees
onboard hundreds of employees over the
did not have their own computers. Instead,
years, making them feel welcome. She
employees would hand-write their docu-
was also known for making homemade
ments and put them in a little wire basket.
birthday cakes for each and every HRG
The word processing department would
staff member. She always took requests
then pull them out, type up, and give back
and tried to accommodate them as much
to the originator. But after two years, a
as possible.
colleague encouraged Caralyn to apply for a position in the R&D group. She got the
Caralyn had a big heart and will be missed,
job and spent the next 25 years in a variety
but after nearly 30 years of working with
of roles in that group.
The Heritage Group, she is now enjoying retirement with her husband, Ron, their
Over the years she worked closely with
children and grandchildren.
Tony Kriech and Herb Wissel to support the growth of the R&D group into what
Thank you, Caralyn for your dedication
is now The Heritage Research Group.
to The Heritage Group.
Š THE HERITAGE GROUP 2018 | THGRP.COM | J U N E 2 018 | PAGE 4
BUSINESS UPDATE:
BIOSYNTHETIC TECHNOLOGIES Calumet Specialty Products Partners partnered with The Heritage Group to make
BIOSYNTHETIC BASE OIL
a significant commitment to renewable base
OECD 301B READY BIODEGRADABILITY TEST
89.5% 65.3%
oil technology through the acquisition of Biosynthetic Technologies. The acquisition was announced on April 9, 2018 and represents our long-term vision of producing innovative value-enhancing specialty products for our customers and partners. Following the acquisition, core members of the technology and marketing team of Biosynthetic Technologies joined the Biosyn Holdings, LLC a joint venture
ESTIOLIDE
| ISO 32 | SE68
ESTIOLIDE
| ISO 100 | SE158
% BIODEGRADED IN 28 DAYS
company created by Calumet Specialty Partners and The Heritage Research Group to continue the development and commer-
explored. Maybe even more importantly,
cialization of the estolides technology.
this approach demonstrated to a broad range of Heritage employees the power
This acquisition truly embodied the One
of a collaborative teamwork approach.
Heritage approach. Team members from Calumet, Heritage Research Group, Monu-
Currently, The Heritage Group and Calumet
ment, The Heritage Group and Biosynthetic
are exploring a range of alternatives
Technologies came together at the center
to maximize the value of the acquired
for 30 days where they assessed the tech-
estolides technology across a diverse
nology and came together to close a deal.
portfolio of products and solutions in a
This collaborative approach not only creat-
variety of end-markets. One of the first
ed a clear path forward for the technology,
potential uses of this proprietary technology
but also unlocked potential additional uses
is commercial production of renewable
for the technology that are currently being
esters at Calumets’ Missouri plant.
Š THE HERITAGE GROUP 2018 | THGRP.COM | J U N E 2 018 | PAGE 5
EVEN AFTER USE, OUR OILS ARE BIODEGRADABLE AND LESS TOXIC THAN PETROLEUM
THE LATEST HAPPENINGS AT THE CENTER
CENTER STAGE HOOSIER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR Roughly 150 students from across the state of Indiana came to The Center for their chance to make it to an international science fair. Students ranged from 4th grade to seniors in high school. More than 100 people came to judge the competition. The HSEF supports STEM education and the students are the top in their class from across the state with an interest in science/chemistry.
TALENT SUMMIT
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BUILD
For the 10th year in a row, The Heritage Group partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build the components of a house in The Center parking lot for a deserving Indianapolis family. Over 50 THG employees participated in the build despite the cold weather.
The first Indy Talent Summit was held at The Center in April, bringing together 15 community and company leaders from across the Indianapolis area to discuss challenges, needs and resources related to employment and recruiting. Individuals from Lilly, Roche, Indy Chamber, T-Map, Ascend, in addition to many other organizations, were in attendance. By taking a more collaborative effort in making our city a great place to work, we all win!
MITCH DANIELS FOUNDATION DINNER
The Center hosted the Mitch Daniels Foundation Dinner on March 22. The event was attended by more than 300 people, including leaders of the community and local and state elected officials. At the event, Scott Dorsey was awarded the Daniels Prize Award for extraordinary contributions to leadership development in Indiana.
Do you know of an item that should be featured in our newsletter?
Please send content or photos to Will Hummel at whummel@thgrp.com
Š THE HERITAGE GROUP 2018 | THGRP.COM | J U N E 2 018 | PAGE 6