Timothy Crocker

Tim Crocker was born in Antioch, California and later moved to Portland, Oregon. He attended the University of Portland where he studied Chemistry and Philosophy. Tim worked through college as a Teaching Assistant in the Chemistry Department as well as a Maintenance Technician in the Physical Plant of the University. He graduated in 1992 with a BS degree in Chemistry and a full second major in Philosophy – only the 5th student to do so in the University history. Working in Alaska for a year after graduating, he supported cleanup efforts on the North Slope in remote field laboratories in the Arctic Circle. The following year he enrolled in the Paper Science program at The Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) in Atlanta, Georgia and was awarded a MS in 1994. During his second year at IPST, he served as student body president and served on the Alumni board. Following graduate school, Tim worked in the pulp and paper industry for over 15 years with both Georgia Pacific and Domtar filling many roles in utilities, environmental services, finished products, and process improvement.

Tim is a practitioner of Kaizen Process Improvement and, as Facilitator, and later the Plant Process Improvement Coordinator (Domtar), he has facilitated over 120 kaizen events ranging from 2-3 day events to two week training workshops. Tim moved to Louisiana in 2009 to work as a Project Manager in biofuels development with Verenium in Jennings, Louisiana. Later, after the purchase of Verenium by British Petroleum, Tim was one of four Project Leaders tasked with designing the first production scale cellulose-to-ethanol production facility. While working at Sasol, Tim was involved with the Gas-To-Liquids Energy (GTL) Project as well as the Lake Charles Cracker Project. Serving as Senior Production Manager, he developed an integrated Utilities and Infrastructure Organization from scratch. During the construction period, his team focused on Procedure Writing, Processor Qualification, Operational Readiness, SimOps, and Start-Up Planning.

Tim has presented at the Mid-Atlantic Lean Conference (Baltimore), Labor and Workforce Optimization for Chemical and Refining Industries (Houston), and the GBMP Northeast Lean Conferences (Springfield). Tim serves as the Chairman on the Board of Directors for the South West Louisiana Law Center. The Law Center provides reduced-fee legal services to those who are technically above the poverty level and do not qualify for legal aid. Tim is also an active supporter of the little theater movement and serves on the board of the Lake Charles Little Theater. During his career Tim has done volunteer work for the American Cancer Society, Paws, the SWLA Law Center, the Lake Charles Little Theater, as well as volunteering for a multitude of Science Fairs over the years. Tim is an active blogger, speaker, and author. Tim lives in the Moss Bluff community with his wife, Cathy, and daughter, Yuri. They enjoy gardening, amateur astronomy, cooking, and model rocketry.