LANSING, MI, December 7, 2015 – The Michigan Chemistry Council (MCC) today announced that its Board of Directors has elected a new President and Vice President to serve as leaders for the association for the two-year term of 2016-17.

Greg Pflum, Vice President and General Manager at BASF, will serve as the MCC’s President. Pflum has been a member of the MCC’s Board of Directors since 2011, when he came to BASF through its acquisition of Cognis. As Vice President and General Manager at BASF, Mr. Pflum oversees the company’s operations at its Wyandotte, Southfield, and Fighting Island facilities, which collectively employ nearly 2,000 people. He also serves on the boards of the Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

Garrett Geer, Vice President of Business Development and Government Relations for AKT Peerless, will serve as the MCC’s Vice President. Mr. Geer heads up business development and policy initiatives for the Michigan-based environmental consulting firm, and joined the MCC’s board in May of 2015. He previously served with T.R. McTaggart, Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company in a number of professional roles. Mr. Geer has also served on numerous industry and nonprofit boards and committees including the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Saginaw Future, Boys & Girls Clubs, Ducks Unlimited and the Michigan Manufacturers Association.

The Michigan Chemistry Council (MCC) thanked Rep. Fred Upton (R- St. Joseph) for his leadership on the “Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015” (HR 1321). This legislation would create a uniform federal standard for the phase out of solid plastic microbeads in exfoliating personal care products.

“We are glad to see that Congress is working to address this issue in a way that provides nationwide consistency to manufacturers as they continue to phase out the use of plastic microbeads,” said MCC Executive Director John Dulmes. “We share Chairman Upton’s appreciation for our Great Lakes, and look forward to working to advance this legislation that builds upon the current voluntary efforts by industry.”

The Michigan Chemistry Council, established in 1967, represents Michigan’s chemical manufacturers, formulators and distributors. Chemistry is Michigan’s third-largest manufacturing sector, supporting nearly 120,000 Michigan jobs and generating $127 million in state and local taxes.