As a 182-year-old family business, few other companies can match the history of Behn Meyer manufactures and distributes specialty chemicals was founded in Singapore by two German merchants from Hamburg Surviving and thriving for this long hasn’t been smooth sailing with recent challenges being just some in a long line of major disruptions for the firm “We have a history of persistence,” says Lotta Kellinghusen Member of the Board of Directors at Behn Meyer “The company lost nearly all assets twice during the two World Wars but managed to build up its business again.” Even during the extremely difficult last few years with the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine the company has shown it can cope well with external challenges and changing markets No single reason exists as to why Behn Meyer has successfully navigated the global business ecosystem for so long with a number of factors adding up to create the diversified business that leads today thus we don’t strive for short-term profits but look for long-term and sustainable growth The matrix structure embraced by the business helps support strong teams where teamwork between local and regional management is encouraged experiences and success stories are regularly shared As a result of the welcoming environment fostered from the top-down employees often stay with the business for many years due to the family atmosphere a personal relationship is still very important thus we don’t strive for short-term profits but look for long-term and sustainable growth,” Kellinghusen says While South-East Asia remains the main market for Behn Meyer the company has evolved from just trading and distribution to become a world-leading integrated life sciences group Co-innovation is a key concept for Behn Meyer with all of its core businesses being supported by dedicated application laboratories around the world where co-innovation happens together with its customers “The industries are very different and there are so many opportunities for developing and offering innovative products and services for our customers,” she says Disruption has unfortunately become the norm in many industries price volatility and lack of product availability Behn Meyer was not immune to the challenges facing the global business ecosystem “We faced high price volatilities and often long lead times and even no product availability at all So good planning and close monitoring of stocks was very important,” Kellinghusen says a number of Behn Meyer customers were forced to close their manufacturing plants as their products were not deemed to be essential The so-called three-in-one rule that the Vietnam government implemented – where people had to sleep eat and work at the same place – caused a great deal of challenges “Some of our colleagues at Behn Meyer Vietnam moved into the warehouse to comply We are very grateful for the sacrifice and the loyalty of our employees during that time,” she says with even team meetings needing to change form management and other meetings were not allowed for two years frequent online meetings were held monitoring closely the developments and discussing challenges and strategies,” she explains “Since mid-2022 we are now happy that we can meet again in person however hybrid meetings became very important in our regional teamwork.” With many of Behn Meyer’s customers located across Asia the company is working hard to offer them exactly what they want while simultaneously incorporating the latest technology are still popular with Behn Meyer’s customers especially as their products often need a lot of technical advice and R&D support The rise of digital marketing and ecommerce is driving customers to expect more technological tools that support their operations “We have developed an app for the agricare business like a user-friendly mobile crop doctor helping to identify the right products,” Kellinghusen says Technological innovation and investment are commonplace at Behn Meyer with the business using drone technology to enhance precision farming in Malaysia Not only does this allow the company to count the exact number of trees this data can also be analyzed to provide the exact dosage of fertilizer needed Behn Meyer acquired a production facility in Australia in 2021 where meat processing additives are produced “We produce in Thailand our own products for meat alternatives like plant fibers and plant proteins used mainly in vegan nuggets and vegetable-based burger patties with improved taste and texture,” she says sustainability has been a key driver of its strategy and played an essential role in guiding operations Despite already being a member of the United Nations Global Compact and having achieved an Ecovadis Gold rating the company is constantly looking for ways to improve sustainability factors we will focus on energy conservation and emissions reductions water management and waste disposal plans to ensure positive impacts on local communities and the environment,” she says Many major multinational businesses are working toward the goal of carbon neutrality but few have committed to reaching this target by 2040 Behn Meyer set out its ambition to achieve the boldest carbon emissions commitment in its industry and become fully carbon neutral by 2040 the same year that marks the company’s 200th anniversary Giving back to the communities around us is important to us and always has been A comprehensive plan based on the four pillars of environment ethics and sustainable procurement has been put in place to ensure the business is prepared to embark on a transformational journey with both long-term goals and near-term targets to achieve carbon neutrality the company launched the Behn Meyer Sustainability Campaign where employees from around the world submitted innovative ideas that set out to improve sustainability An idea from a Malaysian agricare team that focused on organic solutions for achieving soil health was selected from among 38 submissions Any successful and effective leader will need to embrace a style that suits their company With several different business units in many countries under Behn Meyer leaders across the firm are empowered to work independently and to grow future leaders “We promote local talent and empower them to take charge and take leadership positions within their company,” Kellinghusen explains leaders should have an entrepreneurial spirit and motivate and empower people while keeping the vision of the company in mind Regular feedback and training courses are provided to employees for developing their careers In an effort to support the next generation of business leaders Behn Meyer is preparing to roll out a company-wide talent management program in the near future to share best practices “We have many CSR projects with local communities like financial donations as well as long-term partnerships with higher learning institutions,” Kellinghusen says we offered scholarships to underprivileged pupils in Vietnam charity programs for students in Indonesia and financial aid for victims of floods in Malaysia “Giving back to the communities around us is important to us and always has been.” A mining company focused on sustainable advancements The CEO Magazine is more than a business title; it’s a source of information inspiration and motivation for the world’s most successful leaders Learn all about The CEO Magazine at TheCEO.com ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " From policy research to consulting to business operations Pomona College alumni are tackling grand challenges through their chosen career fields Julius Torres Kellinghusen ’16 and Harry Leshner ’08 recently explained how their time at Pomona put them up to the task Jálynn Castleman-Smith ’13 credits her intellectual curiosity with helping her find new ways to support students from low-income backgrounds “My professors all wanted us to ask questions and seek to understand things,” Castleman-Smith recalls “I remember loving the idea that students weren’t obsessed with grades We all understood we were there because we wanted to be engaged in an intellectual community somewhere you can learn for the sake and love of learning.” A passion for closing equity gaps for students from historically underserved backgrounds through evidence-based practice has guided her career journey from educator and public service practitioner to social policy researcher This dedication is what attracted Castleman-Smith to MDRC, a national non-profit, non-partisan social policy research organization dedicated to improving the education, employment, and life circumstances of individuals, families, and children with low-incomes. The former psychological sciences major serves as an operations research associate in MDRC’s Postsecondary Education policy area Castleman-Smith seeks to understand how effective student success initiatives at two- and four-year institutions are at putting educational success within reach for students from historically underserved backgrounds In addition to evaluating existing programs, MDRC also uses their research to design promising new interventions and provide technical assistance to build better programs and deliver effective interventions at scale “Pomona is where I really fell in love with this idea of increasing access [to education] through an equity-focused lens and working with students.” who earned her MPA from New York University’s Robert F looks back fondly on her years at Pomona College especially as a student worker in admissions Wanda Gibson, assistant dean and deputy director of the Career Development Office and someone whose advice she covets to this day “Pomona does an amazing job supporting their alumni,” she says As business operations manager at New York-headquartered HealthRight Julius Torres Kellinghusen ’16 has his finger on the pulse of business operations “There’s very little that gets done that doesn't involve me contributing in one way or another,” he says “This role allows me to use a lot of different skills,” he says a global health non-governmental organization aims to close the gap in health outcomes by expanding access to quality health systems in communities of need “One of the reasons I wanted to work here,” Kellinghusen says and we stay in the community for 10 years so when we leave it’s because we’ve been able to set up the NGO to run independently.” Kellinghusen, a former international relations major learned about and interned for HealthRight while at Pomona College and says courses here prepared him for a career “where each person has to be responsible for their own work and can’t rely on someone else to tell them what to do.” Kellinghusen served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama He later earned a master’s degree from New York University’s School of Global Public Health communication and writing “are things Pomona grads do well,” he says he still has trouble explaining his role in the software industry he consults with businesses on technology strategy and innovation What’s not so difficult to explain is how Pomona College prepared him to be versed in the field I felt I wasn’t pressured to pick a major,” he says is that the rate of innovation is very fast and always accelerating “I love it because I’m always learning something new,” he adds and that’s really what Pomona helped me with—the curiosity Leshner, a former economics major appreciates how his former professors challenged him to learn base theories and concepts and apply that knowledge to coursework and tests “It wasn’t just rote memorization,” he says “I was being trained to think at a high level.” campus life helped shape Leshner into the professional he is today I was involved in a lot of different things and we also had this consulting club we formed “working in a team and leadership are important and I had opportunities at Pomona to develop those skills.” Part of  The Claremont Colleges Dorothee Kellinghusen's American dream began more than 30 years ago when she came to Henderson County from Germany as a 17-year-old foreign exchange student she is helping other teens experience life in her adopted country by serving as a host with American Field Service a foreign exchange student program that introduced her to Guilherme Secchin a Brazilian teen currently living with her and her son Guilherme began attending Hendersonville High School shortly after he arrived in August A desire to improve his English — Portuguese is his native language — and learn about a different culture led him to become a foreign exchange student the 17-year-old said Thursday afternoon over a pot of hot tea cake and German chocolates at the Kellinghusen home “She's really good — she's a good mother,” he said of Kellinghusen with obvious affection And Guilherme has had no problems fitting in at his new school “He has more friends than I do,” Julius said Guilherme has broadened his horizons since he has been here She recalled a conversation the two had when Guilherme signed up for classes With the exception of classes such as English and math most of the others he wanted to take were already full Guilherme reluctantly signed up for drama after some gentle encouragement from Julius and Dorothee with the understanding that if he didn't like it after a couple of weeks he could talk to the guidance counselor about taking a different class ‘How is school?' and he says ‘fine.' Then I ask him ‘What is your favorite class?' and he says Kellinghusen attended East Henderson High for the 1978-79 academic year The family returned to Germany when her father's training ended Kellinghusen reminded her father of a promise he made to allow her to travel back to America one day She and her family spent the next year going through the application process with AFS until she was accepted She was one of four AFS students at East Henderson that year and a female student who was French Canadian It was an experience she would never forget my classmates treated me like a princess,” Kellinghusen said “They included me in so many things; they treated me so special Guilherme's experience so far is mirroring his host's as his classmates include him in activities such as intramural skiing and snowboarding But the cold weather has taken some getting used to “It is much colder here than where I am from,” Guilherme confessed Guilherme has been treated just like any other student at Hendersonville High When Kellinghusen's year as an AFS student at East Henderson High was up she went back to Germany and lived her life She worked as a photographer for a newspaper But the idea of coming back to America never went away; in fact She moved to Hendersonville in June 2005 and the rest of her family arrived a few months later after she met her goals of landing a job and finding a place to live Kellinghusen hosted five AFS students while living in Germany she fulfilled her goal of opening her home to an AFS student in 2008 That student was a girl from Thailand named Mook Sirichactivapee Guilherme is Kellinghusen's second AFS student since she has lived in America Hosting foreign exchange students is an experience that “enriches my life,” she said She encourages other people to become hosts “All you need to do is open the house for another person,” Kellinghusen said “You just need to include them and treat them like you would a member of your own family For more information on becoming an AFS host family or student visit www.afsusa.org or contact AFS Carolinas Chairperson Gerry Bair at 828-758-4465 or by email at ghbair@gmail.com Sign In Subscribe Now Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines Karl Heinrich Moeller and Margarethe Steffens Moeller Hartwig and his three siblings were raised by their mother in Kellinghusen After completing high school at the Kaiser-Karl-Schule in Itzehoe Hartwig was awarded his master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Kiel in Organic Chemistry at the University of Frankfurt He completed his post-doctoral research work at the Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt Hartwig joined the German pharmaceutical company Hoechst AG in their Medical Diagnostic and Vaccine division he was responsible for all aspects of the Quality Control and Quality Assurance for over 600 products This is the same facility where the Pfizer Covid vaccine was recently developed where he directed and supervised the production of all medical diagnostic products manufactured by the company for U.S He was especially happy to have arrived in the U.S on the eve of the Bicentennial celebration and had wonderful memories of the tall ship parade in New York Harbor It was in New Jersey that he first met his future wife the company transferred operations and staff to La Jolla California with the acquisition of CalBioChem-Behring Diagnostics where Hartwig continued his career He was also employed by ICL Scientific and International Immunology Corp while living in California Hartwig married Janice in a ceremony held at the Café Mozart in San Juan Capistrano California until relocating to Janice’s hometown of Great Falls in 1989 Hartwig enjoyed retired life in Great Falls and made many wonderful friends here for several years he worked in the soil laboratory at Thomas Dean and Hoskins Engineering (TD&H) “playing in the dirt” as he laughingly said He was appointed to the Montana Science and Technology Advisory Council by Montana’s Governor in 1992 and served a two-year term A Life Member of the Optimist Club of Great Falls Hartwig actively participated in the Mathlete Hartwig had the special experience of working as an extra in the filming of the movie “Holy Matrimony” here in Great Falls One of Hartwig’s proudest moments was receiving his U.S Hartwig was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Hartwig is survived by his wife of 40 years Heike Schloss (Reinhart) of Germany; and brother-in-law at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel (1410 13th St To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Schnider Funeral Home website Report a typo High winds and mighty seas continued for the third day of the 2018 RORC Caribbean 600 Eight teams have finished the race and 34 yachts have now officially retired Peter Aschenbrenner's team racing his 63ft trimaran Paradox will be celebrating tonight Paradox cannot be beaten for the overall win in the multihull category In the Class40 division Catherine Pourre's Eärendil is expected to round Redonda at dusk to hanker down for a brutal 30-mile beat to the finish Eärendil can sense victory with a 24-mile lead on their nearest rival George David's Rambler remains in pole position for RORC Caribbean 600 Trophy for the best corrected time under IRC however 35 yachts in the record IRC fleet are still racing Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 Varuna is currently fourth overall and has filed for redress having altered course to assist in the rescue of Fujin during the race “It was rough and very wet,” commented Jens Kellinghusen we have no injuries to our crew and we didn't break anything Varuna now has additional structure of 180 kg and the boat has held up extremely well.” Jens Kellinghusen's Ker 56 Varuna is currently fourth overall © RORC/Tim Wright/Photoaction.com Tilmar Hansen's German Elliott 52 Outsider was just eight minutes behind Varuna in IRC Zero Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer has come the closest to beating Rambler 88 for the overall win falling short of the best corrected time by just over one hour “We lost our headstay on the first night and we were hanking on the head sail,” explained Privateer's boat captain “The bow team deserve a huge round of applause and it was great to get such a greeting as we docked in Antigua for the legendary '600 welcome For sure we left a bit out on the race course; we also had to take a full batten out of the main which really hampered our upwind speed for the final beat I have done a lot of races and that has to be one of the toughest.” 2013 race winner Ron O'Hanley's Cookson 50 Privateer on the dock in Antigua © RORC/Mags Hudgell Vestas 11th Hour Racing skipper Charlie Enright taking part in the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race was on board Privateer for the race Audio interview here: https://soundcloud.com/louay-habib/2018-rorc-caribbean-600-charlie-enright-privateer nine teams are still racing: Philippe Frantz's French NM43 Albator is the provisional leader and is en-route to Redonda Kevin & Sean McLaughlin's American J/44 Spice and Lombard 46 Pata Negra skippered by Irishman Michael Wright and his Howth YC team are in a close battle for second Philippe Frantz's French NM43 Albator is provisionally leading IRC One © RORC/Tim Wright/Photoaction.com Ossie Stewart and Ross Applebey's British Dufour 45 Scarlet Island Girl is estimated to be leading the class by over an hour after time correction Scarlet Island Girl has completed the rough ride around Guadeloupe and are setting reaching sails for the blast up to Barbuda Currently leading IRC Two - Scarlet Island Girl at the start of the 10th edition of the race © RORC/Tim Wright/Photoaction.com Conor Fogerty's Irish Sunfast 3600 Bam is locked in a tremendous battle with British Two Handed JPK 10.10 Jangada Battling it out in IRC Three: Conor Fogerty's Irish Sunfast 3600 Bam © RORC/Tim Wright/Photoaction.com Jens Kellinghusen's German Ker 56 Varuna VI is the overall winner of 2018 Antigua Bermuda Race and so Kellinghusen was presented with a sketch of the newly commissioned bronze sculpture “In dreamlike conditions of 18 to 24 knots we were able to increase our 24 hour record run to 465 nautical miles in the Antigua Bermuda Race,” commented Kellinghusen but Varuna – with about 4 hours more on elapsed time – won IRC overall in this extraordinary offshore race “With this time we also beat the previous race record by round about 20 hours We are happy with this result and we are looking forward to returning for the Atlantic Anniversary Regatta transatlantic race from Bermuda to Hamburg in early July.” The American turbo-charged Volvo 70 Warrior She was the winner of CSA Class and finished second overall in IRC Warrior set a new record for the 935 nautical mile race of 2 days Jeremi Jablonski's American Hanse 43 Avanti was runner-up for the second year in a row with Michael Orgzey's German Swan 48 Dantes in third In IRC Arnt Bruhns' German Class40 Iskareen was third the 2018 Antigua Bermuda Race came to a conclusion with a Prize Giving held on the terrace of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Commodore Jonathan Corless was introduced to competitors and honoured guests by Chair of the Antigua Bermuda Race A sumptuous finger buffet was complimented by a cocktail bar provided by Goslings Rum Every team in the Antigua Bermuda Race received personalised commemorative plates commissioned by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club commented: “Thank you to the competitors and race organisers for being part of yet another amazing Antigua Bermuda Race On behalf of the Murray Family and Warrior Sailing it is my great privilege to present the Warrior Trophy to the Antigua Bermuda Race “The Antigua Bermuda Race holds a special place in the hearts of all of us at Warrior Sailing It was the first offshore race for Warrior and our success in that first outing was proof-of-concept for the entire Warrior Volvo 70 project “We demonstrated that we could compete at the highest level of offshore racing while raising awareness of the great work that Warrior Sailing undertakes on behalf of returning veterans I look forward to seeing Warrior Sailing and the Antigua-Bermuda Race flourish together in the coming years I am thrilled that the first recipient of the Warrior Trophy will be the team of Varuna VI Their outstanding performance embodies all that this event can be: intense competition at the very highest level of the sport on an extremely fast and challenging racecourse May future recipients of this trophy be as deserving.” Full results and information: www.antiguabermuda.com plus all the latest on yachting regattas and offshore adventures around the world Graduate Studies, Co-op, Engineering is Project Manager for a team from Victoria-based StarFish Medical that are extending their hours to evenings and weekends and they keep their eye on their prize—which is making thousands of ventilators for the Canadian market to help in the COVID-19 pandemic testing and selling a complex Class III medical device like a ventilator takes years The team is doing it in a matter of months planning to have ventilators completed by the end of May and then to ramp up production from there we have been making significant progress,” says Niknia StarFish is revamping and modernizing the Winnipeg Ventilator a piston-pump design originally created by Dr Magdy Younes of the University of Winnipeg in the early 1990s After the call came from the Next Generation Manufacturing Supercluster for Canadian companies to produce critical medical supplies engineers from StarFish travelled to Winnipeg to meet with Dr Younes and see if the design would be a viable technology platform to modernize and reverse engineer to make it suitable for mass production but instead of analogue circuits with a whole bunch of wires … the new Winnipeg ventilator will use a micro-controller with firmware on it,” says Julian Grove a Systems Engineer with StarFish and UVic alum (BEng ’13) The aim is to create a revamped version of the ventilator and replace analogue parts with firmware that can be easily replicated and mass manufactured in Canada The original design required a lot of manual tuning of the electronics which would have been state-of-the-art when it was originally designed Firmware on a microcontroller will allow calibration for each unit be more efficient and allow for use of more commonly available parts Grove supports project management by defining the different subsystems and making sure different disciplines—electrical engineering firmware and mechanical—will come together and be on the same page Grove’s work includes identifying all the international standards for ventilators and performance to make sure patients receive what the respiratory therapist thinks they are receiving The StarFish team is also in constant contact with key end users to find out what they need and how the design can better serve them and reduce risks to patients “Since the ventilator is a Class III device (life supporting or sustaining) it’s critical that we ensure the safety of the patient as well as the user Even though we’re working with tight timelines there can’t be any compromise when it comes to safety,” says Andy Garland (BEng ’16) that can present safety hazards to patients or operators so design specifications need to reflect that—such as including a pressure-release valve that kicks in to make sure the patient’s lungs aren’t over-pressurized Then the StarFish engineering team must test that function and make sure it works A key objective of remaking the piston-pump ventilator is to steer clear of the existing supply chain which is already under strain from companies around the world competing for the same components Grove is currently discerning what should be tested and how he will lead the team in testing it—currently navigating it all from his home that he shares with his wife and six-month-old baby Grove started at StarFish as a co-op student in 2012—and has been there ever since Human Factors Engineer and UVic alum (BEng ’19) has worked at StarFish for two years and also started as a co-op student Rusak-Gillrie ensures the device is designed to be safe and easy to use I have been supporting the Industrial Design team in planning and performing usability testing on the ventilator-user -interfaces and developing the user documentation and labelling to support and guide the set-up and use of the device.” Rusak-Gillrie says the self-management skills she learned at UVic are serving her well now to meet the project’s tight timeframes we will be able to witness this product move from conceptualization through to its use on patients within a few months which will be extremely rewarding and pretty rare to be a part of.” Iman Niknia never imagined working under such a scenario He knew working in medical devices development would affect lives “It is really an honour to be working on the project such a fast-paced project that can have a huge impact.” Garland says the UVic engineering program helped prepare him for a heavy workload and long hours is important when it comes to working on this project.” StarFish has roughly 170 employees working at offices in Victoria and Toronto though many others are supporting it by covering other workloads Many on the ventilator team are UVic graduates Gene Wey (BEng ‘06) and Bob Magyar (BEng ’99) a former StarFish staffer who is on board as a contractor Some on the team are working 80 hours a week so they have frequent conversations about staying healthy but timing is everything with this project—and there’s a lot at stake “Just thinking about that gives you energy,” says Niknia StarFish is a full-service medical device design company based in Victoria with a history of hiring UVic students and alumni. The StarFish project came together via a call from the Next Generation Manufacturing Supercluster, as announced by the federal government Their project is one of four underway that will collectively supply 30,000 ventilators Antigua Bermuda Race 2018  - Preliminary Cumulative Results Polizisten stehen während der Räumung auf dem Gelände des Schlachthofs in Kellinghusen: "Persönlich finde ich das Verhalten der jungen Leute sehr gut" Stefan Hinrichs hat erst mal zwei Tage frei dass die vergangenen Tage nicht einfach waren für den Pressesprecher Hinrichs Die Polizei trug einige der Teilnehmer davon verteilte Platzverweise - insgesamt sei die Demo ruhig verlaufen Als solcher gab er dem NDR ein Interview  das ihm am Ende einen Rüffel von oberster Stelle einbringen sollte Wörtlich sagte der: "Persönlich finde ich das Verhalten der jungen Leute sehr gut dass sie so mutig sich für das Tierwohl einsetzen aber: Grundsätzlich finde ich es sehr schön dass die Tiere hier Anwälte gefunden haben." dass die Führung das so nicht stehen lassen durfte Zwei Tage nach dem Interview geben Innenstaatssekretär Torsten Geerdts (CDU) und Landespolizeidirektor Michael Wilksen eine Pressemitteilung heraus  die deutlich formuliert ist: Pressesprecher seien zu Neutralität verpflichtet bei denen der Betrieb eines Schlachthofs gestört werde dass Pressesprecher nicht zwischen offiziellem Auftrag und persönlicher Meinung unterscheiden könnten Die Deutsche Polizeigewerkschaft sagte den "Kieler Nachrichten " die Kritik hätte über den direkten Vorgesetzten erfolgen müssen Überraschend ist die Rüge auch deshalb, weil die Polizeidirektion Itzehoe schon am Tag vor der Meldung des Innenstaatssekretärs eine "Klarstellung " veröffentlicht hatte Darin wurde auf die Neutralitätspflicht der Landespolizei verwiesen dass in dem TV-Beitrag ein anderer Eindruck entstanden sei Unterschrieben hat die Meldung: Stefan Hinrichs