kurtswogger@plannedinnovationinstitute.com

Mr. Swogger was R&D Vice President and Vice President of Performance Plastics and Chemicals Business Development with the Dow Chemical Company before joining The Planned Innovation® Institute in 2008. Prior to his retirement from the Dow Chemical he led corporate strategy development for Market Facing Businesses and the Performance Technology Portfolio. Swogger remains an outside advisor.

Kurt’s personal goals include fostering faster R&D commercialization metrics using Planned Innovation principles and “Speed-Based Development.” This approach has allowed Dow Chemical to achieve “best in class” performance. The practical outputs of this philosophy were recognized with the Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award for Dow’s Polyolefins Business by the Product Development Management Association (PDMA), marking it the first time a chemical company received this most prestigious award.

Kurt began his career at Dow in 1972 holding various research, manufacturing, marketing, and administrative roles in the Agricultural Chemicals, Consumer Products, Polyolefins and Performance Products businesses. He was global R&D director for polyethylene (1995), global R&D director for polyolefins (1998), and R&D Vice President (2003) responsible for polystyrene, automotive, engineering plastics, building and construction products, and rubber. In 2005, he was named R&D Vice President for the Performance Plastics and Chemicals Business.

Kurt received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas. He is a past winner of the American Chemistry Society 2002 Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management, the First Annual Product Development and R&D Metrics MVP Award at the Management Roundtable's 10th Annual Conference and is the 2006 AIChE Management Award winner.

Mr. Swogger resides in Austin, Texas.