Robert Gelinas, plant manager for BioLab Inc.'s Lake Charles, Louisiana, site, has been around the world and back again. The Canada native now calls Louisiana home and has been plant manager of the BioLab site in Lake Charles for the past eight years. He also serves as chairman of the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance (LCIA).
It is an exciting time at BioLab's Lake Charles site. According to Gelinas, the site is currently undergoing a modernization and debottlenecking project that will be completed in the first quarter of 2018.
"We are very thrilled because this project will allow the plant to keep up with BioLab's increased demand," Gelinas said. "We also recently acquired the 235-acre site that the plant was previously leasing. This gives us an opportunity to expand and also to sell some acreage. In preparation for this project, we have been hiring more employees in the past three years and installed a brand-new distributed control system."
Gelinas is a chemical engineer who graduated from the Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. His first job after college was as a process engineer with BF Goodrich in Shawinigan, Canada, the same plant his father retired from. After 12 years at BF Goodrich, he accepted a job in Montreal with Himont. He was then transferred to Frankfurt, Germany, where he worked for four years, and then to Brussels, where he also worked for four years. He then joined LyondellBasell, taking on the role as plant manager twice -- once in Houston and then in Lake Charles. He also served as LyondellBasell's vice president of manufacturing technology before leaving the company to join BioLab in 2009. Throughout his career in the industry, Gelinas has developed a set of skills that has carried over to cause great success.
"Someone in my position has to have the necessary listening skills, passion for safety, the desire to be a mentor, and the capabilities to set priorities and give feedback," Gelinas said. "Today, I am focused on maintaining the site's safety and environmental record and implementing the right training needed for our new employees. Training is crucial. We need to go through this change, growth and modernization period staying safe and maintaining our good performance in efficiency and unit cost."
Established in 1955, BioLab began as a small family business geared toward the production of cleansing agents and disinfectants for the poultry industry. Products were developed specifically to help maintain healthy environments in the hatcheries, processing plants and poultry farms of the southeastern U.S. With Founder and CEO Leon Bloom serving as part of a two-man sales force, it wasn't long before the company realized the equipment used to produce the cleaning agents and disinfectants for the poultry industry could be used to create products for other industries.
"BioLab is proud to be an industry leader in the development and marketing of innovative products that provide clear water for swimming pools and spas," Gelinas said.
BioLab's Lake Charles site was built in 1979 by Olin Chemical Corp. and was purchased by BioLab in December 1994. The site is located on 15 acres within a large industrial complex with multiple other companies. It manufactures trichloroisocyanuric acid, chlorinating granules and other specialty blends.
"Our consumer-friendly brands help people around the world enjoy the benefits of a healthier lifestyle and better experiences in their recreational and living spaces," Gelinas said. "Our head office is in Lawrenceville, Georgia, but we have plants located in Conyers, Georgia, and Ontario, California, in addition to the Lake Charles site. BioLab's Lake Charles site produces the chlorine-based products and ships them to the two other sister plants for tableting and packaging."
At the end of 2013, the global BioLab business was purchased by KIK Custom Products of Toronto.
Facing challenges, maintaining safety
With many retiring and exiting the industry, one of the challenges Gelinas faces is attracting and retaining a qualified workforce from the Lake Charles area. The site has had to modify its hiring requirements and "beef up" its training systems.
Gelinas shares a passion for safety with his employees. The last time BioLab's Lake Charles site sustained a lost-time accident was eight years ago, and it recently completed two years without a recordable incident.
"In 2015, the plant won the Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) SAFE Award, which we're very proud of," Gelinas said. "We celebrate our safety milestones, and our safety systems are very simple. Employees are encouraged to report unsafe conditions, and we resolve them as fast as we can. We've eliminated all barriers or delays between identifying a risk and eliminating it. Management, including myself, is also present on the shop floor every day to convey our safety message."
Gelinas emphasized all of BioLab's U.S.-based facilities have adopted the highest standards to ensure premium quality and the best working conditions for employees. These sites follow Six Sigma and Lean principles and adhere to the chemical industry's Responsible Care® initiative, seeking to be as efficient and safe as possible while also pursuing best-in-class performance in everything they produce.
Staple in the community
Gelinas and the rest of the BioLab Lake Charles team are active throughout the community. According to Gelinas, the organization they're most involved with is the United Way of S outhwest Louisiana. The site's campaign contributions have increased every year.
"As a member of the United Way campaign cabinet for major industries in the area, I've helped raise more than $14 million in the past six years," Gelinas said. "BioLab also registered a team in community activities like the Dragon Boat Race and the Tour LaFitte cycling event, and we held a golf tournament to benefit Junior Achievement. I personally serve on the board of directors for the United Way of S outhwest Louisiana and have been on the campaign cabinet for seven years.
"I also try to keep updated with the community and the chemical industry through my participation on the board of LCA, being chairman of LCIA, reading magazines like BIC Magazine and meeting with people from all over involved in the chemical industry. I feel it is very important to get involved, interact with people in my industry and community, and try to make a contribution."
In Louisiana, Gelinas and the LCA/ LCIA have been very active in helping to lobby and manage the tax increases on industry and the change in tax breaks for new investments.
"Louisiana needs to stay competitive with other states," Gelinas said. "We are also giving feedback on regulations that can negatively impact our activities and ones that do not improve overall quality of the environment in our opinion."
When Gelinas isn't on-site or working in the community, you'll find him cruising around in his Corvette, traveling, watching hockey, playing golf or taking care of yard work around his home.
BioLab Inc.
910 Interstate 10 West Westlake, LA 70669 (337) 433-3030 www.biolabinc.com
Employees and contractors: 120 permanent employees and approximately 10-15 contractors
Products: Trichloroisocyanuric acid, chlorinating granules and other specialty blends
Size: Site is made up of 15 acres but sits on 235 acres
