Deavenport receives Executive Excellence Award

Earnest W. Deavenport Jr., second from right, is congratulated on receiving the Chemical Management and Resources Association's Award for Executive Excellence by engineering Dean Robert A. Altenkirch, left, President Donald Zacharias, and CMRA president Judith Blackford.

Earnest W. Deavenport Jr. ('60), chairman and chief executive officer of Eastman Chemical Company, was recognized in May by the Chemical Management & Resources Association with its Award for Executive Excellence.

The award was presented to Deavenport by Judith Blackford, vice president, Chemical Marketing Research Practice, Stanford Research Institute and president of CMRA, during the association's annual meeting in New York City. The award recognized Deavenport's distinguished accomplishments in the chemical and allied process industries.

"Earnie Deavenport has introduced a new order and has succeeded, as demonstrated by Eastman receiving the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award [1993]," Blackford said. "It is in recognition of Mr. Deavenport's executive excellence that this award is given."

In recognition of Deavenport's selection, CMRA awarded a $4,000 grant to Mississippi State and its College of Engineering. President Donald Zacharias and engineering Dean Robert Altenkirch were on hand to accept the grant for advancement of management, marketing, business development, planning, business intelligence and business/marketing research in the chemical and allied process industries.

Having led Eastman in its successful quest for the Baldrige Award and at the same time orchestrating Eastman's birth as a public company, Deavenport brings a unique perspective to his leadership role in the chemical industry. He shared some of his convictions for the future.

Deavenport pointed to regulatory reform, improvement in quality, and establishment of a global voice by the chemical industry as the most important issues for the chemical industry.

Deavenport said his No. 1 priority as chairman of the Chemical Manufacturers Association is to push for incorporation of the principles of risk assessment, risk prioritization, cost-benefit analysis, and peer review into laws and regulations as the foundation for real regulatory reform.

Deavenport said, "Our nation's environmental objectives are sound. It's the methods being used to achieve those objectives that are flawed and in need of being changed."

Looking at quality as an issue, Deavenport said, "Customers worldwide are demanding continual improvement in the areas of health, safety, and the environment. We must listen to their demands."

Moving to the globalization issue, Deavenport said, "My point of view on globalization is about establishing a global voice that speaks for our industry on international issues such as product quality and liability, international trade, and the environment."

"The U.S. is the world leader in total chemical output," Deavenport said. "As the world leader, we have an obligation to facilitate the establishment of a global voice that transcends national borders, national governments, that will move our industry forward into the 21st century."