Scott Druker Senior Business Manager Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition
Background/Experience
I can trace my interest in chemistry to a co-op job I had while in college. I had the opportunity to work at a pharmaceutical company growing crystals of peptides and proteins. The reason for growing the crystals was to ultimately elucidate the structure of the molecules in order to design better drugs. I had the good fortune of working with some outstanding people—which has proven to be a common theme in my career—who stoked the passion in me for seeking a career in the chemical industry.
After graduate school, I started working as a researcher for FMC Corporation. I spent the first five years of my career supporting quality control efforts at manufacturing sites, developing new products, serving as technical support for sales, and developing novel analytical techniques to make real-time measurements in chemical plants. At FMC I transitioned from a research chemist to a marketing professional. I started by managing the performance sodium bicarbonate business, then moved on to managing an antimicrobial business.
After 11 years at FMC I moved on to become a Global Marketing Director for Lonza, a Swiss life science company. While there, I managed a disinfectant and preservative business and had the opportunity to live abroad. Now I am excited to take on the challenge of managing the Animal Nutrition business for Arm & Hammer and to help farmers, nutritionists, distributors and mills achieve their goals.
Education
I have a B.Sc. in Chemistry and an MBA in Finance from Drexel University. I also have a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from The University of Michigan. I also have extensive training, both academically and commercially, in advanced statistical techniques.
How will you be of most help to producers in your area of expertise?
I have a lot of experience working with different industries ranging from food processing to healthcare. I can bring to producers insight on how other industries have dealt with challenges ranging from the impact of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on businesses to ways to reduce variability in production settings.
What excites you most about working in your new role?
I love learning. Up until a few months ago, I didn’t know a whole lot about the nutritional needs of a dairy cow. So I have been acting like a sponge, absorbing all the information about the needs of a cow in all stages of development from every source possible—producers, nutritionists and colleagues. I am extremely impressed with the passion, optimism and willingness to share knowledge that exists in this industry.
What is your best story from the first day on the job?
I am not sure I had a first day on the job, but rather a first 72 hours on the job. I remember showing up at 8:00 a.m. at the office. I had a four-hour on-boarding meeting with human resources, then I was on a plane to attend a customer event in Cleveland that evening, which then turned into a plant visit the next day, another plane ride that afternoon to visit the R&D center of one our customers, and then a return trip home the following afternoon.
