The People Who Work Here: Robert Smalling, Chemist

A laboratory can be a lot like a concert hall and work there is as if it were a musical composition. Arrangements can be complicated.

Robert Smalling is as serious about his work at A Brite Company as he is about his creative endeavors outside of his work.

“Everything has to follow a prescribed process, a score,” Robert told us recently. “While there is room for variation, it really has to be clear where things originated and where they are going.”

Just like a musical composition or a short story.

Robert is a chemist in the R&D lab at A Brite. He is responsible for quality control and also works with the company’s chief chemist, Dr. Chalo Aoun. A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“I met Chalo when I was earning my BS in chemistry from the University of Texas at Dallas, "Robert said. “After working together in the lab, she called me one day and set up an interview at A Brite. I interviewed and was hired just after I graduated.” Robert has been with A Brite since 2008.

“Chalo thought I would be a good fit for the company,” Robert said.

Interested in science, chemistry and physics since he was a child, Robert also has a creative side.

“I write music, poetry and short stories,” Robert said. “The creative process is similar to the scientific process in that it has steps and formulas but you can still have the freedom to make judgments. To me, it is the best of all worlds.”

Robert and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.

The People Who Work Here: Renee Moore, Accounts Payable/Receivable

When she first came to A Brite, Renee Moore knew she had found a second home.

“I love numbers and I love being organized,” Renee said. “Being around chemists and scientists is a real treat for me.”

Renee is responsible for Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable at A Brite. She is the voice you hear on the other end of the line when you are looking to be paid or need to pay A Brite. Renee also backs up customer service and purchasing.

A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“We depend on Renee,” CEO Frank Dunigan said. “She plays an important role for us between our staff and our customers. She is a great manager of numbers.”

A native of Montana, Renee has spent most of her life in North Texas. Before coming to A Brite 5 years ago, she worked for Haggar Clothing for 17 years as a staff accountant. She lives in Garland with her family.

Renee and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website .

The People Who Work Here: John Geevarghese, Quality Assurance

No one takes sampling more seriously than John Geevarghese.

John is in the Quality Assurance department at A Brite Company and his work ensures that the company’s customers stay in business.

Processing over 20 samples of customer solutions each day and reporting back the results of those tests within 24 hours consumes John’s days. His analyses ensure that a customer’s lines and processes stay within specification and that their product quality stays at a high level.

A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“John’s work is critical to our success,” Dan Dunigan said. Dan is Vice President of A Brite and should know: he talks to the customers on a daily basis that John’s work impacts.

“Without the work of John and our lab team back at A Brite, few of our customers and our sales team would be able to maintain the quality of work they do,” Dan said.

With over 12 years of service to A Brite, John came to the company from Stanley Black and Decker where he spent 11 years in their labs. John specializes in nickel and chromium chemistry.

“A Brite is a great working environment for me,” John said. “I get to practice my profession and they treat me and my family very well.”

John and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.

The People Who Work Here: Harry Hassell, National Sales Manager

You’ve never met anybody that loves people and his job as much as Harry Hassell does.

“I really enjoy calling on our customers,” Harry told us between customer meetings. “Whether it is hearing about the latest from a long-time customer or a cold call, I can’t wait to either be on the phone or sitting down with someone,” he said.

This joyful approach to life and work has certainly worked for Harry and for A Brite Company. As National Sales Manager, Harry calls on many clients himself as well as guiding the company sales team. Harry manages the sales of everything from equipment to chemistry to consulting services. And he does it by listening to his people and his customers.

A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

A veteran of the steel and electronics manufacturing industries, Harry has been with A Brite for nearly 20 years. With each stop he’s learned something new to apply to the next step in his career.

“From the time I was in the US Navy through my time in the steel mills, I’ve learned that the strength of a company is in its people,” Harry said. “If you listen carefully and seek to understand, you will go a long way toward forging a relationship that will last,” he said.

“That is both inside and outside of a company,” he continued.

Harry and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.

The People Who Work Here: Les Winkler, Chief Operating Officer

To hear Les Winkler’s story is to hear a history of the surface finishing industry. And that story takes you from Michigan to Texas.

“This industry is built on relationships,” Les said of the surface finishing industry. “At some point all of the players have either worked for or with each other.”

“In the end, though, they are all focused on the customer.”

Les should know. A 45-year veteran of the industry, Les has been with A Brite Company since 1994 and is currently its Chief Operating Officer. A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“Before coming to A Brite, I worked for the competition for years,” Les said. “I’ve known Frank for most of my career and when he and I would talk, Frank would always ask ‘When are you coming to work with us?’”

“For years I kept answering ‘Why should I?’ while continuing to watch A Brite grow until one day when I actually said to Frank, ‘Why not?’”. That was the day I went to work for A Brite,” Les said.

Frank is Frank Dunigan, the CEO of A Brite.

With a BS in Chemistry from Wayne State University, Les has learned the business by doing a variety of things during his career. And he’s worked for companies that are among the leaders in the specialty chemicals industry, including Udylite and McGean and Rohco.

“I’ve been in sales, service, training, marketing, manufacturing operations and compliance,” Les said. “But it was always customer focused.”

Les is most proud of A Brite’s recent ISO 9001 certification.

“That’s just the icing on the cake.”

Les and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website.

The People Who Work Here: Dr Chalo Aoun Research Director

When the finish on your client’s products can mean the difference between booming sales and no sales, it becomes critical to make sure all runs well for them in their manufacturing processes.

“The proprietary additives our clients buy from us’ represent one to two percent of their total manufacturing cost, but can mean all the difference between a sale and no sale,” Dr. Chalo Aoun said. “If the color or brightness of a finish, for example, is poor , the end customer may choose another product based on appearance.”

“Our clients rely on us,” Dr Aoun said.

Dr. Aoun is Research Director for A Brite Company. A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

Dr. Aoun is responsible for research and development of A Brite’s line of products. A Brite is customer driven and does invest in research even in old technologies. . She does everything from improving existing products to creating new proprietary additives in order to solve specific problems or to achieve a desired finishes for the end client.

A Brite makes things happen and happen better. In raw materials shortage, we find alternatives, if the client’s specifications change, we modify and adapt, if new finishes appear on the market we compete. We do not sleep on our laurels.

And breakthroughts they can be. In the time she has been at A Brite, Dr. Aoun has helped grow the nickel product line from a single product to a list of 10, the zinc processes were created and many other surface finishing processes. Customer need and requirements have driven A Brite to create new products that improve the end product or increase efficiency.

Dr. Aoun has been with A Brite for 17 years. She earned her PhD in Chemistry from University of Texas at Dallas. She also has earned a BS in Chemistry and holds two Master’s degrees in science.
“I’ve been very fortunate to work for a company that sees the whole of the process,” Dr. Aoun said. “A Brite listens to the customer and works side-by-side with them to ensure their success. This environment has enabled me to understand the science behind a process, build a fund of formulas and back them with chemistry,.”

Dr. Aoun and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website.

The People Who Work Here: Jackie Frank, Chemical Purchasing Inventory Manager

When she was a girl growing up on a ranch in North Texas, Jackie Frank learned a lesson that she hasn’t forgotten to this day.

“When we were kids, my cousin was filling a tank on my grandparents’ ranch,” Jackie recounted recently. “However, she forgot to take the hose out after she was finished and the water in the tank was siphoned out by the unattended hose. The tank had chemicals in it that were toxic and the siphoned water polluted by grandparents’ well,” Jackie recalled.

“They had to dig a new well.”

That lesson of paying attention to detail has stayed with her. In the metal surface finishing business, a missed keystroke on order can destroy a customer’s system.

Jackie is responsible for the inventory and ordering a raw materials for A Brite Company. A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“We maintain a just-in-time inventory,” Jackie said. “I order raw materials based upon orders so that we can contain costs in the warehouse,” she said. Jackie also maintains stock of products of other manufacturers A Brite distributes.

And that’s not all Jackie does. “I arrange all of the prepaid and inbound freight for the company,” Jackie said.

Jackie is a veteran of the chemical and surface finishing business, having come over to A Brite in the ACI Chemicals acquisition. She has worked on the A Brite premises since 2004.

“I started as a temp and worked my way through the company,” Jackie said. “I love what I do and can’t imagine working anywhere else.”

Jackie and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.