Steven J. Phillips, Ph.D., Joins CRI

Contact: CRI Communications Department, 706.428.2103

August 1, 2001, DALTON, GA - Werner Braun, president of the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), the national trade association for the carpet and rug industry, today announces that Steven J. Phillips, Ph.D., is joining CRI as the director of customer satisfaction, effective the first of August. In this position, Dr. Phillips will oversee communications to the entire range of CRI audiences - the industry, consumers, commercial carpet end users, and other organizations. "It is a pleasure to welcome Steve Phillips to the staff of the CRI as a director," stated Mr. Braun. "He brings great talents in management and communications and a scientific background that will enhance even more CRI's great staff. Steve worked with Dow Chemical, where he designed, built, and staffed a four-million-dollar recombinant DNA research and production laboratory that successfully cloned and expressed the genes for the enzyme rennin." Mr. Braun continued, "His skills in science, market research, communications, new ventures commercialization, and product stewardship will certainly bring new business and scientific insight that will greatly enhance CRI's expertise and will help to provide continued benefits to the membership."

Dr. Phillips stated, "I am pleased and proud to be joining CRI because I have always had tremendous respect for this organization and its members. I am looking forward to contributing in the best way I possibly can and to learning from this fine industry."

Dr. Phillips comes to CRI with over twenty years of Fortune 500 company experience. His most recent position was manager of product stewardship at Occidental Chemical Corporation, Dallas, Texas. In this position he managed issues of safety and health, regulations, litigation and liability, and public relations and public perception.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in the suburbs, Dr. Phillips earned a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry from Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. He earned his master of science and doctorate in microbiology at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, specializing in microbial genetics. He accepted a post-doctoral fellowship in genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York. His advisor was Dr. Frank E. Young, Commissioner of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration.