RYAN RICE
Ryan Rice
Solutions Engineer at Kelvion
As a Global Solutions Engineer at Kelvion, I apply my chemical engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh and my manufacturing experience to develop large-scale temperature control solutions for Data Center customers across the globe. I showcase my experience and Kelvion's product offerings by partnering with Data Center solutions providers.
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For my personal webpage, please visit www.ryan-rice.com
Contact
Phone: (484) 402-7060
Email: ryan@ryan-rice.com
Links
Heat Exchange Specialist
Sales, Engineering, and Processes
My engineering expertise is in industrial heat transfer equipment with an intimate understanding of industrial processes.
In my first professional role as a plant process engineer, I would frequently troubleshoot a variety of equipment and systems including: shell and tube heat exchangers, plastic extruders, catalytic reactors, steam jacketed piping, and closed-loop cooling systems. When I moved to a sales application engineering role at Messer, I specified and installed a focused selection of cryogenic freezing equipment for the Food and Beverage industry.
​Currently, as a sales solutions engineer, I build customer relationships and propose heat transfer technology to meet the cooling demands of the rapidly expanding Data Center market.
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In the future, I would like to further build on my understanding of heat transfer solutions and innovations so that I can become a subject matter expert in the field. I plan to build paths for younger engineers through mentorship so they can grow and develop their own skills and continue to offer better solutions.
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I am unique in my combination of sales and engineering practices and experiences. I provide a customer-focused commitment while adhering to the scientific laws that I deeply understand from my education. My biggest strength is in knowing my audience and being able to convey highly technical information to a variety of buying customers.
Professional Accomplishments
Kettle Chilling Trials
Messer
I had a customer interested in chilling a marinara sauce using liquid nitrogen. This is not something Messer normally handles. I brought up an innovative idea to my team about using our injection nozzles on their equipment. My development team was against the idea and told me I was wasting my time. We went ahead with the testing anyway. I pulled the resources together myself without the help of the development team. We had a kettle fabricated, cleaned and shipped for testing at the customer's location. The customer was very excited about the tests, but the results were not what the customer was looking for. They ended up not going with our solution, but they recommended us to their sister site for a separate freezing application. We ended up winning that business due to the good working relationship we had at the original site.
Product Transition Cleanser
DuPont
We had tasked a compounding production line to full capacity and the company was looking to increase production. I had been involved with a lean processing initiative to reduce downtime. Our longest downtime event was due to a color change from black to white plastic. This scheduled transition took 3.5 days and required a lot of help from the maintenance team. Our global technology leader recommended a solution that had already been in use at our sister site in Switzerland. A cleaning agent would breakup the plastic stuck to the extruder and reduce our transition time from 3.5 days to 1 day. It was expensive, and had to be used properly to be effective. I pushed for the project and worked hard to bring the compound onsite, develop proper testing procedures, prove its safety and effectiveness, and set the new standard for this transition. After a few attempts and adjustments, the product was successful and became the new standard. The capacity of the line was increased and the line could be scheduled more freely.
Fire Root Cause Analysis
DuPont
We had a site safety incident where one of our plastic extruders had caught fire and needed shutdown. Since I best understood the processing line and I had just been promoted to a leadership role, I led the root cause analysis on the incident. Through operator interviews, discussions with senior engineers, and research into best practices, we learned a lot about the product that was running at the time. We visually analyzed the feeders and extruder, and reviewed the process data at the time of incident. We determined the epoxy raw material had been pooling on the side of the extruder entrance. The incident occurred when a chunk of material broke lose and reacted with the base material at a faster rate than normal. This was confirmed with lab samples of the product around the time of the incident. The feed tube was moved so that it could no longer pool and the product could be produced safely. Following the incident I wrote and documented many new safety and training procedures to warn new operators and engineers about the dangers of the product.
Career Experience
Kelvion
Applications/Global Solutions Engineer
2022 March - present
Philadelphia, PA
In my current role, I engage customers in the data center space to provide an equipment solution to meet cooling needs. We focus out efforts on heat exchange and rejection so that our customers can safely and efficiently remove heat from their process. I integrate with the customers growing demands as large industrial data centers are being built and developed across the U.S.
Messer Americas
Applications Sales Engineer
2022 September - 2024 March
Philadelphia, PA
In a sales engineering role, I engaged in a customer facing engineering position in the industrial food and beverage space. I assisted customers through the entire sales process from idea to installation and commissioning as well as ongoing equipment support. The freezers utilize cryogenic gases pulled from the air to rapidly and efficiently freeze food products to temperatures that are safe to ship. I sized and verified food freezing/chilling equipment, proposed recommended solutions to the customer, and generated new business in the Northeast Sales Territory. In 2023, I grew my sales territory from $10 million to $16 million in revenue.
DuPont
Production Specialist
2022 January - 2022 September
Parkersburg, WV
After demonstrating my success in the engineering role, I was promoted to a leadership role in the organization. I was responsible for the daily production efforts of a $1 million/day plastic plant. In this role I relied on my process knowledge and influence to guide a multi-discipline team of operators, engineers, mechanics, and supervisors towards increased productions and reduced downtime. My projects and leadership had direct results in increasing production, product quality, and yield while reducing downtime and safety incidents. In this role, I retained many of the responsibilities of the process engineering position.
Process Engineer
2021 January - 2022 January
Parkersburg, WV
In my first role with an engineering degree, I joined DuPont as the lead process engineer for 3 plastic compounding extrusion lines. My primary responsibilities included qualifying 11 new products to the production lines and installing equipment upgrades through capital projects (small and large). Projects I worked on included large capital investments in new equipment with up to $750k in annual cost savings. I also assisted the daily operation of the process line as the technical expert when troubleshooting.
Chemical Engineer Co-op
2019 January - 2020 August
Charleston, SC
New Orleans, LA
As an engineering student, I had the opportunity to spend 12 months working in specialty chemicals plants gain valuable experience in plant operations. This was crucial for my understanding of how I can be valuable as a chemical engineering. In my time as a co-op, I learned three chemical processes at two plant locations. I brought my experience at these plants back to the classroom and to my future career roles. I worked on batch and continuous processes and assisted engineers in several cost savings initiatives.
Education
University of Pittsburgh
Teaching Assistant
2018 August - 2020 December
Pittsburgh, PA
While taking engineering classes, I worked for the university as a teaching assistant for the freshmen engineering program. My students learned the basics of logic and coding while simultaneously learning what it takes to be an engineer in a variety of disciplines. Through this opportunity, I developed my passion for mentoring others, and I saw this as an opportunity to pass on my experience to a new group of future engineers.
Engineering Student
2016 August - 2020 December
Pittsburgh, PA
3.50 GPA
I studied chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Through my education, I obtained the knowledge and skills necessary for an engineering career. I worked collaboratively with peers towards solving complex problems, researching topics of importance, and discovering our passions and goals. The university provided me opportunities to teach younger students and to work for a reputable chemical manufacturer (DuPont) while taking classes. Additionally, I volunteered with Engineers Without Borders, Special Olympics, and local youth flag football. I also participated on the school's club rugby team.
Community Outreach
One of my personal values is providing service and giving back to others. I honor this value in my professional career by giving effort and providing results that are expected of me in any role that I hold. I also look for additional opportunities to give outside of the office. It is important to me that I give my time and effort rather than relying solely on monetary donations. Below are details of some of these opportunities that I have had.
Street Tails Animal Rescue
Shelter Volunteer
Philadelphia, PA
2023
I volunteer at the local dog shelter which helps to keep stray dogs off the streets of Philadelphia. We care for the dogs and assist in finding placement into a new home.
Parkersburg South High School
JV Football Coach
Parkersburg, WV
2021 - 2022
I coached high school football in WV AAA athletics. I gave my time to prepare my student athletes for their futures after high school and embodied my former mentors.
Blennerhasset Christian School
Lunch Packer
Parkersburg, WV
2021 - 2022
I routinely spent evenings packing donated lunches for kids in need. We separated donated food into individual lunches that the kids could easily grab during break.
Pittsburgh Elementary School System
STEM Outreach Instructor
Pittsburgh, PA
2019 - 2020
Through the engineering program at Pitt, I spent one day each semester at a local elementary school teaching students about engineering and engaging their excitement in a STEM career.