Following a childhood spent in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, and after finishing undergraduate studies in Fayetteville, Mr. Weitkamp joined Ethyl Corporation as a manufacturing engineer at a large chemicals complex in Houston in 1993.  Over the next 15 years, Robin led teams in chemical manufacturing, business management and strategy development, and business development across a variety of chemical and petrochemical markets for Albemarle, Amoco, and BP.  During that same period, Robin also attended the University of Houston, completing master’s degree requirements in 1996 as well as the University of Chicago, achieving a masters’ in Business Administration in 2002. Seeking out opportunities to innovate, Robin changed directions and joined Symyx Technologies, a Silicon Valley firm focused on advanced R&D programs utilizing novel technology and collaborative development with a broad set of Fortune 500 companies.  Continuing this entrepreneurial direction, Robin is currently the SVP of Chemicals Development for a private, Chicago-based renewable chemicals startup – Elevance – which is commercializing a new family of chemical building blocks. Weitkamp, his wife Kimberly and 4 kids currently live in Batavia, Illinois, braving the tough winters and enjoying all that Chicago has to offer.  The family continues to maintain roots to Arkansas, visiting family and friends routinely and staying involved in various activities in the Northwest Arkansas region.

Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers, 2014.