Meet the ASTI Team

Board of Directors:

Honorary Member/ Co-Founder

B. Doug Hill

December 21, 1933 - 2005
CEO (retired) & Board Chairman Hill Brothers Chemical Co. & ASTI Co-founder
Doug received a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 1957. Doug began teaching safety seminars on to the industry on the safe handling of anhydrous ammonia during the 1980s. He has appeared several times on the Emergency Education Network Satellite Television Station sharing the knowledge Hill Brothers Chemical Company has accumulated. He is a past chairman of Chemical Industrial Council of California (CICC). From his direct experience in handling anhydrous ammonia, Doug along with others of the industrial and government sector have started the Ammonia Safety & Training Institute (ASTI) in Watsonville, CA.

Gary Smith
President
Retired Fire Chief /ASTI Co-founder ASTI & Instructor
Retired Fire Chief, from the Aptos/La Selva Fire Department, with over 30 years experience in the fire service. Has extensive knowledge in Emergency Response in Hazmat and ammonia incidents. Gary is Co-founder of the Ammonia Safety & Training Institute as well as an ASTI Instructor. Gary is known all over the world for his knowledge and commitment to making ammonia the safest chemical used worldwide.

Sonny Basaldua
Vice-President

Americold Logistics
Americold Logistics, Inc currently employs me. A Public Refrigeration Warehouse and Distribution Company, which operates 104 warehouses throughout the Unite States. All of which are ammonia cooled. I have been in the ammonia-refrigerated industry for over 25 years. The last 18 years have been with Americold. My title description with Americold is a Facility Service Manager. As a facility service manager I’m responsible for the maintenance and safe operation of all the refrigeration equipment, the implementation of all regulatory compliance and documentation records, employee training, PSM and RMPP upkeep and documentation. I have done the haz-ops, sops, moc’s, and p&id’s for both of the facilities that I’m currently responsible for. I have also help with the implementation of the PSM / RMPP programs at most of our Western Division Warehouses. I have been involved with audits required of these programs. I’ve been a RETA and ASTI member for years and a strong support of the industries’ safety requirements.

Ron Hill

Treasurer

Hill Brothers Chemical

For the past 15 years, I have served as President and CEO of Hill Brothers Chemical Co., a California based chemical company specializing in anhydrous and aqua ammonia. During my 34 year career, I have worked with ammonia in virtually every capacity, from bulk delivery to filling cylinders, from designing and building ammonia handling systems to training emergency responders in the safe response to ammonia emergencies. In 1996 I completed the ASTI 40 hour training course, in order to effectively lead Hill Brothers in its pursuit of exemplary ammonia safety. Hill Brothers has been handling ammonia safely since 1931, so our collective experience is unparalleled in the industry. We have been recognized by the US EPA, many regional fire departments, OSHA, and many other regulators, as excellent stewards of ammonia. We wholeheartedly support ASTI as the best way to promote a safer attitude about ammonia to our customers and communities.

Kent Anderson

IIAR

Bob Cole

Chevron Products Company

Bob Cole Plant Protection Technical Specialist and Oil Spill Response team Member. ChevronTexaco Pascagoula Mississippi Refinery.  25 years Refinery Emergency Response experience,  4 years USN ship board fire fighter. 

Martin Jeppeson
CALAMCO
1996 – Present: Safety Director for California Ammonia Company (CALAMCO), in Stockton with responsibility for Health, Safety, Environmental Affairs, and Regulatory Compliance (DOT, USCG, FRA, OSHA, EPA).
1991 – 1996: Safety Manager for Erickson Inc., (Hazardous Materials Management) in Richmond, CA.
1966 – 1990: US Army. Retired as LTC (Special Forces)
Education
BS Business Management, University of Albuquerque, New Mexico 1975
MS International Relations, Auburn University, Alabama 1985
MBA, University of California, Davis 2000
Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
Associate in Risk Management (ARM)

Mark Reasons

Ocean Mist Farms

Current Employer: 1993 to present: Ocean Mist Farms

Current Title: August 1999 to present - Castroville Operations Manager

June 1994 – August 1999 Coachella , CA

Coachella Operations Manager

May 1993 – June 1994 Castroville Shipping Supervisor

Past Companies / Positions:

1989 to 1993 World Airways, Inc.

1990 – 1993 Operations Manager, Africa & Middle East

Managed all aircraft and crew operations for U.S. Military cargo and passenger flights during Operations: Desert Shield, Desert Storm

and Restore Hope. FAA certified for Hazardous Materials and Weight and Balance on B-747, MD-11 and DC-10 aircraft.

Based in Egypt , Kuwait , Saudi Arabia and Somalia

1989 – 1990 Account Executive – Washington , D.C.

Scheduled cargo & passenger charter aircraft based onDepartment of Defense requirements. Often flew with aircraft to

Manage ground operations.

1979 – 1989 The Flying Tiger Line, Inc. ( Flying Tigers )

1984 – 1989 Western Regional Manager, Purchased Transportation

Managed purchased transportation requirements for 237 cities

Based in Los Angeles ( LAX )

1980 – 1984 Aircraft Charter Operations Supervisor ( Load Master )

Flew with DC-8 and B-747 passenger and cargo aircraft worldwide supervising all loading and unloading.

FAA certified for Hazardous Materials and Weight & Balance.

1979 – 1980 Coordinated all trucking operations for inbound / outbound cargo

flights operating thru San Francisco ( SFO ).

Don Tragethon

Western Pre-Cooling

Frank Wewer

FLI-TEK Consulting, LLC

Frank Wewers, founder and former president of Manning Systems, is the principal consultant of FLI-TEK Consulting. Mr. Wewers is president of FLI-TEK which provides strategic and tactical advice for manufacturing and distribution logistics, component sourcing, university-related research and other mission critical activities.

Frank, who has over 25 years of experience in designing and manufacturing gas sensing equipment, has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kansas and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Missouri . Manning Systems is a leader in the gas detection industry and was recently purchased by Honeywell.

Tim White

Sun Country

ASTI STAFF:

Jim Ennes
Director of Training, Ammonia Safety & Training Institute
Retired Fire Chief/Executive Administrator from the Manteca/Lathrop Fire District. Jim has planned and facilitated educational and safety programs, organized workshops and special events for the community. He has implemented fire prevention programs and enforced various fire and building codes. Jim has extensive experience in arson investigation and hazardous materials management. Jim has a hazardous Materials Management Certification, Hazwoper Certification and a lifetime teaching credential with the State of California. He is one of ASTI’s lead investigators and researchers of ammonia accidents around the country. Jim is the lead instructor for ASTI.

Tom Allt

ASTI Instructor

Michael Dingle

ASTI Instructor

Mike Dingle came to ASTI with nearly 26 years of law enforcement experience with the Washington State Patrol and retired as a Sergeant in the Commercial Vehicle Division.  Mike was an Incident Commander for Haz-Mat incidents for nearly 15 years, working on numerous small and large scale Ammonia releases.  Prior to the patrol Mike was active in a volunteer fire department , ambulance service, and in his family business.
Mike is married to Audrey and has two children, Miranda  (17) and Aaron (15).  Mike and his family enjoy being outside working in the yard, snowmobiling, camping, and just being a strong family unit.

Amanda Meyers
Office Manager