Join hosts Andy and Chris as they dive into the complexities of tariffs and their impact on the chemical industry in this enlightening episode of the Smart Acids Podcast. Featuring expert insights from Dwayne Roark, VP of Corporate Affairs, Communications & Marketing at Univar Solutions, this episode explores historical tariff acts, current updates, and innovative strategies to navigate these challenges. Discover the best path forward for the industry and learn how we can stick together and thrive despite obstacles. Listen in for a discussion you won't want to miss!

02:44 Country Tariff Quiz: Does Dwayne know where the country is located or product the we most import from there?

07:23 Dwayne Roark explains his professional background and career

08:00 2025: The Year of the T's

10:47 History of Tariff's

14:21 The Tariff at Home Game - Key Terms

17:07 What is going on in 2025?

24:58 Is there an end in sight?

29:33 Next steps for the Chemical Industry

33:50 Timeline for North America

Smart Acids™ is the source for product insights and current market moves related to chemical and specialty ingredient distribution—breaking it all down one boron at a time. Join hosts Andy Erickson and Chris Ernst for straightforward and honest chat that speaks to the why behind pricing and supply, delivered in a smart, fun and entertaining way. Smart Acids is the winner of a B2 Silver Award, a top national recognition among leading global brands and marketers in B2B.

About the hosts: Andy Erickson, senior director of product marketing for essential chemicals, and Chris Ernst, senior director of product marketing for solvents, converse with guests from chemistry and specialty ingredient backgrounds who are keyed in to manufacturing and markets across industries.

Univar Solutions is a leading global specialty chemical and ingredient distributor representing a premier portfolio from the world's leading producers, and helping to keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe. With the industry's largest private transportation fleet and technical sales force, unparalleled logistics know-how, deep market and regulatory knowledge, formulation and recipe development, and leading digital tools, we offer tailored solutions and value-added services to a wide range of markets, industries and applications.

In this episode, the Smart Acids hosts welcome Joe 'Sherlock' Holmes, Business Development Manager, Electronics. Joe gives us a glimpse into the world of semiconductors and paints a vivid picture of the industry's ecosystem. He'll also provide insights into how vital the right chemistry solutions are and why he is optimistic about what lies ahead for the chip industry.

01:03 Joe 'Sherlock' Holmes explains his professional background and career

02:21 Chips quiz: Does Joe know chips?

04:35 The semiconductor ecosystem

05:30 CHIPS Act: Its correlation to industry growth, economic and national security

07:33 Examining the low 2023 market and rebound potential

09:15 Key end markets and how they are changing

10:55 Expected expansion and key industry players

12:10 How chemistry solutions play a vital role in the semiconductor market

14:20 Ready or not: Are chemical producers positioned to handle future growth?

16:28 FAQ: Why would purity requirements for electronics be more stringent than for pharma?

19:27 How high-purity chemistries play into sustainability/circular economy

21:00 Key takeaways: The history and future of the market, and its capacity

Smart Acids™ is the source for product insights and current market moves related to chemical and specialty ingredient distribution—breaking it all down one boron at a time. Join hosts Andy Erickson and Chris Ernst for straightforward and honest chat that speaks to the why behind pricing and supply, delivered in a smart, fun and entertaining way. Smart Acids is the winner of a B2 Silver Award, a top national recognition among leading global brands and marketers in B2B.

About the hosts: Andy Erickson, senior director of product marketing for essential chemicals, and Chris Ernst, senior director of product marketing for solvents, converse with guests from chemistry and specialty ingredient backgrounds who are keyed in to manufacturing and markets across industries.

Univar Solutions is a leading global specialty chemical and ingredient distributor representing a premier portfolio from the world's leading producers, and helping to keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe. With the industry's largest private transportation fleet and technical sales force, unparalleled logistics know-how, deep market and regulatory knowledge, formulation and recipe development, and leading digital tools, we offer tailored solutions and value-added services to a wide range of markets, industries and applications.

Smart Acids welcome back both Duane 'Papa Z' Ziolkoswki and Rick 'Ricky Lee' Roth. In this special episode Duane and Rick provide a retrospective on each of their 40+ year careers, the distribution industry over time, what has changed and what has remained constant.

01:30 – Papa Z shows up in a suit and tie and turns the tables with a surprise quiz

04:30 – Chemical distribution over time, including changes in distributor makeup, technical support and access, global connectedness

07:11 – People and tech-related trends

09:37 – Quiz: Rick ‘Ricky Lee’ Roth gets tested on all things retirement

12:12 – Rick’s experience and backstory in the industry

12:40 – Changes observed in the speed, communications and relationship-building within the industry

15:15 – People and tech-related trends and what Rick wish he knew back when

Smart Acids™ is the source for product insights and current market moves related to chemical and specialty ingredient distribution—breaking it all down one boron at a time. Join hosts Andy Erickson and Chris Ernst for straightforward and honest chat that speaks to the why behind pricing and supply, delivered in a smart, fun and entertaining way. Smart Acids is the winner of a B2 Silver Award, a top national recognition among leading global brands and marketers in B2B.

About the hosts: Andy Erickson, senior director of product marketing for essential chemicals, and Chris Ernst, senior director of product marketing for solvents, converse with guests from chemistry and specialty ingredient backgrounds who are keyed in to manufacturing and markets across industries.

Univar Solutions is a leading global specialty chemical and ingredient distributor representing a premier portfolio from the world's leading producers, and helping to keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe. With the industry's largest private transportation fleet and technical sales force, unparalleled logistics know-how, deep market and regulatory knowledge, formulation and recipe development, and leading digital tools, we offer tailored solutions and value-added services to a wide range of markets, industries and applications.