Katie Fries

Experience

• 

  Duke Energy Corporation

  Jan 2005 - Sept 2010

  ¥ Recruited for a full time position after six successful Co-Op assignments while at University of Cincinnati - Responsibilities included planning & defining scope of projects, budgeting, material procurement, implementation planning and scheduling with operations, contractor selection, schedule and implementation management during construction, and project completion analysis.¥ Managed and provided support for $4.8M in Projects on equipment throughout the power generation plant including: coal handling conveyors, coal crushers, process valves, pulverizer gearboxes, pulverizer exhauster fans, air preheaters, and precipitators.¥ Participated as an engineer on a cross functional team for equipment inspections/reports & recommendations for boilers, pulverizers, and air preheaters to determine necessary repairs for reliability and performance. Show less

  • Project Engineer

    Jun 2008 - Sept 2010

  • Mechanical Engineer Co-op

    Jan 2005 - Jun 2008
• 

  International Paper

  Sept 2010 - Oct 2017

  Responsible for leadership of safety, environmental, craft level employees, operational performance, quality and reliability of 12 batch digesters, bleach plant, and ERCO. Collaboration and coordination with all operating departments to ensure operational stability and continuity across the mill. Coordinate with Maintenance to insure priorities and key objectives are achieved. Evaluate operational performance and implement process improvements through operator rounds, training, and customer feedback to drive improvements. Provide strategic direction for capital and technical resources and provide input for capital planning/prioritization for the area. Responsible for equipment preparation and support of successful customer audits. Show less Responsible for leadership of safety, environmental, craft level employees, operational performance, quality and reliability of the fluff pulp paper machine. Collaboration and coordination with all operating departments to ensure operational stability and continuity across the mill. Coordinate with Maintenance to insure priorities and key objectives are achieved. Evaluate operational performance and implement process improvements through operator rounds, training, and customer feedback to drive improvements. Provide strategic direction for capital and technical resources and provide input for capital planning/prioritization for the area. Responsible for preparation and leading of successful customer audits. Responsible for maintaining customer relations through regular interactions. Customer interactions included regular conference calls, visiting customer’s facility, providing root cause analysis, action plans, and regular updates. Show less Responsible for leadership of safety, environmental, craft level employees, operational performance, and reliability of the Pulp and Digester area of the Mill. Collaboration and Coordination with all operating departments to ensure operational stability and continuity across the mill. Coordinate with Maintenance to insure priorities and key objectives are achieved. Evaluate operational performance and implement process improvements through operator rounds, training, and process center-lining to drive improvements. Provide strategic direction for capital and technical resources and provide input for capital planning/prioritization for the area. Conduct RCFA analysis and reported out results, findings, and corrective actions. Show less Front Line Leader Responsibilities for the Fiber Department which included leadership of one Production shift of hourly employees of the Digesters, Woodyard, and Effluent areas of the Mill. Responsibility included safety, quality, productivity and engagement to ensure goals of department were met. Additionally, responsible for safety training, accident investigation, managing work schedules, one on one counseling, and coaching employees to accomplish team goals and corrective actions to address problems. Show less

  • Area Process Manager Bleach Plant

    Jun 2017 - Oct 2017

  • Area Process Manager - P4 Fluff Machine

    Oct 2015 - Jun 2017

  • Paper Machine Technical Assistant

    Apr 2015 - Oct 2015

  • Pulp Mill Area Process Manager

    Aug 2014 - Apr 2015

  • Fibers Shift Manager

    Jun 2012 - Aug 2014

  • Reliability Engineer

    Sept 2010 - Aug 2012
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  Envoy Development

  Apr 2018 - Feb 2020

  Senior Process Engineer
• 

  International Paper

  Feb 2020 - Oct 2023

  • Pulp/Recycle Area Process Manager

    Dec 2021 - Oct 2023

  • Technical Assistant

    Feb 2020 - Dec 2021
• 

  Georgia-Pacific LLC

  Oct 2023 - now

  • Pulp Mill Manager

    Aug 2024 - now

  • Area Leader

    Oct 2023 - Aug 2024