John R. Kretzschmar
Blako Industries
Inducted 2003
John R. Kretzschmer (1933-2018) was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. In the traditions of the early trading post and home of the Pony Express, he became a trader or salesman, as we call them in contemporary times, one of the best the plastics industry has ever seen.
John attended the University of Missouri, majoring in chemical engineering, a curriculum well suited to his aptitude for mathematics. He also joined the ROTC, which helped him with his tuition. John graduated from the University of Missouri in 1956 and worked for the relatively newly-formed company Spencer Chemical Company. The company had just purchased a technology license from ICI in London to produce low-density polyethylene (LDPE). An LDPE plant was constructed in Orange, Texas. John was sent to New York City after-sales training and worked in the company’s district office.
John left Spencer Chemical and entered the Air Force as a second lieutenant (eventually making captain) in San Antonio, Texas. He attended flight school with his first permanent duty station at Larson Air Force Base at Moses Lake, Washington.
Three years later, John returned to Spencer Chemical Company in Kansas City, Missouri. Spencer assigned John the Pittsburgh territory. He then joined Rexall Drug and Chemical Company, selling packaging-grade films, eventually becoming their national sales manager.
After purchasing two extruders for blown film production, John and Ben Brown started Blako Industries. They became the first to use sophisticated automatic gauge control systems, which were recognized in the industry as a major innovation. In 1996, John sold Blako to a group of employees and retired from the company. However, he remained on the board of directors. He started S&K Sales Consultants (named for his wife Sue) for matters related to blown film.
John was an active member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) in various capacities and a founder of the Ohio Plastics Summit. During his tenure as president of SPE, John became a member of the Plastics Hall of Fame Coordinating Committee. John also joined the National Plastics Center and Museum board of trustees. In addition, John served on the Plastics Pioneer’s board of governors from 1993 to 2001, when he became president of the organization.
John was also a member of the Bowling Green Rotary Club’s board of directors, where he served as its president. Over the years, he has been very involved as a volunteer for various golf organizations. For example, he has served as a director of the Western Golf Association (WGA) since 1982 and as chairman of the organization’s Western Junior Tournament for twenty years. John has also served as president (2000–2001) and chairman of the board of trustees (2002-2003) of the Evans Scholars Foundation, a scholarship program for golf caddies.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastics processing, Plastics materials, Plastics management