Keith Carey to succeed Kirk Royster, who will retire in late 2020
HEMLOCK, Mich. ― Hemlock Semiconductor Operations (HSC), the country’s largest manufacturer of ultra-pure polysilicon used in solar panels and semiconductors, has named Keith Carey as its new Chief Information Officer.
Carey, 56, succeeds Kirk Royster, who will focus on continued implementation of strategic projects before retiring at the end of 2020.
A graduate of Hemlock High School, Carey began his career at HSC in 1981 as one of the first two high school co-op students brought in by the polysilicon producer. He moved from shipping and receiving to manufacturing operations, and then to breaking up the polysilicon rods HSC produced into chunks. In 1986, he moved to HSC’s Science & Technology division and began doing more Information Technology work.
A long career in IT followed. In 1996 he moved to Dow Corning, a parent company of HSC, where he held various roles in IT and Supply Chain and traveled the world as part of Dow Corning’s Global Automation Team. He left shortly after Dow bought out Dow Corning in 2016 and returned to HSC as its IT manager in 2017. He has been HSC’s director of IT since August 2018.
“We’ve made a lot of changes at HSC since I returned. We’re exploring advanced analytics and simplifying the work we do. We’re also replacing our outdated custom systems, leveraging the cloud and trimming costs,” Carey said. “This is a very exciting time for IT at HSC. Modernizing all of our platforms has given us a competitive advantage that will allow us to service our customers even better.”
HSC Chairman and CEO Mark Bassett said Carey brings a wealth of IT knowledge and both an insider and an outsider’s perspective to HSC.
“Keith has been an innovator and a leader during his long career, and we’re fortunate he wanted to return to HSC,” Bassett said. “He cares deeply about the Hemlock community and about HSC being a good neighbor in every way, from safety to sustainability. And he embodies the culture we’re trying to build here, focusing on the team and on coaching and developing people throughout the organization.”
Carey said that focus on developing others comes naturally to him since that was his own experience. It also is a powerful narrative to share with college students when he’s out recruiting.
“When you think about my story, from high school co-op to CIO, it’s a pretty remarkable story,” he said. “My aspiration wasn’t to be the CIO. My aspiration has always been to make a difference.”
Carey has lived in the Hemlock community since eighth grade and holds a degree in computer information systems and computer science from Saginaw Valley State University. He’s married and has four children, three in college and one in high school. His family raises quarter horses and he enjoys judging 4-H/Open horse shows in his free time.
About Hemlock Semiconductor
Hemlock Semiconductor Operations (HSC) is a joint venture between DuPont, Corning Inc. and Shin-Etsu Handotai. HSC is a leading provider of ultra-pure polycrystalline silicon and other silicon-based products used in the manufacture of semiconductors for electronic devices, solar cells and modules. HSC began operations in 1961. To find out more, go to hscpoly.com.
For more information:
Kristen Opperman
+1 989 301 6063
kristen.opperman@hscpoly.com