Gregg Smith

John Muir said that “The mountains are calling and I must go,” and venture Gregg did on many fun camping and hiking trips to the Catskills of NY with his parents and brothers. It is here that he first experienced that special connection we all have to nature and wilderness, and how important these spaces are in our lives.   Gregg was fortunate as a child to have his first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park to see the wildlife, the mountains that touch the sky, and snow in summer.   He realized at an early age the importance of our National Parks as unique treasures and the responsibility we each have to protect and pass on to our future generations.   These experiences reinforce his commitment to being a good steward for the planet and our National Parks serve as our inspiration and provide experiential learning for all that visit. The future of our National Parks is tied to each and every one of us being able to connect to these gifts and appreciate the wisdom of past preservation and the need to continue this journey together.  

In Gregg’s professional life, he has worked to find sustainable and better material solutions to improve our lives and lessen the impact on the environment.   A chemical engineer by training he has put those skills towards developing and commercializing many material innovations that have helped our environment.   His current focus is providing new low-carbon solutions for heating and cooling, low-carbon solutions for “green” inhalers for asthma patients, and energy materials that power our lithium-ion batteries to store and deliver renewable energy.   As President of Orbia’s Fluor and Energy Materials business, “our stated purpose is to advance life around the world by solving the major problems of water, carbon, energy, and food.  I’m proud to be with a company that has purpose and values I can identify with and will help our planet and National Parks thrive.”