2020 Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Award Winner

Gordon Bugg Named Recipient of 2020 Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Award

Renowned honor recognizes ongoing Association contributions

Established in 1983, this is the highest honor the Association can bestow upon an individual for exemplary leadership that has significantly contributed to the advancement of the Association. TAPPI is pleased to announce that Gordon Bugg, TAPPI Fellow, has been named winner of the prominent Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Award.

Mr. Bugg works for Kemira Oyj as a Senior Engineer specializing in paper and paperboard coatings. He holds a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University, Ala. and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

He began his career in 1981, coming on board as a Paper Machine Process Engineer at the Alabama Kraft Company, later Mead (now WestRock) at the Mahrt, Ala. mill. In 1988, Bugg was named Coatings Engineer and assisted with the design, installation and startup of the #2 PM Coater and Coating Preparation area. He was promoted in 1993 to Coating Superintendent and worked in that position until 2001.

He then joined Eka Chemicals and later Akzo Nobel where he provided worldwide technical, applications and business development support focusing on paper and paperboard coatings and converting. In 2015 his group was part of an acquisition by Kemira Oyj, coming on board as a Senior Engineer, a position he currently holds.

Paralleling his career in the paper industry, Bugg retired from the US Army Reserve in 2009 after 30 years of service, holding the permanent rank of Colonel. His assignments included Command positions in Chemical, Special Forces and Logistics units, with overseas time in Korea as well as deployment to Iraq in 2004 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His awards include the Parachutist badge, the Bronze Star and the Legion of Merit.

A TAPPI member since 1981, Bugg is very active with the Gulf Coast Local Section and received the TAPPI Paul Magnabosco Outstanding Local Section Member Award in 1997 for his service.

He began his involvement with the TAPPI Coating and Graphic Arts Division in 1988 and currently is active on the Division’s Coating Operations Committee. While serving on those Committees, he served as Chair multiple times and played an active role in the activities and projects of the Division, including serving as Chairman for PaperCon 2020 (recently rescheduled to April 25 – 28, 2021 in Atlanta, Ga.).

Bugg was elected to the TAPPI Board of Directors in 1999, concluding his term in 2002.

About the Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Award:

The Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Award was established to recognize an individual for voluntary leadership and support. The recipient’s contributions have significantly and demonstrably advanced the mission and vision of the Association and are apparent in specific improvements made in the Association’s internal or external endeavors.