Don Pferdehirt | Blogspot: February 2018

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania Seeks to Educate

Don Pferdehirt is fluent in English, German and Turkish

As the head of global operations support for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) for the Bayer Corporation, Donald (“Don”) Lee Pferdehirt of Spring, TX, has overseen engineering at multiple sites in six countries. Alongside his career as a management executive, Don Pferdehirt has supported the work of charitable organizations such as the Lupus Foundation in Pittsburgh.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania seeks to end the stigma associated with those with a chronic illness like lupus. Since its establishment by Barbara Vandergrift in 1975, the foundation has provided educational resources, supported scientific research, and raised awareness about the condition. Its mission includes safeguarding those with lupus from negative outcomes such as job loss or continual hospitalization.

The Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania also provides those with the disease with support group meetings and educational programs, such as its 2018 spring series entitled Living with Lupus. Moreover, it travels to health fairs to provide resources and encourage early diagnosis and speaks to groups about how to recognize the diseases and other lupus topics.

About Me

Texas business leader Donald (Don) Pferdehirt has an extensive background in the optimization of international business, engineering, and manufacturing processes. Serving in managerial positions with Bayer Corporation for many years, Spring, TX-based Don Pferdehirt oversaw significant improvements in production capacity and process development while guiding sustained manufacturing-cost reductions.

Mr. Pferdehirt has a background with Bayer Corporation as head of global technical support for operations. Emphasizing safety training and employee productivity, he oversaw the implementation of highly focused quality-improvement processes. He also embraced the use of leading-edge technologies spanning eight sites in half a dozen countries.

Mr. Pferdehirt organized the program “Attitude and its Impact on Morale,” and among the honors he received were the President's Achievement Gold award and the Quality Excellence Award. In 2000, his efforts to increase energy efficiency in the workplace earned him the company’s first-ever Corporate Energy Savings Trophy. Don Pferdehirt enjoys travel in his free time and is a longtime supporter of the Lupus Foundation of Pittsburgh.