At Paratherm, our success lies not only in the quality of our products, but in the people we employ. They are the heart and soul of our business. Here, we’d like to spotlight one member of our team, a Food Industry Specialist who represents the passion, commitment, and expertise that makes our employees—and our company—who we are.
Ray Klim, an industry veteran and proud father of five adult children (and incidentally, a jazz guitarist with a particular fondness for George Benson) came to Paratherm about a year ago, and has been an illustrative example of the type of person Paratherm stands for. It seems he, too, feels this way, as he says “It is a pleasure at Paratherm. I’ve had a long history in the industry, and this is by far the best job and the one I’ve enjoyed more than any of them.” This shows in both his work and how he talks about it, with pride, energy, and excitement.
Ray came to us after working in the food industry his entire adult life, having been at Domino Sugars and then Newlyweds Foods, the largest producer of coating systems for the meat and poultry industry, where he spent 17 years. In short, he knows the industry as well as he knows the fingerboard of his Gibson 6-string. In addition to years of professional experience, he’s taken part in several continuing education courses over the years, including Introduction to Food Technology at RutgersUniversity.
So what is his role as Food Industry Specialist for Paratherm? He partners with all of the country’s leading poultry processing firms to ensure their systems are running productively, runs support and training for them when necessary, evaluates their volume frying, grilling, and oven systems, and identifies and corrects any problems. He tests and reviews their food-grade heat transfer fluids, both individually at the plant level and at a corporate level, ensuring the maximum safety and efficiency of the product and the highest level of quality to both the processor and the consumer. When speaking about the fact that Paratherm is integrated into over 90% of the poultry further-processing market, and on the subject of our quality standards, he is passionate, and that he truly loves his job is evident.
Looking ahead, Ray says that maintaining that high standard while introducing the efficiency and uniformity of indirect heating (and Paratherm expertise) to other markets such as seafood, red meat, and snacks, broadening our approach, and being more active globally are some of his goals and focus points.
It’s clear that Ray is proud of the work he does, and we’re proud to have him as part of our team.