Harold Sorgenti was an American engineer, businessman and investor, the former president and chief executive officer of ARCO Chemical and a key member of Ennovance Capital. He has served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Harold Sorgenti
Harold Sorgenti, 2004
Born(1934-05-28)May 28, 1934
DiedJuly 11, 2018(2018-07-11) (aged 84)
NationalityAmerican
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry

Education

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Sorgenti received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from City College of New York and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Ohio State University.[1]

Career

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Sorgenti started his career as a scientist for ARCO Chemical company, a subsidiary of Atlantic Richfield, where he developed several U.S. patents that led to the formation of new chemical industrial processes.[2] He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ARCO Chemical between 1979[3] and 1991,[4] where he headed the transformation of ARCO Chemical that led to splitting the company into two entities: Lyondell Petrochemical (now LyondellBasell) and ARCO Chemical Company.[5]

After serving for ARCO Chemical, he co-founded with Fred Rullo the Freedom Chemical Company,[6] a company that made several lower middle-market acquisitions of specialty chemical companies, which sold to BFGoodrich for $375 million in 1998.[7]

In 2003 Sorgenti received the Petrochemical Heritage Award from the Chemical Heritage Foundation.[8][9]

In 2010, Sorgenti joined Ennovance Capital, a Philadelphia-based private equity firm, as an operating partner.[10]

Sorgenti died on July 11, 2018.[11]

Cultural activities

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In 1980 Sorgenti joined the board of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and was chairman from 1986[1] to 1993.[12] From 2005 to 2009 he served as chairman of the Philadelphia Orchestra.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Sorgenti elected chairman of Academy of the Fine Arts" (fee required). The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 30, 1986. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  2. ^ "Patent Searching Database". freepatentsonline.com. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  3. ^ "Harold Sorgenti, a civic hard-charger is honored" (fee required). The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 22, 1985. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  4. ^ "ARCO Chemical chief Sorgenti plans to retire". The Oil Daily. January 23, 1991. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  5. ^ Spitz, Peter H. (2003). The chemical industry at the millennium: maturity, restructuring, and globalization. Chemical Heritage Foundation. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-941901-34-5.
  6. ^ "New venture for retired ARCO CEO". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 7, 1992. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  7. ^ Brickley, Peg (July 10, 1998). "Heavy hitters launch new trust firm". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  8. ^ "Sorgenti wins Heritage award". ICIS Chemical Business. Reed Business Information. March 24, 2003. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  9. ^ "Petrochemical Heritage Award". Science History Institute. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  10. ^ |Harold A. Sorgenti|http://www.ennovance.com/index_files/Page3776.htm Archived 2010-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Cook, Bonnie L. "Harold A. Sorgenti, 84, Philly business and civic leader". philly.com.
  12. ^ "Service Rendered to the Great Cause of Art" (PDF). Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 22, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  13. ^ "Philadelphia Orchestra's chairman steps down early". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 27, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2010.