A talented research chemist for over 40 years, Donald F. Groce has joined the Global Glove and Safety team as a Chemical/Disposable Product Manager. He brings extensive chemical expertise and a wealth of product management experience to his new position.
Don will be starting a new blog for GGS that shares his knowledge on a variety of chemical-resistant and disposable gloves including current styles and future innovations.
Don started his career as a research chemist at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA. In addition to toxicology, cancer studies and Agent Orange research, he performed chemical analysis on homicide victims to identify chemical exposure.
Don was Employee of the Year in 1989 at the CDC Center for Environmental Health in Atlanta and worked there for 11 years.
After leaving the CDC, Don spent 25 years working for an industrial safety manufacturer in Research and Development, Analytical Lab and Technical Services with a special focus on chemical-resistant and disposable gloves. His analytical chemistry lab studied permeation testing of hazardous chemicals in protective products.
As technical support for the company, Don traveled internationally and trained the entire worldwide team on chemical-resistant and disposable gloves.
Don authored the original ChemRest website - setting the standard for 20 years with the most comprehensive database for selecting hand protection for protection from exposure to hazardous chemicals and biologicals.
As an expert in disposable nitrile gloves, Don handled the educational aspect of latex allergies in national and international venues. His educational efforts were brought to ABC Network's 20/20, where an episode highlighted the risks and allergies associated with latex proteins.
Don appeared on television in Atlanta, and was heard on radio programs and has been published in several peer-review journals and has written articles regarding PPE for Industrial Safety & Hygiene News and other trade publications. He served as chairman of the AIHA Protective Clothing and Equipment Committee and spent almost 10 years teaching the Chemical Protective Clothing Course at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Exposition.
After 25 years, Don moved to Big Time Products where he spent 4 years as the Executive Vice President of the Apollo Performance Gloves division, as Product Developer, Analytical and Physical Performance Lab Manager and Compliance Officer.
As an analytical research chemist, Don has also performed the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Method for Proposition 65 testing and compliance and brought a consciousness of the risks of Prop 65 chemicals present in disposable vinyl and PVC to the industrial safety market. His work in GasChromatography Mass Spectrometry analysis led him to develop the Apollo Performance Gloves product line, catalog and website.
Don and his wife have been happily married for the past 40 years with 3 grown children and 6 grandchildren (ages 7-15) with number 7 due in August. His family remains heavily involved in their community and sports recently appearing on the game show "Family Feud," where his daughter shared one of her special talents, The Human Car Alarm.
Don can be contacted regarding chemical-resistant and disposable gloves at Don.Groce@GlobalGlove.com. A website link will soon be available. You can also reach Don at our Chemical/Disposable Hotline - 763-450-0111.
