Pete Snyder
Peter A. Snyder is National Accounts Manager at HarperLove
specializing in wet strength adhesives, triple wall production, bonding waxed and coated substrates, research and development, and board testing. Pete has been with HarperLove for 39 years and a member of TAPPI for more than 30 years. At TAPPI, he served as chairman of several Corrugated Packaging Division committees; CORBOTEC, FISCOTEC, Corrugator Scholarships and Awards and TAPPI’s Cullison Scholarship Committee as well as serving on TAPPI’s Corrugated Packaging Division Council and Steering Committee.
Pete is the recipient of TAPPI’s 2004 Corrugated Packaging Division Technical Award and Harry J. Bettendorf Prize, 2011 Corrugated Packaging Division Leadership and Service Award, 2016 Corrugated Lifetime Achievement Award and has received several Certificates of Merit from other organizations. He was instrumental in designing and instructing TAPPI’s annual short course, Best Practice on the Corrugator, which has become the industry standard for basic, effective corrugator industry training. He has also been an instructor for TAPPI’s Intro to Corrugated course and has presented at several TAPPI Corrugated Conferences: Corrugated Week, CorrExpo, SuperCorr as well as at ACCSA. As an author, Pete has contributed to numerous publications: “Corrugated Adhesives Preparation” (TAPPI Press), Board Converting News, Corrugated Today, and HarperLove Quarterly Bulletin.
1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
In college I earned extra money as a tutor for Calculus and Organic Chemistry. This gave me a forum for technical expression. Teaching came naturally to me. As I started my career with National Starch in 1980 there were opportunities to participate in writing technical documents for adhesives which helped develop my writing skills.
2. What is your work schedule like when you’re writing for a TAPPI publication?
The work schedule does not seem to change. There is a large base of customers with changing needs that need attention, which leads to abundant travel. I use travel time as an opportunity to catch up on my writing assignments.
3. What advice do you have for anyone considering writing for a TAPPI publication?
The best advice I can provide is to get started. Writing is a skill that can be developed especially when there is a personal passion for the topic. As a few years pass and your subject knowledge grows, the ability to articulate on the written page will gain momentum and provide professional satisfaction.