Who We Are

Matt Brenner has been with Blue Grass Chemical Specialties since August 2022. He has worked in the specialty chemical and power generation industries for over 18 years. Before Blue Grass, he was responsible for Hydrogenation and Custom Catalyst business development and sales for an international specialty chemical company. Before that, he was a sales and service manager responsible for business development for a Power Generation OEM in Southeast Asia, which included performing equipment inspections and growing a customer base in a brand-new territory. As President of Blue Grass, Matt is responsible for profitable and sustainable growth and keeping their many customers happy with high-quality products and industry-leading lead times. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville. In his free time, Matt loves traveling to new places with family and friends. One of his 2023 highlight trips was riding snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park. He has visited over 30 countries and he and his wife look forward to showing their 3 young children some of those locations as they get older. His fondness for his hometown of Louisville, KY shows with his KY Derby glass collection that goes back to 1955.

Paul McCauley has been with Blue Grass Chemical Specialties for over 30 years. Throughout his time at Blue Grass, he has been responsible for developing synergy between outside marketing groups, internal marketing, production, compliance, and ownership. He worked to establish agreements with European manufacturing sites to market Blue Grass products into continental Europe. Additionally, he has travelled with contract marketers as manufacturer’s representative, led Installation of nitric acid regeneration process to NOx scrubbers at Texas and Indiana plants, and conducted lab project meetings to track development of new products and applications. He is also a licensed Indiana Wastewater operator and EPA method 9 certified to read opacity. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Louisville. In his free time, Paul enjoys working on classic and custom cars as well as playing golf.

Andy Nelson has been with Blue Grass Chemical Specialties since July 2023. He started his career in catalyst research and development, then moved into pilot plant and process engineering taking lab scale catalyst into commercial scale. Following that, he went into operations management running chemical plants. From there he spent 5 years in continuous improvement projects and program direction. He next moved into general management running operations for a specialty chemical company for 3 years and lead the operations team through double revenue growth during that time. In his role as Director of Operations at Blue Grass, his main responsibility is leading and managing the team delivering our products safely and reliably all while improving the operational efficiency the plant. Andy holds a TüV Certification for Lean-Sigma Black Belt. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville In his free time, Andy enjoys traveling, running, and playing chess.

Bill Turner has been with Blue Grass Chemical Specialties since October of 2022. Prior to Blue Grass, Bill was known as the “Catalysts Wizard” with over 48 years of experience in the industry. He has spent extensive time in catalyst sales, purchasing, and transportation. Additionally, Bill has served as a two-term Secretary and Treasurer for Tri-State Catalysis Society and Responsible Care® Distribution Code Coordinator. Combined with his decades of manufacturing experience within diverse disciplines and focus on customer satisfaction, Bill exceeds at business development for Blue Grass. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Louisville with minors in Business and Mathematics.

Jed has been with Blue Grass Chemical Specialties for over 10 year and has a 17 years of accounting experience. As controller at Blue Grass, Jed is responsible for all financial reporting and accounting. Additionally, he also helps with purchasing and working closey with vendors for any type of need that Blue Grass has. Jed holds a degree from McKendree University. In his free time Jed enjoys backpacking and tries to get in at least one trip per month. He also enjoys playing games with friends and seeing local cover bands.

Mike has been in the Chemical Manufacturing industry for over 30 years. Prior to Blue Grass, Mike began his career as a production chemist and was then promoted to a senior chemist, focusing on quality control. In his current role as Chief Chemist, Mike ensures that Blue Grass develops the best product on-time and in-spec. He is always willing to jump in and perform production work such as drumming, driving, and clean-label-shrink-wrapping. In his free time, he spends every day with some of his grandchildren. Additionally, he loves going to the range and watching the UL Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Marena has been at Blue Grass for almost 10 years and has been in the customer service industry since 2002. Prior to her role at Blue Grass, Marena worked as a call center team lead and sales/service for State Farm. During her time at Blue Grass, Marena has been responsible for taking customer orders, talking to customers about pricing and availability, handling customer invoicing, and coordinating shipments. Marena has been married for 18 years and has two boys that are active in basketball, baseball, and archery. In her free time, Marena and her family like to swim, ride four wheelers, travel, spend time with friends, and attend rock concerts.

Tina Kramer joined Blue Grass Chemical Specialties as a Human Resources Generalist in 2025, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in human resources leadership and organizational development within the healthcare industry. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Human Resources for a startup company in the assisted living sector, where she played a key role in building HR infrastructure and aligning people strategies with organizational goals. Tina’s expertise spans employee relations, leadership development, performance management, and regulatory compliance. At Blue Grass, she supports a broad range of HR functions, including onboarding, benefits administration, policy implementation, and talent development. She is passionate about fostering a positive workplace culture while helping the organization maintain strong, compliant, and people-centered HR practices. She holds degrees in Human Resources Management and Business Administration. Tina is a certified Notary Public in the State of Kentucky and holds several HR-related certifications, including adult learning and leadership development. She is also an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Outside of work, Tina enjoys spending time with her husband, their five children, and three grandchildren—along with their three dogs. She is also the proud owner of a travel agency, loves reading, and finds joy in planning memorable adventures for both her clients and her family.