Charles (Chuck) Klass was born on February 6, 1940, at Piqua, Ohio but grew up in Dayton where his father worked. In 1962, Class received his Bachelor of Science degree (BA) from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, and his Masters in business management (MBA) from Pace University, New York City in 1968
Klass started working before and after he received his degrees. Some examples of his jobs included working at paper schools, paper, and allied industries, in sales & marketing and at trade Journals. He ended up in the management ladder when he started Klass Associates Inc., in 1986, and led the corporation to a huge success as its President.
Klass has over five (5) decades of pulp and paper and allied industry experience including 28 years as a consultant and innovator in the field of coated paper, paperboard, tissue, and many other paper-based products to paper related businesses all over the world, especially in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, UK, USA, and Uruguay.
Klass’s contributions led to the commercialization of the metered size press; coating of deinked post-consumer recycled waste papers; improving grease resistance, the development of Crayola Wonder paper, the development of rod coaters for Kohler Coating, the commercialization of nanoparticle big latex binders for Ecosynthetix, and the development of Colorlok technology for Hewlett-Packard for their inkjet papers.
Klass has 7 US and International patents to his credit. He has published 164 technical papers including chapters in books, TAPPI Journal and Nordisk Celulosa and other trade journals focusing on applied technology. The great majority of the publications appear as invited presentations in many conference proceedings worldwide.
Klass is a member of PIMA; TAPPI and CPPA. His public service activities included Jaycees, South Brunswick Township Recreation Commissioner, Lieutenant, and Pilot with New Jersey Civil Air Patrol, Board member of Philadelphia’s American Cancer Society,
For his contributions he received many honors including TAPPI Gold Medal; TAPPI Fellow; TAPPI Paper and Board Manufacturing Division Award and Harris O. Ware Prize; TAPPI Distinguished Service Award; TAPPI Coating and Graphic Arts Division Leadership and Service Award and became Western Michigan University’s Fellow. He also received the Paper Technology Foundation’s Hall of Fame Award.
Chuck Klass and his wife Beverly, live in Madeira Beach, Florida. They have one daughter and three grandchildren.
