Key Personnel
James Bergoffen | President
James Bergoffen started Riverside in 1995 after a career of over 15 years in trading metals and specialty chemicals. With a particular focus on vanadium chemicals, he has sought to make Riverside a key player in high purity niche markets including but not limited to those using vanadium. With more than 40 years of developing technical and commercial contacts worldwide, Mr. Bergoffen brings a wealth of experience to Riverside's customers and to the development of new business opportunities. Mr. Bergoffen has a B. Comm (management degree) from McGill University in Montreal and an MA in Asian Studies from Washington University. He is fluent or conversant in English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese.
George Murray | Plant Manager
George Murray joined Riverside Specialty Chemicals in 2006 and brought 26 years of manufacturing and plant operations experience with him. He currently manages the day to day operations of our Delaware facility as well as overseeing the planning and implementation of future expansions. Mr. Murray's commitment to detailed manufacturing practices has insured that Riverside Specialty Chemicals maintains its reputation worldwide as a producer of consistently high purity chemical products.
Markus Schatz, PhD, MBA | Director Sales & R&D
Dr. Markus Schatz joined Riverside in 2011. He is responsible for the worldwide sales of Riverside products, developing new customer relations and for R&D projects, internally and together with RSC customers. Before Dr. Schatz joined RSC, he was responsible for the international sales of Vanadium chemicals and metal powders, as well as business development for a major European producer. Dr. Schatz has a PhD in chemistry and a Master in Business Administration (MBA), both from the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen-Nürnberg. He is also a quality management representative (QMR-TÜV). Dr Schatz is fluent in German and English.
Markus Kemmerer | Director of Business Development
Markus Kemmerer joined RSC in 2019 as Director of Business Development. He is responsible for spearheading and developing new business activities, as well as scouting for M&A opportunities into new fields of business. Prior to joining Riverside, Mr. Kemmerer had over 20 years of experience in diverse areas of business including nuclear fuel component trading, hydrogen fuel cell applications, metals trading, and risk management. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and is a CFA charter holder. Mr. Kemmerer is fluent in English, Spanish, and German.
Susanne Gayle | QA Manager
Susanne Gayle Joined Riverside in 2019. As our QA Manager, Susanne employs, constructs, tests and improves quality standards to make sure that the company's products meet internal and external specifications before being shipped to our customers. She oversees our process to ensure that we adhere to all ISO, federal, state, and local regulations. Susanne earned her Bachelors in the field of Forensics. She comes to us with over 10 years of investigative experience between the City of New York and the state of Delaware.