Robert Cook Email Address

Vice President Engineering and Technology Development

Veolia North America designs, develops, and provides water, waste, and energy management solutions.

Bob grew up a plumber's son in Pittsburgh, PA and received his B.S. in ChE from the Pennsylvania State University. He traveled extensively in his first job, performing ceramic membrane pilots in a myriad applications ranging from HPI/CPI to metals finishing and semiconductor. The hands-on plumbing experience and diverse field-based training helped forge his calling as a process engineer who became as adept at PFD/P&IDs as DCF/IRR’s. In 1994, he formed a company (MET) with two trusted friends and moved to Houston, TX where he developed a caustic regeneration process based on reaction crystallization. While at MET, he served as Technical Manager, cultivating a talented team of like-minded, entrepreneur-spirited ChE’s that helped establish the company as the preeminent provider of byproduct recovery services for specialty chemical and refining industries, earning a Governor’s Award in PA and wide recognition in Texas and the Gulf region. The company was acquired by USFilter (retained by Veolia after sale of USFilter) where he currently serves as the SVP of Engineering and Technology development for Veolia North America Industrial. Along the way, he has managed to find an angelic wife, have two beautiful children and dabbles in computers, guitars, motorcycles, and radio-controlled aircraft. His Doberman and Great Dane help to keep him in shape when he's not working on a million house projects or chauffeuring as a dance dad. Specialties: Engineering management, technical business development, plant design, operations support, process hazards analysis, plant start-up & optimization, process piloting & scale-up, development of innovative process solutions, project management, engineering standards, scope definition and control, instrument & control systems, operations procedures & training, technical mentoring, estimation, DCF models, proposal development and risk analyses, technical papers, reports and technology transfer