Ray Cocco '82

When pinpointing what defines great American corporations and their innovative leaders, Ray Cocco (BSCHE ’82) knows the key.

"Teamwork," says Cocco, president and CEO of Particulate Solid Research (PSRI) in Chicago. A fluidization and particle-engineering expert whose work is followed by industry giants such as BASF, BP, Chevron, Dow Chemical, Exxon, Indian Oil, Petrobras, Shell and about 30 others, Cocco says the best companies focus their research into teams. This approach was instilled in him at the University of Florida’s Chemical Engineering Department. There, team work was not only accepted, it was promoted.

"In the real world of engineering, no one does a project on their own. The people who don’t play well together don’t succeed," he says. This is why Cocco says the collaborative atmosphere at UF was so important to his successes.

Since about 50 percent of the products on the market today are created or refined using fluid-based particles, there is a lot of success to be had in Cocco’s field. Systems integrated design and process optimization is key to the difference between companies making pennies or fortunes.

Other lessons Cocco learned at UF are the importance of humor and encouragement. He said professors John O’Connell and Tim Anderson, in particular, used those tools to teach.

These early lessons are partly why Cocco and his wife, Susan Somers, decided to support UF’s Chemical Engineering Department. Their bequest will fund a professorship in the emerging science of particle engineering. The couple has other reasons for supporting UF, too.

"In today’s world where we cut back educational budgets over and over and over again, the private sector has to step up. This is not good for the economy and not good for the country," he says. The private sector has to step up.

While UF Chemical Engineering Department Chair Rich Dickinson is quick to express his gratitude to the Coccos and others who support UF engineering, he adds that he knows UF can, in turn, contribute more research right back into the field of particle technology, among other important fields, to help the economy.

"Particle science and technology research has advanced through ground-breaking contributions from chemical engineers, including some of our own faculty," Dickinson says. "Ray and Susan’s vision ensures that UF will continue to contribute to this important field in substantial ways.”

Cocco says he is happy to help.

"Florida kind of changed my life," says Cocco. "I was this dumb little student. Now I have a great career and great life, and it’s all because of Florida. Today, I see UF as a hidden giant with a huge potential. I’d like to see it become No. 1. That’s a real possibility.”