Frans Speets

Frans G. J. Speets Resident of Alamo Frans Gerrit Jan Speets passed away Tuesday morning in Alamo, California, May 15 after a long and difficult battle against cancer. His wife, Rocio, was with him at his death. As in all of his endeavors, he faced this last difficulty with courage, with resolve and good humor, without complaint, and with the stubborn will to keep moving forward for which he was renowned by all who knew him. Mr. Speets, a native Dutchman, was born in Hilversum, The Netherlands, October 3, 1943. He was educated in the Netherlands and served as a lieutenant in the Royal Dutch Army after completing his university studies. In 1972 he joined Kaiser Aluminum Corporation in San Francisco, where he pioneered world-wide trading in several bulk commodity chemicals, specializing in liquid caustic soda, a primary building block for much of the world's commercial chemistry. He received an MBA degree while studying at night during his tenure at Kaiser. In 1975, Frans Speets was recruited by Holland Chemical International (now Brenntag, the world's largest chemical distribution company) and moved to Houston, Texas, where he was promoted to vice president. Possessing a keen entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. Speets left Holland Chemical International in 1983 and began building businesses in chemical trading, manufacturing and distribution. He founded Grupo Transmerquim in late 1983, which is today one of the leading chemical distribution companies in Latin America with 32 locations and 15 countries; and in 1988 he purchased the chlor-alkali manufacturing plants of Stauffer Chemical Company, a company known today as Pioneer Americas, one of North America's leading manufacturers of chlorine, caustic soda and related products. In 1997, he retired from daily operational management of his business interests, and in recent years, Mr. Speets divided his time among family life; travel with his wife, Rocio; a number of real estate development projects in the United States and abroad; and the guidance of Grupo Transmerquim through a period of rapid growth and change. He served as Grupo Transmerquim's Chairman of the Board for 24 years. Mr. Speets is survived by his loving wife, Rocio; his children, Mark and Carla, and Michael and Paulina; his four grandchildren, Jackson, Jordan, Madison and Abigail; his brothers, Rainer and Eric; his sister, Elseline; and beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Chiquita. Visiting hours will be Sunday, May 20th at the Chapel of San Ramon Valley from 1-5 p.m. in Danville, California. The funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday, May 21st at 10:30 a.m. at St. Isidore's Church in Danville, with a brief reception to follow. Frans Gerrit Jan Speets will be laid to rest Monday afternoon at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Lafayette, California. Wilson & Kratzer - Danville (925) 820-2999