Marcio was born and raised in a small town in southern Brazil called Faxinal. The name, Faxinal, represents the type of natural vegetation in the region – sparse trees with grass in-between which allows you to raise cattle.

Since the town was so small and quite some distance from a high school, Marcio attended a boarding school managed by Marist Brothers (religious educators). Schooling consumed all Marcio’s time, but during summer vacations he worked at a local gas station and at the restaurant in his town.

Although Marcio is now living in Ohio and working in Ohio, he still connects with friends from high school when he visits Brazil. Some of his family also attended the same high school so they can meet up more regularly. Social media allows Marcio to connect frequently with family and friends who remain in Brazil, and in the other places he has lived and worked such as China!

Marcio was very active in high school – playing on the soccer and handball teams and, running track. Of his time on the soccer team, he says: “I played the right wing and I at least like to think I was a decent player!”

Marcio has attended several class reunions over the years, for high school and college. For high school, Marcio is the main organizer of these celebrations.

After high school Marcio attended the Federal University of Paraná – a large public school ran by the federal government of Brazil. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

“One of the things I most enjoyed about college was that the learning opportunities went way beyond my major. For one semester, we did not attend class and instead undertook a full-time internship.”

During that internship, Marcio worked at a fertilizer company and learned how to manufacture the products. Base products for the products were mined in the same location where he worked.

He was the first person in his family to graduate from college. “I feel I have made a long journey of which I am very proud and have very much enjoyed.”

His first job out of college was with Dow Chemical which is headquartered in Midland, Michigan. From there he worked his way to Owens Corning where he has held several roles, and in 2018 he became the president of the Owens Corning Composites business.

Marcio is happily married to his Brazilian wife Adriana. They started dating after they met in Philadelphia, USA: “Adriana was on vacation and I was participating in a trade show while working for Dow Chemical.” Adriana and Marcio both became American citizens recently. They have three children: Leopoldo 22, Santiago 19 and Veronica 13 … and let’s not forget their Australian Shepard Bentley who is 3!

During his down time Marcio loves to read – quantum physics, astrophysics and history are some of his top choices. He also enjoys home brewing (beer) which he has been doing since college after he took a course in Food Technology!

Marcio was looking to support local educational causes which propel children and young adults to success and provide them with life opportunities. “I know I have had great opportunities in my life and behind each of them there was always someone helping me. I find it is very important to give back and be the one supporting this time around.  TPS Foundation is a great way to do that.”

Marcio is actively involved in our scholarship review process and we are thankful for his time and dedication to the seniors’ applications. “I read over the application very carefully and try to imagine how they are doing now, how their lives have been and then project into the future the impact of the scholarship.”

We cannot thank Marcio enough for his dedication to the TPS Foundation!