Chris brings 15 years of experience in developing and scaling catalysts, catalytic processes, and process engineering in the refining industry, and is now applying that skill set to renewable chemicals.

Chris is a 25-year ACS Member and an AIChE Senior Member who earned a B.A. at Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. at Northwestern University. He is an inventor or co-inventor on greater than 100 US and/or foreign patents and the coauthor of 30+ peer-reviewed journal articles and a book chapter. Among awards received are the Herman Pines Award for Excellence in Catalysis and the SWCS Excellence in Applied Catalysis award.

​An upper Midwesterner at heart, Paul is a chemical engineer developing new technologies for converting biomass into the chemical building blocks needed for daily life. He is a serial entrepreneur with two additional successful start-ups.

Paul is Lanny & Charlotte Schmidt Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota and serves as Co-Director of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

FOUNDING PARTNER

Chris brings 15 years of experience in developing and scaling catalysts, catalytic processes, and process engineering in the refining industry, and is now applying that skill set to renewable chemicals.

Chris is a 25-year ACS Member and an AIChE Senior Member who earned a B.A. at Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. at Northwestern University. He is an inventor or co-inventor on greater than 100 US and/or foreign patents and the coauthor of 30+ peer-reviewed journal articles and a book chapter. Among awards received are the Herman Pines Award for Excellence in Catalysis and the SWCS Excellence in Applied Catalysis award.

SECRETARY / TREASURER

Mel integrates technology and business expertise to innovate and capture value in renewable and petrochemical industries. He has managed global businesses, operations, mergers and acquisition projects, marketing, business development, joint ventures, and technology development during his career.

Mel's efforts at Amoco, BP, Ineos, Elevance, XiMo, Verbio, Kiverdi, Sylvatex and Pyran have consistently led to value capture, including profitable growth, monetization of new opportunities, and continuous improvement. Mel has a PhD from University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR

Andy has a unique understanding of the dynamics required for success in a diverse set of public and privately held business environments, including start-ups and Fortune 50 multi-national companies.

Prior to helping emerging companies build their businesses and innovate, Andy’s career includes being a founder and executive at 2 leading bio-material companies, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. and NatureWorks, LLC, and holding senior business leadership roles at Cargill, Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company.

National Institute of Food and Agriculture - Phase I SBIR

Sustainable Biobased Acrylic Process From Corn-Derived Ca2+ and Ammonium Lactate Feedstocks Over Amine-Doped Zeolites

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy - Phase I SBIR

Non-Oxidative Regeneration Processes for Na-FAU based catalysts for Decarbonization of the Acrylic Acid Industry through Biomanufacturing

Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) - Phase I STTR

Effect of Alcohol Concentration on Lactic to Acrylic Selectivity and Deactivation Rate over Na-FAU Zeolite Catalysts