funding together and started working on developing a new molecule to build a high-performance base oil that was also environmentally friendly. The success of that program led to my current position with the VBASE Oil Company.
Are you a lifer? If yes, how do you see your career panning out over the next 20/30/40 years? I see myself staying in this field for quite some time. I find the technical challenges of lubrication fascinating. The chemistry and physics is quite complex and that leads to many interesting problems. Combining all of these challenges with new requirements for sustainability and you get a very difficult material science problem to solve. That is where my team and I love to play.
How has the industry changed since you started? I have only been in this industry for a few years, but I can tell you that 4 years ago we were advised to not mention that our oil product was biobased because that would carry a stigma with it... just focus on the performance. Then COVID hit. Within a year of our initial branding, we had to start over and really tell the story of our bio-content and biodegradation capabilities; it is really dynamic right now.
What do you like/dislike about the industry? And what would you change if you could? I love how technically knowledgably so many in the industry are. There is deep expertise and it really gives the capability to sell a base oil based on the performance characteristics.
What challenges do you think the industry faces? In your role and as a whole? I think there are going to be some big challenges in developing circular solutions for the Group IV and Group V base oils. As these markets grow, developing reverse logistics to get smaller volumes of lubricants back to recyclers and then developing the technologies to separate and purify will be a feat. However, it also creates a great opportunity with new value propositions.
I see my role to continue to transition technologies out of the lab and into the marketplace. At VBASE Oil that is focused in the near term on commercialising Secondary Polyol Esters. But more broadly at Tetramer and VBASE, we are looking at solutions for diverse bio-content and molecular recycling technologies.
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New lubricant technologies such as ionic liquids are still very interesting too!
How do you balance work life with home life? I don’t really try to fully separate work from home as I work with my wife, Michelle (our Director of Communications), and my oldest son works at my company during the summers. I have 5 kids and I coach high school wrestling and flag football, so we really mix it up. Sometimes I am working late and sometime I leave work early to go coach my kids’ sports.
What are your hobbies?
I love spending time with my family, coaching my kids’ sports teams, and boating. I am just finishing up getting my pilots license which has been something I wanted to do since I was 10 years old. That has been really fun and I look forward to seeing what adventures that will lead to.
Where do you like to holiday? I am a fan of Key West.
What is your perfect weekend? Relaxing on a boat.
Favourite quote? “Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
https://vbaseoil.com/
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