MR. DOUG PASCHALL

PRESIDENT

Mr. Paschall serves as the President of Akron Polymer Solutions.  He has assembled a very strong team of recognized subject matter expertise in the field of polymer science and tire engineering to launch Prophene into the market.  The team has undergone significant technical development and industry specific review in order to reach this stage. 

Doug studied at the University of Southern California and started his career in the field of polymer science working for a small CA firm that specialized in insulation materials.  He went on to spend a bulk of his career as a Program Manager with Lockheed Martin.  Doug is married to a wonderful wife, Sue, and they have two great children, Megan and Garrett.  Doug has an unending desire to make the world a better place, and thinks Prophene is one small element to a better future.

POLYMER SCIENTIST

Dr. Adele Halasa was born in Jordan and came to the United States for higher education where he pursued his initial studies at the University of Oklahoma, earning a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1955. He completed further coursework at Butler University and received a Master of Science in 1958. He concluded his academic career at Purdue University, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy in 1964.

• Dr. Halasa entered the field at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, where he excelled in the roles of a Group Leader, a Research Associate, and a Senior Research Associate.
• In the years following, he became the Director of Materials and Petrochemicals for the Kuwait Institute of Science and Research (KISR) where he also established a polymer program for Kuwait University. 
• He then joined Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company as a Research and Development Fellow developing new technologies in the field of anionic polymerization.
• Since 2009, Dr. Halasa has been an adjunct professor at the University of Akron.

Dr. Halasa is a contributor of over 150 articles to technical publications. Additionally, he possesses 335 United States patents. He is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Chemical Society. He is the recipient of the Charles Goodyear Medal and is recognized as a Purdue University Distinguished Alumni. In further recognition of his accomplishments, he has been featured in the first edition of "Who’s Who in Science and Engineering", as well as the 24th and 25th editions of "Who’s Who in the Midwest".

DR. BRENDAN RODGERS

CHEMICAL ENGINEER

Brendan Rodgers, based in Austin Texas, has spent 42 years working in the tire and rubber industry with both The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and ExxonMobil. He has worked on a broad range of tire and industrial rubber products including hydraulic hose and conveyor belts, materials technology, and product design. He has had work assignments here in the United States, China, Ireland, Italy, and Luxembourg, working on original equipment automobile tires, truck tires, industrial rubber products, and new tire materials technologies. He is the originator of a broad range of patents in tire and rubber technology and many industry publications including editor of the text, Rubber Compounding, Chemistry and Applications, and the text, Tire Engineering, both published by CRC Press.

Brendan has a PhD in chemical engineering from The Queen’s University of Belfast in Northern Ireland, where he studied thermodynamics, heat transfer through large rubber sections, and vulcanization kinetics. He has a Master's degree in Polymer Technology also from The Queen’s University, and a BSc in Biological Chemistry from The University of Ulster.