In 2018, Marty Gregor will celebrate his 50th year in the North American chemical industry. Arkema is pleased to recognize Marty for his many years of success collaborating with customers. Today, Marty is a Senior Account Manager at Arkema, focused on organic peroxides for polymer crosslinking.
Since the time of Arkema’s acquisition of GEO Specialty Chemicals’ organic peroxide business, Marty has seen Arkema bring new direction to the business. “We’ve made improvements to our Franklin, VA plant and introduced new technologies, including scorch-protection grade peroxides and most recently, Luperox® AIR-XL™ organic peroxide technology,” said Marty. “This is one of the most exciting developments of my entire career and has been almost five years in development. Luperox® AIR-XL™ technology enables curing of elastomers in the presence of air, while producing excellent tack-free surface finish,” he noted.
The novel Luperox® AIR-XL™ technology was designed to answer a need in EPDM, EPM and HNBR for improved mechanical performance and heat aging as compared with sulfur-cure. Elastomers cured with Luperox® AIR-XL™ organic peroxides are also free of nitrosamine by-products.
Marty Gregor graduated from Lehigh University in 1968 with a BS in Chemistry. Quickly he found work with Hercules Powder Company at the R&D Center in Wilmington, DE. For the next 6 years Marty worked on rosin-based emulsifiers for styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), then helped build the market for Hercules’ epichlorohydrin rubber, which was groundbreaking technology. He also was honored to serve two years in the US Army after being drafted in 1970. After learning the rubber market and serving his country, he decided to take on a new challenge in basic chemicals as a sales person in 1974. He sold methanol, formaldehyde, and nitric acid and relocated to the Chicago, Houston and Dallas sales offices.
In 1990, Marty was transferred to the Akron, OH area, partnering with Harwick Standard Distribution Company to sell hydrocarbon resins. It was there that he met colleague and friend Kurt Nygaard. Their friendship and shared success spanned the next 25 years.
In 1995, Marty transferred to the organic peroxide business. Again partnering with Harwick on Di-Cup® and Vul-Cup® organic peroxides, they became the leading supplier throughout the Rubber Belt. Hercules sold the business to GEO Specialty Chemicals, who sold it to Arkema in 2009.
As Marty begins his 50th year in the chemical industry, please join him at this year’s International Elastomer Conference in Cleveland, OH to learn more about Luperox® AIR-XL™ technology. Representatives of Arkema’s technical staff will be on hand to answer questions and arrange product demonstrations. Arkema’s Principal Scientist for Polymer Crosslinking, Leonard Palys, will also present Luperox® AIR-XL™ technology and more at the ACS Rubber Division’s 192nd Technical Meeting - 1:00pm EDT, Wednesday October 11. Registration details for both events are available at: www.rubberiec.org
A designer of materials and innovative solutions, Arkema shapes materials and creates new uses that accelerate customer performance. Our balanced business portfolio spans high-performance materials, industrial specialties and coating solutions. Our globally recognized brands are ranked among the leaders in the markets we serve. Reporting annual sales of €7.5 billion in 2016, we employ approximately 20,000 people worldwide and operate in close to 50 countries. We are committed to active engagement with all our stakeholders. Our research centers in North America, France and Asia concentrate on advances in bio-based products, new energies, water management, electronic solutions, lightweight materials and design, home efficiency and insulation. www.arkema.com
Luperox, Di-Cup, and Vul-Cup are registered trademarks and AIR-XL is a trademark of Arkema.