Composites Weekly

On this episode, we feature an interview with Jen and Chris Hudak. They are the founders of Escapod, a fabricator of lightweight teardrop camper trailers and one of the fastest-growing manufacturing companies in the US. This company started back in 2016 out of a garage and now has over 70 employees.

This week Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me for the final podcast episode of 2022. We'll be discussing some of the Best Innovations in Composites for 2022. In our discussion we'll reference some of the 2022 JEC Composites Innovations Awards finalists.

On this episode, Weslee Washington and John Kehoe of Boaz Partners join me to discuss some of the work they do for their business partners in the composites industry. Boaz Partners is an executive recruitment firm providing companies with custom recruiting solutions in specialty chemicals and advanced materials markets. Their expertise is a result of a niche-specific approach which allows them to be specialists in this industry.

Their name "Boaz Partners" refers to Ruth's husband Boaz in the Old Testament who was known for his swiftness, integrity, and transparency. These characteristics provide the pillars of their firm's service. Weslee John will be discussing the history of the company as well as the unique approach they take in finding the top industry talent for their clients. To learn more about their company visit https://boazpartners.com.

This week Dr. Roberto Lopez-Anido joins me on the show to discuss their research in structural thermoplastics and smart materials.

Dr. Lopez-Anido has more than 22 years of experience in the areas of mechanics of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for construction, durability analysis of composite materials, advanced experimental methods for composites, composites manufacturing, rehabilitation of civil infrastructure, design of composite structures, and structural health monitoring. He is a research leader in FRP composites at UMaine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center, and has produced 60 journal publications, 89 conference publications, one book, and six patents.

On this episode, we'll be discussing the next generation of environmentally sustainable structural thermoplastic composites that save energy, reduce waste, and allow for making parts faster, cheaper, and more reliably.

This week I welcome Douglas Gardner on the show. He's the professor and program leader of sustainable materials technology in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine. He's also a member of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and Forest Bioproducts Research Institute.

His research, teaching, and service activities focus on polymer and interfacial science aspects of wood-polymer composite materials.

He is also involved in research in the areas of adhesion and surface science, cellulose nanocomposites and extruded wood plastic composites, and additive manufacturing.