Jon Whitledge Email & Phone Number

Minneapolis, Minnesota, Us

Individual contributor and subject matter expert in polymer structure-property-processing relationships. Equips and maintains Toro's world-wide center of excellence for polymeric materials and processing, especially with respect to rheology, extrusion, and macromolecular characterization.

Provided, and continues to provide, polymer structure-property-processing expertise for the following companies, industries, and applications:- Avanta Orthopaedics | biotechnology/biomaterials - macromolecular characterization and structure-property-processing relationships of silicone orthopaedic joints for FDA submissions. - Hewlett-Packard | consumer products – demonstrated the first commercially available video extensometer from Instron® to HP’s R&D team for characterizing their elastomeric materials. - Advanced Tissue Sciences | biotechnology/biomaterials – demonstrated the first commercially available video extensometer from Instron® and a uniquely designed climate chamber to ATS’s R&D team for characterizing their vascular graft biomaterials.- Co-Mack Technologies | consumer products – investigated fracture toughness problems with injection molded products by using melt rheology to correlate fracture toughness with viscoelastic fingerprint. - CRISI Medical Systems, Inc. | biotechnology/medical devices – investigated and identified cyanoacrylate adhesive formulations that optimized product and process performance. - Gerson Lehrman Group | pipeline rehabilitation – provided consultation in areas of market research, polymeric materials research, and product performance (installation, curing, safety, and mechanical testing).- SMc Audio | electronics/audio – provided computer-based vibration measurements on critical amplifier audio components to define design input requirements for viscoelastic materials.

St. Louis, Missouri, Us

Aegion Corporation, with about $1.4B in annual sales, is a market leader in infrastructure rehabilitation, particularly pipelines. Spearheaded research and development, new product and process development, procurement, and engineering support services as a subject matter expert for polymeric materials and fiber-reinforced composites used in civil engineering applications. Collaborated with sales, marketing, legal, and operations to accomplish strategic objectives. Managed projects, personnel, and resources to maximize product performance and profitability. Maintained relationships with suppliers of resins and specialty chemicals, outside testing labs, and universities all over the world. Generated intellectual property and technical know-how to maintain and advance marketplace competitiveness. Designed, built, and equipped a $0.7M state-of-the-art R&D laboratory specializing in rheology, thermal analysis, and mechanical testing. Designed innovative resins, reinforcing fabrics, and resin infusion techniques for the rehabilitation of industrial piping systems with anticipated gross sales of more than $150M.- Recipient of Chairman's Award for Innovation, Aegion Corporation, Oct '15- Structural Fabric Useful for Lining Pipe, Patent No. 9,993,992, Jun ‘18- High-Strength, Watertight Pipe Lining, Patent Application No. 14/799,008, Jul '15- Method and Apparatus for Lining Pipes, Patent Application No. 14/790,756, Jul '15SKILLS: Corporate strategy, Stage-Gate®, project management (MS Project), technical writing, thermo-mechanical analyses (DSC, MDSC, TGA, DMA), rheology, experimental stress analysis, fracture mechanics, design of experiments (DoE), adhesion and surface science (SEM, ESCA, FTIR, ATR, AES) composites fabrication (hand layup, VARTM) and mechanical testing (ASTM, DIN, tensile, shear, pipes), polymer processing (injection molding, extrusion, blown film), good manufacturing practices (GMP), good laboratory practices (GLP), statistical analyses.

Developed a novel, self-assembling protein polymer hydrogel for the delivery of heart muscle stem cells. Developed a novel, cross-linked protein polymer hydrogel, and related fabrication techniques, to create small diameter, favorably compliant, vascular grafts. Designed and built a clinically relevant test apparatus for the development of a protein polymer-based sealant for dura mater. Successfully led a team of scientists in the development of a novel, cross-linked protein polymer hydrogel designed to repair and augment human spinal disks. The successful implementation of a $0.5M proof-of-concept study on cadaveric spines led to the formation of a new company, Spine Wave, Inc., and the generation of $21M in Series A financing. Contributed to the design of, and participated in, animal clinical studies involving acute and chronic cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity, and sheep biomechanical studies under GMP and GLP. In 2Q06 Spine Wave received FDA approval to enroll patients and implement clinical trials using NuCore™ Injectable Nucleus. Contributed to the understanding of structure-property-processing relationships of PPTI's crystallizable protein gel, Polymer 47k, for two commercial applications, urinary bulking agent (UBA), and dermal filler device (DFD). Through extensive use of designed experiments, several cost-saving and quality-improving manufacturing steps were developed. Designed experiments were also used to optimize gellation kinetics and final gel properties. Several new tests were developed to characterize the mechanical properties of the gels.

Guided Nextec in the development of specialized tests to characterize the quality and performance attributes of textiles and garments produced by the patented Nextec® process. Explored new technologies amenable to the Nextec® process, principally in the areas of rubber-coated cloth and fiberglass products. Designed and successfully built a pilot-scale production machine to apply specialty silicones to woven matrices intended for the semiconductor industry which generated $0.6M in annual sales. Designed and successfully built a $400k, highly instrumented, computer-interfaced, research-grade machine to apply specialty silicones to textiles. Through the use of designed experiments, several new products were developed and sold to Patagonia and Timberland that generated millions of dollars in sales.

Contributed to the understanding of structure-property relationships of PPTI's first commercially important polymer, Pronectin F®, developed for tissue culture products. Designed and developed a $50k computer-controlled, robotically actuated protein spraying station capable of producing $2.9M/yr. (gross) of activated cultureware with an R.O.I. of two months. Guided PPTI in the development of a new class of biocompatible, biodegradable tissue adhesives and sealants by contributing pioneering work in the areas of adhesion, fracture mechanics, and cross-linked polymer network characterization. Designed and built a unique climate chamber for an Instron™ Mini-55 tensile tester which accurately controlled temperature and humidity. Evaluated, acquired, and successfully implemented southern California's first video extensometer to be used in biotechnology. Designed and developed a unique tissue adhesive mixing and dispensing device. As a result, a multi-million dollar joint venture was formed between PPTI and Ethicon, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson Corporation. Guided PPTI in the development of a new class of drug delivery and tissue augmentation materials by contributing pioneering work in areas of thermal analysis and dynamic mechanic thermal analysis on crystallizable protein gels. Evaluated, acquired, and successfully implemented an $82k Rheometric Scientific SR5000 controlled stress rheometer to characterize the rheological and mechanical properties of drug delivery matrices and tissue augmentation materials.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Us

Developed and built a polymer research/characterization facility emphasizing structure-property relationships that provided significant support and substantial cost savings to over six key polymer projects. Emphasis of research targeted product and process development for a wide variety of applications including recycled polymers, polymer/aluminum adhesion, injection molding, polymer extrusion, wire coating, fire-retardant polymer compounds, and flexible packaging. Responsibilities included continuous development of polymer research capabilities, supervision of a technician, maintenance of university affiliations, and investigation of new technologies.

Ekohwerks is a subsidiary of Swagelok Co., a leading valve and fitting manufacturer. Accomplishments included the complete development of a Quality Assurance Program (over 1000 pages of documentation) and the design and modification of production equipment that improved productivity 15%.

Master'S Degree, Polymer Science

Bachelor'S Degree, Mechanical Engineering Technology