Leadership
Ecochlor’s proven management team combines water treatment expertise with process systems engineering and fabrication, naval architecture and marine engineering, and customer service strengths.
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Charlie Miller
Chairman and CEO
“Invasive species are a serious ecological threat which impacts us all, and I’m really proud of the technology and infrastructure we’ve created to help ship builders and shipping companies confront that threat.”
Before his current position at Ecochlor, Charlie Miller was a key executive in four other successful venture capital backed start-up companies, and has been a board member and advisor to numerous other business enterprises over the past 25 years. Mr. Miller holds BSME and MSME degrees from Virginia Tech, and a MBA from Boston University.
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Tom Perlich
President, Founder and Director
“I’ve been talking to ship builders and ship owners around the world about the problem, the new standards, and our approach. They like that we have systems in operation on ships. They like the size footprint and the scalability. We have the right solution for them.”
Tom Perlich has over 25 years of experience in a wide range of water treatment applications. Prior to founding Ecochlor in 2001, Mr.Perlich was a sales executive for Vulcan Performance Chemicals, a leading provider of process and functional chemicals. Earlier he held sales and engineering positions with Exxon Chemicals and Nalco Chemicals. He holds a BSIE from Rochester Institute of Technology.
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Peter Bollier
Chief Financial Officer
“We aim to deliver the most effective ballast water treatment solutions to our customers - reliably, consistently and for the long term.”
Mr. Bollier is a proven CFO with a successful track record of building financial systems and helping organizations develop effective strategies for growth. Mr. Bollier spent over 23 years as the CFO, portfolio manager, and investment partner of the private equity firm, 3i US. During this period, Mr. Bollier designed, built and managed the financial systems of the 3i US investment business which included multiple offices and over $900 million of investments in early and later stage companies. In addition to his role as CFO, he also served as an investment partner, working with a number of companies at the board level to help build shareholder value. Prior to 3i, Mr. Bollier worked as practicing CPA with Ernst & Young where he managed audit engagements of emerging growth companies and provided consulting services for the firm's mergers & acquisitions practice. Mr Bollier holds a BA (summa cum laude) from Yale University and an MBA from the Wharton Graduate School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Richard Graber
Director
“I am delighted with the team Charlie and Tom have put together and with what that team has accomplished to help solve a serious ecological and economic threat.”
Richard Graber is a private investor. He worked on Wall Street for 22 years as a specialist on the NYSE as a Managing Partner at Wagner Stott LLC and most recently a Managing Director at Bear Wagner Specialists LLC. Mr. Graber is a graduate of Swarthmore College with additional graduate studies in Biology, Ecology, and Genetics at the University of Stony Brook SUNY, and has an MBA from Baruch Business School.
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Charles Noble
Director
“I am proud of our superior product and service to ship owners as they endeavor to stop the spread of invasive species in the most efficient, flexible and cost effective manner.”
Charles Noble is a private investor and is currently an Executive Vice President for Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC. Prior to joining Janney, he spent over 30 years in the investment industry as a Senior Vice President/Senior Portfolio Manager for Stephens Inc. and Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc. He holds a BS in Finance from the University of New Haven and has served as an officer or director on numerous boards for both profit and non-profit organizations.
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Marty Toyen
Director
“We were aware of the need by ship owners and ship builders while I was at Seaworthy Systems for an effective way to treat ballast water, and we evaluated different technology solutions. We saw Ecochlor’s approach as the most promising.”
Mr. Toyen is the former Chief Operating Officer for Seaworthy Systems. Mr. Toyen was appointed by the Governor of Connecticut as a Director of the Connecticut Coastline Port Authority. He is a member of the Ports and Waterways Committee of the National Academy of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board, and is the past National President of the Association of Water Transportation Accounting Officers. He is currently Vice Chairman for the New York Metropolitan section of the Society for Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. Mr. Toyen holds a BS in accounting from Central Connecticut State and an MBA from RPI.
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Kurt W. Uihlein
Director
“We like building simple and elegant process systems that are size, energy and cost-efficient. We also like building long-term business partnerships, which we have with Ecochlor.”
Mr. Uihlein has been with ProFlow since 1984 and is now the President and sole owner. Mr. Uihlein was instrumental in the growth of the systems business at ProFlow over the last fifteen years and led the design team for several key products currently sold by ProFlow. In 1997, he was involved in the asset purchase and re-engineering of a specialty component manufacturer. He is a long time member of ISA (Instrument Society of America) and has extensive technical experience in the field of pumps, control and automation for industrial applications. Mr. Uihlein attended the University of New Haven, School of Mechanical Engineering.
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Mike Hasson
Technical Director
“I know water treatment technology and know chlorine dioxide and know it’s the best and most innovative solution. It’s the perfect biocide and breaks down nicely itself.”
Mr. Hasson has over 20 year of experience in water treatment related industries. He has worked in both the equipment manufacturing sector (Andritz Ruther, Inc, Schriber Inc) and specialty chemical supply sector of water treatment (PolyPure, Rhone-Poulenc, Lion Industries, Callaway Chemical, Vulcan Performance Chemicals, and Kemira Chemical). Mr. Hasson held positions including technician, sales, capital equipment start-up specialist, technical support and process specialist, and product manager. Prior to joining Ecochlor he was an independent consultant, providing varied services to chemical companies, pulp and paper producers, environmental service companies, and other industrial clients on a nationwide and international basis.
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Marcie Merksamer
Regulatory Consultant / Compliance Manager
“As an environmental scientist I do see invasive species as a serious, and, once introduced, irreversible problem. I wanted to do something about it.”
Over the past 10 years Ms. Merksamer has been involved in a wide variety of environmental projects. She has worked as a laboratory analyst, research assistant, field biologist, biological and environmental compliance consultant, and manager of remediation projects. She is knowledgeable in construction, water and air quality, biology, and navigating regulatory processes. She has performed considerable amounts of environmental fieldwork including scientific data and sample collection, field sample analysis, and has shipboard experience. Ms. Merksamer’s experience in the environmental field has also provided her with the training to work with hazardous materials, making her proficient in health and safety procedure and program implementation. Ms. Merksamer holds a Biological Sciences degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
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Pete Thompson
Director of Engineering
“I thoroughly enjoy working in the Maritime industry and this is an exciting opportunity to work with the Ecochlor team to apply this innovative technology to solve the world’s invasive species problem.”
Mr. Thompson has been involved with Industrial equipment design, application and fabrication business for over 22 years. Previously, in the 10 years as part of the Proflow Inc. management team, he worked closely with customers to complete successful design, installation and operation of equipment within the Chemical, Pulp & Paper, Food, Power, Ethanol and Maritime industries. His mechanical engineering experience includes the deign of piping & turn key systems, process control along with the application of various types of mechanical equipment and instrumentation. Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Engineering from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and is a certified PMP (Project Management Professional).
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US EPA FIFRA Registered
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US Coast Guard STEP Approved
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IMO Final Approved
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IMO Type Approved
BSH Germany -
