Blog Contributors

Bradley Hostetler is Senior Metallurgist in Astro Pak’s Technical Services Group. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a Master’s degree in Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon University. Bradley brings research and industry experience in steel and specialty alloy production and supports customers with metallurgy and high-purity manufacturing challenges. He serves as Chair of the ASME Bioprocessing Equipment (BPE) Metallic Materials Subcommittee and is a member of the ASME BPE Standards Committee, helping advance industry standards for metallic materials used in bioprocessing equipment.

Chad Clements works as the Chemical Engineer for Astro Pak’s Technical Services Group, providing technical guidance to field, shop, and cleanroom locations across the United States. He has a background in precision cleaning, oxygen cleaning, process engineering, chemistry, and bacterial remediation. Chad holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida. Prior to working under the Technical Services Group, he worked as a Process Engineer for Astro Pak’s Florida Cleanroom facility.

Chris Conner is Astro Pak’s Director of West Coast Technical Sales, having been promoted from his previous role as Technical Sales Manager for the Great Lakes region. In his 13 years with the company, this Butler University graduate has also served as a Project Leader as well as in the Professional Services Group. Additionally, he is on the teaching staff for our Project Leader Training Program. The broad, multifaceted experience acquired from having served in sales, operational and training capacities makes Mr. Conner an invaluable resource to our clientele as he partners with them to develop custom-tailored chemical cleaning and metal finishing solutions to address their specific needs.

Astro Pak Consultant, Daryl serves as the primary senior technical advisor for corrosion, surface chemistry and stainless steel Passivation. With over 40 years of experience in chemical processing, Daryl has been published in MICRO, UltraPure Water Journal and Chemical Engineering for his papers on passivation and rouge control. He is a participant on the ASME BPE Subcommittees for Surface Finish and Materials of Construction requirements and a leading contributor for the Rouge and Passivation Task Groups. Daryl holds a B.A. in Chemistry and Earth Science from the California State University of Fullerton and a Professional Engineer’s license from the State of California.

As Astro Pak’s Associate Director of Engineering, David Taylor brings over 10 years of engineering experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology. David has worked in several industries including cosmetics, food and beverage, chemical, consumer goods, and nutritional supplements. Additionally, his expertise in process and system design, commissioning, validation, maintenance, and project management allows him to guide customers in crafting chemical cleaning and metal finishing solutions to address their unique challenges.

Jonathan serves as Vice President of Cleanroom Services and as a member of the company’s Senior Leadership Team. He has over a decade of leadership experience in the precision cleaning sector as well as a strong background in manufacturing management. As both a business and technical leader, Jonathan focuses on providing customers with solutions to the most demanding cleaning challenges. Jonathan is a veteran of the United States Navy where he served in Surface Warfare and Mine Countermeasures. He is also an active member of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) and holds a Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt certification.

As Astro Pak’s Director of Sales & Operations, Jordan serves as a trusted advisor to customers tackling chemical cleaning, passivation, flushing, and metal finishing projects across data centers, pharmaceuticals, and food & beverage markets. Jordan contributes to advancing industry standards and best practices as Chair of the ASME BPE Surface Finish Subcommittee, Vice President of the Midwest International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers, and as an active board member of the International Ozone Association. He holds a B.A. in Construction Science and Engineering from Kansas State University.

Mary Cheng has been working in the high purity and precision cleaning industry for over 10 years. She currently serves as the Director of Marketing & Communications at Astro Pak where she oversees communications, branding, events, and digital marketing. Passionate about the customer experience, Mary excels at producing content tailored to the client’s needs at each stage of their journey, from brand awareness to customer advocacy. She does this via cross functional collaboration with R&D, Sales, and operations to achieve technical accuracy and organizational alignment.

Matt holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Lehigh University. Prior to joining Astro Pak, Matt held positions in engineering, operations, and technical sales at Air Products, Sumitomo Cryogenics, and Worthington Industries. With over 25 years of process and engineering expertise, Matt’s focus has been connecting customers with solutions for their unique manufacturing applications. Joining Astro Pak in 2020, Matt has assisted customers in the pharmaceutical, food & beverage, and aerospace industries with their unique precision cleaning and surface finish requirements. He has presented over 40 passivation trainings at high purity manufacturing facilities.

Michael Johnson is the Vice President of Technical Services at Astro Pak. In this role, he oversees a department staffed by subject matter experts from both the Field and Cleanroom divisions, providing leadership and guidance in developing technical core competencies throughout the company. Michael’s professional career is deeply rooted in the space sector, where he has made significant contributions. He spent a decade working on the Space Shuttle program for Lockheed at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Following that, he participated in a joint research and development project with Boeing and NASA to develop a replacement for the environmentally hazardous Freon 113 solvent. Additionally, he led a team in collaboration with Lockheed to clean a contaminated titanium tube assembly without needing to remove it from the Orion space capsule.

Since 2012, Mike has served as the Technical Director of Electropolishing at Astro Pak Corporation. With over thirty years of mechanical, machining, and metal finishing experience, Mike brings practical knowledge, capability and excellence to vessel restoration projects across the country. Mike develops and implements training programs, including confined space entry, ensuring technical excellence and safety amongst all Astro Pak MP/EP Technicians.

Robert Schuck currently serves as Sr. Technical Sales Manager for the Southwest & Northwest regions. With over 10 years at Astro Pak and former employment in pharmaceutical sales, he has amassed a wealth of knowledge in precision cleaning, passivation, cleaning for oxygen service, and bioburden remediation. His expertise in these areas have proven to be invaluable to both internal and external customers, addressing immediate needs along with achieving long term goals. Recently, Robert was appointed as President of the International Ozone Association (IOA) Municipality Committee and continues to play a leading role in the development of Astro Pak’s Lunch & Learn technical training program. He is known for his servant leadership approach and desire to meet then exceed expectations, earning him the status of a trusted advisor amongst his colleagues and customers.

Scott Andrews is the Senior Director of Field Project Management at Astro Pak, where he oversees field project execution and helps drive operational excellence across the organization. Prior to joining Astro Pak, Scott led the Project Management Office at nVent, managing capital projects and new product introductions supporting the data center industry. With a background in industrial engineering, project management, and continuous improvement, he specializes in building scalable project organizations and leading complex projects from planning through execution. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University and is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.