Vartega Appoints Board of Directors

Don Dutton

Ed Pilpel

Vartega has formally appointed Don Dutton and Ed Pilpel to its board of directors. Andrew Maxey, Vartega CEO, will continue to serve as chairman of the board.

Don Dutton is a seasoned business leader with 30 years experience across global aerospace, defense, security, and commercial technology markets. Established market leadership and bottom-line results for businesses ranging from technology startups to large scale vehicle protection, occupant survivability, technical apparel, and personal protection systems. He is experienced in all facets of business management including strategic planning, annual budgeting and operational plans, product and technology development, business development/sales, operations, finance, contracts/legal, customer and stakeholder engagement. Mr. Dutton demonstrates a principles based leadership style by placing emphasis on shared values, inspired vision, strategic alignment of team members and partners, and structured business processes that drive accountability, performance, customer satisfaction, and results. 

Ed Pilpel holds both a Bachelor of Science and Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering.  His professional career began with several years in the aerospace industry at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, followed by over 40 years in the composites industry, initially at Olin Corporation (Olin Ski Division) and ultimately at Gordon Holdings as President of Polystrand. Pilpel has held a myriad of positions including Senior Engineer, Engineering Manager, Technical Director, Executive Vice President and President at these organizations.  During the past 25 years, not only did he serve as a principle at Gordon Composites and Polystrand, he also developed and marketed new products and composite materials utilizing a variety of matrix systems and fibers. Pilpel holds over 25 U.S. patents as well as corresponding foreign patents in over 10 countries. He has also authored and presented a number of papers and presentations related to composite applications and recycling.  He has served as the Subcommittee Chairman for the ASTM Committee on snow skis and as the Delegation Chairman on Snow Skis to the ISO Standards Group. Currently he is Chairman of the GCC Recycling Committee and the Thermoplastic Composites Working Group at ACMA (American Composites Manufacturers Association).