Jeffrey A. Martin
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
Jeffrey A. Martin is the Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yulex Corporation. Under Martin’s leadership, Yulex became the first commercial enterprise to produce biobased, medical-grade latex that is safe for people with latex allergy. Prior to co-founding Yulex, Jeff was Corporate Officer and Vice President of Sales for Safeskin Corporation. He was instrumental in positioning Safeskin as “The Best Small Company in America” (Forbes Magazine, 1996). Jeff launched the sales operations of London Rubber Company’s (Regent Medical) U.S. startup in 1986, which subsequently became a global leader in the surgical glove market. He also held positions as both a scientist in R&D and a Sales Executive with the Professional Healthcare Group of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and the Ethicon division of Johnson & Johnson, Inc. in the Polymer Development Department. Jeff received his degree in engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was recently inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni.

Jim Mitchell
Chief Operating Officer
Jim Mitchell has been responsible for commercializing Yulex's new proprietary technologies and bringing Guayule latex products to market. Jim’s innovative technology solutions increased operational efficiency for Yulex's facility and equipment by nearly 500% in 2008. Bringing over two decades of extensive international business development with startup and early growth technology-based organizations, he previously worked for a Xerox spin-off as Chief Marketing and Business Officer. Jim received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering at University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Masters of Business in International Marketing from the University of Sydney.

Rodolfo Manzone, Ph.D.
Vice President Market Development
Rodolfo Manzone, Ph.D. joined Yulex in May 2011 as Vice President Market Development. Prior to Yulex, Rodolfo served for 11 years as Executive VP and Chief Technology Officer of Abtech Industries, Inc., an elastomer-based technology company specializing in wastewater recovery and pollution prevention technologies. He currently holds several domestic and international patents on AbTech technology. Prior to AbTech, Rodolfo spent several years with EniChem SpA, a global energy and petrochemical company. He relocated to the company's US headquarters, EniChem America, to manage the North American thermoset elastomers operations. During this time, Rodolfo successfully converted an established commodity business into a vibrant specialty markets operation. He then joined Enichem Americas TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomers) as Director of Marketing and Business Development. Rodolfo received a PhD in Polymer Science from Genova State University, Genova, Italy and a degree in International Marketing from Bocconi University, Milano, Italy.

Victor M. Covone
Senior Director of Engineering
Victor M. Covone is Director of Engineering for the new Yulex manufacturing facility in Chandler, AZ. He joined Yulex in 2008 as Process Engineer. Victor is responsible for the development and optimization of the company's proprietary processing and material technologies. He has been critical in optimizing the Yulex pilot plant's performance by reducing process steps by 72%, process time by 78% and facility labor by 37%. Victor oversaw the Dry Rubber Project, spearheaded the development of more cost efficient harvesting techniques, and has saved millions in capital during the design and execution of the new Yulex commercial facility. Previously, he worked for more than 12 years for Alfa Laval, a world leader in separation, heat transfer and flow equipment. As Regional Sales Manager, Victor secured a 92% market share in his territory, leading to the Alfa Laval Market Segment Award in 2007. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Metropolitan University, Caracas, Venezuela.

Leif P. Christoffersen
Director of Biomass Integration
Leif P. Christoffersen joined Yulex as the Director of Biomass Integration. Leif is responsible for advancing Yulex's energy, efficiency and biomass initiatives. Prior to Yulex, he played a key role in establishing the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation (EOWBF) with whom he maintains an active advisory role. Leif also spent over five years at the Diversa Corporation (Verenium Corporation and BP Biofuels), where he managed bioprospecting collaborations, as well as managed Diversa's grants program, coordinated their scientific advisory board, and supported their international business development efforts. He has also served as a climate change adviser to the Executive Director of UNEP at COP1 and COP2 of the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC). At the start of his career, Leif worked with subsistence farmers in Costa Rica and Kenya to support and promote agroforestry practices, which included setting up exportation of organic produce. He holds a degree from Hobart College (BA, Economics) and the University of California, San Diego (MBA, Rady School of Management).