Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, one of the world’s leading marine science research institutions, played a leading role in the founding of Mera Pharmaceuticals. The Company’s Board of Directors and its management team bring together senior executive experience in organization, operations, marketing and finance with a proven record of building successful companies from the startup stage to well over $100 million in annual revenues.
Management
Gregory Kowal, Chief Executive Officer of Mera and the Consumer Products Division. Gregory Kowal has served as a director of Mera since June 2002. He cofounded First Honolulu Securities, Inc. in 1979 and remains a principal in that firm. He is currently Chairman of the Board and Portfolio Manager of First Honolulu Asset management and is on the financial advisory board of Concordia Financial, a California truck leasing servicing firm. Mr. Kowal has served on various supervisory court appointed groups working with and overseeing the sale of companies during reorganization, including the sale of Wickes Lumber, a billion dollar company that was completed in 2004. Mr. Kowal received his degree from Roosevelt University(Chicago, Il) in 1972 with a degree in management and finance.
Kenneth Crowder, Chief Operating Officer of the Consumer Products Division. Mr. Crowder was elected to the Board of Directors of Mera Pharmaceuticals in September 2003. He also serves as President and CEO of Concordia Finance, a corporation which he founded in 1994. Mr. Crowder is a founding shareholder, and a member of the advisory board to the President, of Chino Commercial Bank, which opened in 2000. Mr. Crowder worked for 35 years as a scientist and engineer in the aerospace industry. He retired from Northrop Grumman in 1993. He received a BA from the University of California, Riverside, in 1960 and an MA from California State University, Long Beach, in 1966.
Daniel Beharry, President of the Research Division. Mr. Beharry received his undergraduate degree from Yale College and his law degree from the University of Southern California. After 17 years in private legal practice, Mr. Beharry joined the legal and management staff of Caradon Inc. (now Novar, Inc.), the North American corporate headquarters of Caradon plc, a $3 billion per year British building materials conglomerate, where he gained his operations experience. Mr. Beharry played a critical role in the creation and development of Mera. Laurence Sombardier, Vice President and General Manger, Hawaii R&D; and Production Facility. Laurence Sombardier has served as VP/General Manager since October 2002, having been a member of the Mera staff since October 1997. She was instrumental in expanding the initial pilot scale plant into a production facility, in particular with respect to the set up of the process control system that enables Mera to take advantage of the patented Mera Growth Module. Mrs. Sombardier has also led all Information Technology related efforts for Mera since 1997. She received a MS in Physical Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Miguel Olaizola, Director, R&D;. Miguel Olaizola received a Ph.D in 1993 in Biological Oceanography, from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has acted as physiologist and research manager for Mera Pharmaceuticals since 1996 after conducting postdoctoral work at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego and at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission in Italy. Dr Olaizola has devoted much of his career to carotenoid biosynthesis in microalgae at laboratory and commercial scales and has written numerous scientific publications on the subject. With over 20 years of experience conducting and managing research on microalgae, Dr Olaizola is one of the leaders in his field. He was also Principal Investigator on Meras $2.4 million grant from the US Department of Energy (which ended in March 2005) to study the utilization of CO2 in commercial scale microalgal cultures for carbon sequestration.