“Chuck Walton is a highly experienced veteran of the food and nutritional supplement industries with an exceptional 25-year sales and marketing record that epitomizes Microbia’s hallmark traits: Passion, innovation, and the drive to excel,” said Richard Bailey, Ph.D., CEO of Microbia. “We are delighted to have Chuck join our ranks, and we look forward to his contributions as we take full advantage of the company’s scientific leadership to shape the future of Microbia and bring important new bio-based products to market.”
“This is an exciting time to join Microbia as momentum builds for the company,” said Mr. Walton. “With its unique approach to metabolic pathway engineering, Microbia has made impressive progress over the past several years in building a company that is well-positioned to capitalize on the tremendous promises of industrial biotechnology. The Microbia team has done an outstanding job of ensuring that the company is ready to build on its technology and business opportunities, and I look forward to accelerating that momentum as we focus on commercializing the company’s initial carotenoid products and expanding pipeline of bioproducts and materials.”
Chuck Walton’s experience in senior-level sales and marketing, product development, and strategic planning positions with food and nutritional supplements companies spans more than 20 years. Before joining Microbia, Mr. Walton was Executive Vice President and a co-founder of Attitude Drink Company, for which he created the IQZOL and Vis Viva brands and managed product development. Prior to that, he served as Director of Product Development and Innovation for Bravo! Brands, after serving 17 years with DSM Nutritional products (formerly Roche Vitamins, Inc.). At Roche Vitamins, Mr. Walton was a Senior Account Manager and a major contributor to product design and new product introductions specializing in the food and beverage industry representing more than $30 million in revenue. At DSM Nutritional, Mr. Walton received five President’s Achievement awards for outstanding sales and three top supplier awards from major food and beverage manufacturers. Mr. Walton holds a B.S. in Marketing and Business Administration from Saint Cloud State University.
ABOUT MICROBIA PE (www.microbia-pe.com)
Microbia is an industrial biotechnology company applying proprietary metabolic engineering approaches to create novel, commercially valuable specialty ingredients and biomaterials. Microbia’s products are generated from renewable raw materials and either replace existing petrochemical-derived counterparts in a cost-effective manner, or introduce new industrial chemicals with applications as novel biomaterials. Microbia is commercializing its technology through internal product development programs as well as strategic alliances, including an ongoing multiproduct joint development and commercialization agreement with Tate Lyle Investments, Ltd. Microbia was established in 2006 as a majority-owned subsidiary of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is based in Lexington, Massachusetts.
