About Forge Tech
Our History, Vision, and Leadership Team.
Our Story
Forge Tech's experienced management team understands the challenges of fabricating metal joints and making mechanical repairs to in-service equipment and structures within the restricted environments of refineries, manufacturing process plants, and other similar work sites.
Our vision has focused on developing a safe portable metal joining technology to better accomplish additions and enhancements and various repair and maintenance activities normally addressed by less reliable “cold work” solutions using adhesives, polymers, or similar products. The reasoning was that alternative “hot work” or traditional welding methods, while stronger and more reliable than traditional cold work alternatives, generally require specialized safety procedures, process isolation or decommissioning of equipment that can add significant operating costs or lost productivity.
Our mission is to deliver work-site metal fabricating systems that provide “hot work” strength and reliability, but with “cold work” safety and process flexibility.
Mat Rybicki
President, CEO
Mat is a technology leader and entrepreneur with over 30 years of commercial technology business experience, including developing and building several successful startup companies. He started his career with Motorola, Inc., developing his engineering and management expertise earning awards for innovation and technology leadership while bringing technology rich solutions to the market. Mat is an inventor on over 75 patents.
In the 1990’s and 2000’s, Mr. Rybicki helped build several technology based startup companies, developing and introducing new technology products to the mass markets. One company, SigmaTel, became Austin's largest IPO when it began publicly trading on the NASDAQ in 2003.
Mike Miller
V.P Operations
Mike has over 29 years of diversified hands-on technology experience in various aspects of the on-line leak sealing and fugitive emissions control service industry.
As one of the original founders of the Safe-Seal Company he lead the research & development of Safe-Seal's groundbreaking portable friction welding machine and sealing process.
As an inventor he has developed and co-developed several unique industry process systems and apparatus and is the lead inventor of the current Forge Tech Portable Forge Bonding conceptual designs and prototypes.
Daniel Rybicki
V.P Engineering
Dan is an expert industrial technologist with over 26 years of welding and materials engineering experience within aerospace and other leading commercial metal working and manufacturing industries
His professional career has included the development and qualification of critical welding, brazing, and heat treat processes for various NASA and DoD land, air and sea equipment programs.
Dan holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial Technology, with special emphasis and training in advanced metal joining technologies. In addition, Dan is the holder of eight welding-related U.S. Patents, and is a respected member of the American Welding Society (AWS), including participating membership on the AWS Peer Review Panel and several AWS committees.
Don Buchan
V.P Business Development
Don is an experienced management executive with over 30 years of marketing and commercial sales management expertise, including international sales and multinational petroleum firms.
His previous positions have included Director of Sales & Marketing and Vice President Sales & Marketing. Don's broad industrial and commercial experience includes positions within multinational petroleum firms, and two decades of senior executive management within the world's largest commercial furniture manufacturer. His responsibilities primarily focused on creating and managing sales and marketing programs targeting senior decision makers within Fortune 500 firms.
Scott Todd
Lead Technologist
Scott is a highly accomplished Mechanical Design Engineer with additional professional expertise in Stress Analysis. His distinguished career includes more than 22 years of engineering and design experience within aerospace and commercial manufacturing industries.
He holds a BS degree from Purdue University with educational emphasis in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Scott's additional academic and professional expertise includes engineering drawing practices, root cause and effect analysis, capability maturity model integration, and earned value measurement, His other competencies include 3D CAD modelling and finite element analysis, as well as vibration, life cycle and electromagnetic interference testing.
Larry Povse
Consultant
Larry is an accomplished Operations Manager with over 20 years of operational management experience within the Petro-Chemical and Refining Services industry.
He has managed several multi-location service entities with cross-discipline trained staffing requirements and 24/7/365 contractual fulfillment responsibilities servicing major refineries and petro-chemical plants located throughout the Gulf Coast region.
He brings domain experience in staff development, staff safety training and qualification requirements and operation expertise required for control of crews within the rigorously regulated refinery environment.