James W. Downing Jr. is the founder and CEO of Polypro LLC.

Work Experience

3M

James began his career at a high peformance polymer division of 3M, where he served in both Quality and Research and Development roles. During this time he filed two patents for fluoropolymer composites. He developed a “hands-on” expertise in the realm of polymer characterization and analysis.

While in this purely technical role, James quickly realized that his true passion was interacting with customers and providing solutions to actual problems. He demonstrated a proclivity for developing materials that brought immediate and real value to the market. This customer-centric approach, combined with his extraverted personality and strong listening and communcations skills landed him a role in 3M’s sales force.

TOTAL Petrochemicals

After a decade of solid technical and sales contributions at 3M, James accepted an offer to become the Marketing and Technical Services Manager at TOTAL, the third largest petrochemical corporation by market capitalization. There he was responsible for the marketing and brand development for various polymeric product lines, including: silicones, polyurethanes, polyethers, and butyls. Moreover, he managed the Technical Services group responsible for these product lines, emphasizing responsiveness and problem solving efficiencies.

Polypro LLC

James was approached by three former customers whom he had supported in his past experience, as well as an Asian-based supplier of high performance polymers who discovered him through the Society of Plastics Industry trade association. These three corporation asked for various support products, including but not limited to (a) direct sales representation, (b) branding and marketing development of existing products, and (c) technical support for downstream customers. James quickly recognized the market need for an entity that could meet these needs. Polypro was born.

Education

James earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at 3M, he earned a certificate from the University of Pennsylvania in Polymeric Materials Characterization.

He earned his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rowan University, where he earned Graduate Student of the Year honors, as well as the Standard of Excellence Award from Americal Society of Chemical Engineers. While at Rowan, he published a paper predicated upon his Master’s Thesis entitled “Characterization of Structural Changes in Thermaly Enhanced Kevlar-29 Fiber” (Journal of Applied Polymer Science, V.91, Issue 1, p417-424, 2004)

James completed his academic career at the Pennsylvania State University, where he earned his M.B.A. His area of concentration was Marketing. He penned a paper on Transformational Leadership, studying the tools to convert reticent technical experts into extraverted and effective salespersons. His academic performance earned the distinction of lifetime member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honors Society.

United States Patent

To download a copy of Polypro’s patent, click here.