Arthur P. Haag, the owner and founder of Neutrex, Inc. and the creator of Purgex™ purging compounds, Houston, Texas, passed away Jan. 18, 2023.
Born Jan. 29, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois, Haag was the youngest son of a German mechanical engineer. In 1951, Haag went to school and received a B.S. in chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In 1966, he developed his first business venture and founded PureChem Corporation. As its president, he co-developed new methods for producing high purity titanium trichloride utilizing Haag-designed special equipment (ball mills, reactors, driers, etc.), and also was co-awarded four US Patents (and multiple foreign patents). The PureChem plant tripled in size and was a primary supplier of titanium catalysts. In 1970, PureChem was sold to Dart Industries, and Haag managed all catalyst operations at Dart and later at Phillips Petroleum when the division was sold.
After his retirement from Phillips, Haag used his chemical engineering background to develop a product aimed at assisting plastics processors, and in 1992, he invented Purgex™ purging compounds. Through this invention, he founded his most successful venture, Neutrex, Inc., where he served as president until 2021. Through Neutrex Inc., Haag sponsored plastics research with scholars and universities, including the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where he sat on the master thesis review panel. Even after retirement, Haag remained involved with Neutrex, Inc. in his capacity as chairman.
Haag always enjoyed meeting people and discussing plastics, chemicals and a wide variety of other subjects. He had a rare combination of amiable communication skills and broad technical knowledge, which made him an effective salesman and a respected teacher to many. Haag enjoyed traveling the world with his wife, especially to Africa for photographic safaris, Australia to celebrate the new year and annual trips to Paris for his birthday. He is survived by his wife, five children, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
“Our dad will be remembered as a kind and brilliant man, and a great leader and mentor to all of us at Neutrex,” said Ken Haag, operations manager, and Kathleen Jarvis, national sales director.
“It’s because of him that Purgex™ has become a global leader, and we are committed to achieving his vision for the future,” said Jason Pizcazotowski, president.
For more information, visit www.purgexonline.com.
